Leather subculture denotes practices and styles of dress organized around sexual activities that involve leather garments, such as leather jackets, vests, boots, chaps, harnesses, or other items. Wearing leather garments is one way that participants in this culture self-consciously distinguish themselves from mainstream sexual cultures. Many participants associate leather culture with BDSM practices and its many subcultures. For some, black leather clothing is an erotic fashion that expresses heightened masculinity or the appropriation of sexual power; love of motorcycles, motorcycle clubs and independence; and/or engagement in sexual kink or leather fetishism.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Belarus face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Although same-sex sexual activity is legal in Belarus, gay and lesbian rights in the country are otherwise severely limited and homosexuality remains highly stigmatized in Belarusian society. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples. Belarus provides no anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people, nor does it prohibit hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Many Belarusian people believe that homosexuality is a psychiatric illness, and many LGBT persons in Belarus tend to hide their sexual orientation in public. Those who are "out" face harassment, violence and physical abuse.
The World Outgames were a sporting and cultural event hosted by the gay community. The Outgames were open to all who wish to participate, without regard to sexual orientation. There were no qualifying standards, although competitions were arranged according to the skill levels of the competitors. The Outgames brought together athletes and artists from all over the world, many from countries where homosexuality remains illegal and hidden.
International Mr. Leather(IML) is a multi-day conference and competition celebrating the leather, kink, fetish, and BDSM communities. Established in 1979, IML is held annually in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend, drawing thousands of contestants and spectators from around the world. As of 2024, over 2,100 contestants from 27 countries have competed.
The International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) is an international organization which was founded in 1992 with the intention of promoting association football (known as soccer in the United States and football in most of the rest of the world) in the LGBTQ+ community and to promote queer football to the world at large.
The 1st World Outgames took place in Montréal, Quebec, Canada from July 26, 2006, to August 5, 2006. The international conference was held from July 26 to the 29. The sporting events were held from July 29 to August 5.
Mr Gay Europe is a male competition for gay Europeans about important LGBTQIA+ themes. Every year a new Mr. Gay Europe will be crowned, who will be an ambassador for the LGBTQIA+ community. It was founded by its former President, Morten Rudå and its current President, Tore Aasheim; and was hosted for the first time in 2005.
Dexter "The Blade" Jackson is an American retired IFBB Pro League professional bodybuilder and the 2008 Mr. Olympia bodybuilding and 2012 Masters Mr. Olympia champion. With 29 wins, Jackson has the most professional men's bodybuilding titles. He has the distinction of winning the Arnold Classic a record five times. After winning the Arnold Classic in 2015, he placed second in the 2015 Mr. Olympia. He is from Jacksonville, Florida. He retired from professional bodybuilding following the 2020 Mr. Olympia.
Phillip Jerrod Heath is an American IFBB Pro League professional bodybuilder. Known as 'The Gift', he is a seven-time Mr. Olympia winner, having won the competition every year from 2011 to 2017. Heath is tied with Arnold Schwarzenegger for the joint-second number of all-time Mr. Olympia wins, behind Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney, who are joint-first with eight wins each. He was known for his rivalry with Kai Greene.
Mr Gay Wales is a Welsh gay male beauty pageant. It was founded in 2005 as part of the Cardiff Mardi Gras celebrations, but is now an independent contest.
Mr. Gay International was the first international contest to select an Ambassador or spokesman to support the mission of the sponsoring nonprofit corporation, the Noble Beast Foundation. President of the Noble Beast Foundation is Don Spradlin, who founded and produced the first three Competitions with a team of dedicated volunteers. Carlos Melia, native from Argentina was the third International Mr Gay titleholder, elected and crowned in Los Angeles, California in 2008. The last International Mr. Gay titleholder was Pablo Salvador Sepúlveda from Chile. The competition has been de facto replaced by Mr Gay World.
Mr Gay UK was a British annual beauty contest for gay men, with regional heats held in gay nightclubs with a grand final usually at a gay venue. It began in 1982 as "Mr Hardware" designed to promote a gay mail order company. The event, held in the Heaven nightclub, was filmed by the BBC as part of a documentary entitled Something For the Ladies.
Mr Gay Ireland is an annual contest for gay men, with regional heats held in gay venues around Ireland, with a grand final held in late October. In previous years the final has been held in The George, Dublin. The 2010 title holder was Max Krzyzanowski. Krzyzanowski won the title of Mr. Gay Ireland 2010 and went on to win the title of Mr Gay World 2010.
Lucas Entertainment is an independent New York-based gay pornographic studio started by porn star Michael Lucas, funded by his ex-husband Richard Winger. It is one of the largest such studios in the world. The studio is known for lavish, big-budget films, and it contends that its 2006 film Michael Lucas' La Dolce Vita is the most expensive gay porn ever made. The film won 14 GayVN awards in 2007, the current record.
Miss Hong Kong 2008 The 36th Miss Hong Kong Pageant which was televised live internationally from the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on 19 July 2008. Twenty-two-year-old Edelweiss Cheung became the new Miss Hong Kong and the tallest Miss Hong Kong, in the history of the pageant. Skye Chan the first runner-up and replaced Edelweiss during her duties due to Edelweiss not showing up. Skye Chan represented Hong Kong in Miss World 2008, and Miss Chinese International 2009. Second runner-up Sire Ma represented Hong Kong at Miss International 2008
The Emerald Warriors are an Irish rugby team based in Dublin. They play in the Leinster Metro League Division 10 and 7 and are members of the International Gay Rugby Association and Board. They are the reigning bronze final champions since Union Cup Madrid 2017. The Warriors are Ireland's first primarily gay rugby team although it is open to anyone with an interest in playing rugby and includes heterosexual members.
Mr. Gay World is a registered, trademarked annual international competition for gay men, established in 2009. On September 4, 2024, Eric Butter officially announced that Mr. Wayne Renzo from the Philippines has acquired the Mr. Gay World Organization. With this historic transition, Wayne Renzo is now the new owner, ushering in a new chapter for the globally celebrated brand.
Gayrussia.ru is an LGBT rights organization based in Moscow, Russia. It has organised numerous public actions in Russia, the most famous being Moscow Pride and Slavic Pride. It also sponsored the documentary Moscow Pride '06. In November 2008, Project GayRussia.Ru extended its advocacy work into Belarus where it launched the Slavic Gay Pride movement with its local partner Gaybelarus.by.
Mr Gay World 2010, the 2nd Mr Gay World pageant, was held at the Nedre Vollgate 11, in Oslo, Norway on February 13, 2010. Charl Van Den Berg of South Africa, was crowned Mr Gay World 2010 by outgoing titleholder Max Krzyzanowski from Ireland. 23 countries and territories competed for the title.
Mister Gay Chile is the national integral beauty title for Chilean gay men. The choice of candidates is based not only on physical attributes. Communication skills are measured from applicants, their form of expression and, above all, the level of commitment of each participant with causes and values of the gay community. The last Grand Finale of this competition was in February 2019.
Ireland 
Colombia 
Philippines 
Argentina 
