Check out these vintage pictures of Colt Thomas, who was the winner of the International Mr. Leather contest back in 1983! According to Facebook postings from leather pioneer Peter Fiske and Leather Archives Executive Director Gary A. Wasdin, today would have been Colt’s 61st birthday. Colt died in 1992.
The pictures below of Colt are re-posted here (without permission) from Facebook and from various sites on the Internet.
“Coulter came to IML as Mr. Texas Leather,” Mr. Wasdin wrote today on Facebook. “There were 44 contestants that year, and the devastation of AIDS was growing. Coulter embodied the IML ideal. He was top of his class in medical school, while traveling and fundraising during his title year. He became muse to many artists, and is one of the few models captured in works by Etienne, Tom of Finland, The Hun and photographer Jim Wigler.”
Official IML website is here
A very good book by Peter Fiske is available here
Andrew died in May of this year, and on Sept 28, a beautiful gathering was held at the LGBT Community Center here in New York to celebrate his life. The service was lovingly organized by his friend Matthew and attended by dozens of people whose lives Andrew touched over the years — many of whom wore leather and/or club colors. Andrew’s own well-worn vests, adorned with his patches from CHC/Inferno and Delta, were hung for all to see. A photo collage and objects from Andrew’s home were also set out. A portion of a video interview with Andrew was shown, and a musician played some of Andrew’s favorite music, on soprano saxophone and flute. Several participants read poetry. The celebration concluded with a champagne toast.
