Of course, gay men coming and going from around the world for a conference isn’t any more or less worrisome than any large group gathering indoors.

I found myself very concerned about the event in part because, even by the low standards of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, community spread of SARS-CoV-2 was “ high” in Chicago, causing uncontrollable community spread of that virus. (This year, the honor went to Gael Leung Chong Wo of Belgium.) IML is like the Miss America pageant, except those working the runway are clad in harnesses. Leather conference, a four-day-long affair where men from all over the world gathered to strut their stuff in leather gear, have lots of sex, and compete to be named International Mr. In Chicago last month, thousands of gay men gathered for the first time in three years for the annual International Mr.