MIR, formerly Mr. International Rubber, is a multi-day convention and contest celebrating the
rubber
Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds.
Types of polyisoprene ...
,
fetish, and
kink
KINK (101.9 FM also known as kink.fm) is a commercial radio station in Portland, Oregon. It is owned by Alpha Media and it airs an adult album alternative radio format. KINK's studios and offices are on Southwest 5th Avenue in the PacWest C ...
communities. Established in 1997, MIR occurs annually in
Chicagoland
The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities ...
during the autumn, drawing participants and attendees from all over the world. Events include workshops, socials, dances, market, and the contest.
History
MIR started in 1997 hosted at the
Boystown bar, Cell Block, and has been run every year since. In 2009 MIR contest moved to the
Center on Halsted
Center on Halsted is a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) community center in Chicago, Illinois.
The center is located in the Lakeview neighborhood on the corner of Halsted Street and Waveland, attached to Whole Foods Market. It is ...
to account for larger crowds. In 2020 MIR 24 was held virtually due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. MIR 27 in 2023 moved to a new location in
Skokie, Illinois.
At MIR 27 in 2023, organizers announced that the event would allow contestants of all genders to compete;
the contest winner may chose whichever honorific best represents them as MIR titleholder: Mr. International Rubber, Ms. International Rubber,
Mx.
''Mx'' () is an English-language neologistic honorific that does not indicate gender. Created as an alternative to gendered honorifics (such as ''Mr.'' and ''Ms.'') in the late 1970s, it is the most common gender-neutral title among non-binary ...
International Rubber, or MIR International Rubber Ambassador.
To promote inclusion, organizers also changed the official name of the contest from "Mr. International Rubber" to gender-neutral "MIR."
The
Leather Archives & Museum
The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) is a community archives, library, and museum located in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Chuck Renslow and Tony DeBlase in 1991, its mission is making “leather, kink, BDSM, a ...
holds many of MIR's records.
Winners
As of July 2025, 27 contestants representing eight countries have won MIR: the United States (14), Canada (5), Germany (2), the Netherlands (2), France (1), Italy (1), Poland (1), and the United Kingdom (1).
Below is a table of MIR contest winners.
''Winner's Country'' as used in the table refers to the winner's country of residence at the time they won the competition.
References
{{Reflist
See also
*
International Mr. Leather
*
International Ms. Leather
International Ms. Leather (IMsL) is an annual leather subculture fetish convention and competition, originally focused on women but now inclusive of all genders. Since 1999, the convention has also included a Ms. Bootblack (IMsBB) contest.
Aft ...
*
Leather competitions
LGBTQ events in Illinois
Fetish subculture
Recurring events established in 1997
Annual events in Illinois