Kink, leather, queerness, and the Lesbian Sex Mafia are on full display in Chicago’s iconic Boystown! After a 20-hour Amtrak train ride on my Queer Across America road trip, I arrive in the Windy City exhausted but excited to explore the Leather Archives & Museum and see why Chicago is known as one of the queerest cities in the world.

I don’t want to miss out on the Leather Museum, but there’s so much to check out in Chicago, and I’m only here for a couple of days. First, I explore the vibrant community of Boystown, which, despite its name, is more queer than a “gayborhood.” An assortment of genders, non-genders, and various identities give the city an enchanting personality.

Maybe “enchanting” isn’t the word for it since my taxi driver stops his car in the middle of the street, jumps out, and yells at the vehicle behind us for honking. The residents of Chicago are reasonably aggressive. The person honking was indeed just being an asshole. 

Though it’s still early, the queer bars are slowly beginning to fill up. I pass Roscoe’s, Kit Kat, and Hydrate, looking for something a little more low-key. I find the perfect spot at Replay, a video game-themed queer bar with a massive patio, craft beer, and, of course, plenty of video games ranging from retro Ms. Pac-Man to Ultimate Smash Bros. 

After a couple of local Goose Island beers, I continue wandering around the Lakeview area. Along the street are towering bronze pylons with pictures engraved onto them. I’m surprised to learn that they’re part of Chicago’s Legacy Walk, a recognized historical landmark that memorializes queer icons and events like Frida Kahlo, the Pink Triangle, and Sylvia Rivera. Each year, coinciding with National Coming-Out Day (October 11), new memorials are added.

It makes me happy to see our history not only preserved but also connecting with our present by being amongst the queer bars. I feel like queer areas either emphasize partying and nightlife (bars, clubs, bathhouses) or education (LGBTQ+ centers, trans resource organizations, health centers). Maybe an intoxicated twink will wander out of a bar, read a couple of sentences about someone who paved the way for us to inhale poppers and shake our asses, and actually (gasp!) learn something. 

I make my way to the Leather Archives & Museum, barely arriving before closing time. I’m nervous going up the steps to the surprisingly conspicuous building. I haven’t been to a lot of leather events in my queer life because I never really feel accepted in those spaces. Leather culture typically values hyper-masculinity, and nothing about my body or personality screams “masculine.” I’ve actually been discriminated against a few times at leather bars in Los Angeles. Bartenders often ignore me or charge me extra while catering to my bear friends. 

However, I never want to miss a queer museum. So, I take the chance of going into the LA&M, and I’m grateful that I did. Unlike the leather bars I’m used to, the museum is spotlessly clean. There are a variety of sections in the exhibit dedicated to all sorts of fetishes: ropes, bondage, BDSM, voyeurism, chastity. 

What’s most surprising is how women in leather and trans folks are prominently displayed throughout the exhibition. Like Mistress Mir, the “First Lady of Dominance,” who has been active in the BDSM community (and still is) for over 45 years, and the Lesbian Sex Mafia, a women- and trans-inclusive community of kink.

The leather community has often excluded people who aren’t cis males. I’ve seen this when I bartended kink events that denied entry to trans and cis women. The most common complaint in bathhouse reviews is pointed at the discrimination toward trans men, so it’s surprising to see trans folks and cis women highlighted in the museum. This shows the importance of preserving our queer history.

What I learn from the museum is that the leather and kink community has waned since the 80s because large parts of the community refuse to be inclusive of body types, genders, and identities. The definition of “masculinity” has also evolved. In order for the leather community to continue its incredible legacy, it needs to stop gatekeeping.

Preserving queer history while also recognizing its past mistakes is crucial for the LGBTQ+ community to continue to evolve and be the inclusive entity that it strives to be. Chicago is one of the queerest cities I’ve been to on my Queer Across America road trip. If you’re ever traveling to Chi-Town, do yourself a favor and stay for more than a few days!

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Photos courtesy of London Alexander and social media. All photos courtesy of London Alexander are copyrighted and cannot be used without written expressed permission.