There are names you hear whispered with a kind of reverence in leather bars and at queer festivals, where the smell of bootblack and testosterone floats in the air. Jack Thompson is one of those names. But donāt get it twisted ā this man is not a myth. Heās real. Heās loud. Heās tender. Heās fierce. And heās reshaping the landscape of what it means to be queer, Black, kinky, and fully, unapologetically yourself.
Jackās in Charge
Jack Thompson made history in 2019 when he was crowned International Mr. Leather (IML) ā the first trans person of color to ever hold the title. And if you think that was just about a sash and some leather daddy photo ops, you havenāt been paying attention.
IML is more than a pageant. Itās a platform. Itās visibility. And Jack used every damn inch of it to talk about race, gender, sex positivity, and what it means to build real community in spaces that too often pretend inclusivity while practicing exclusion.
Visibility Isnāt Optional ā Itās Vital


Jack has never hidden. Not his identity, not his politics, not his body. And that makes some people uncomfortable. Good.
In a world where Black trans bodies are constantly erased, Jackās refusal to be invisible is nothing short of revolutionary. Whether heās talking about sex work, HIV advocacy or the fucked-up racism still embedded in many kink spaces, he brings the whole truth with him ā leather vest on, boots shined, voice steady.
And itās not just talk. Jack mentors. Jack teaches. Jack shows up. He doesn’t just want inclusion ā he demands liberation.
The Man Behind the Title



But beyond the accolades, beyond the mic-drop speeches and trailblazing ā Jack is just Jack. A lover of community. A fierce advocate. A soft dom. A friend. A brother. A flirt. A human being who knows joy and grief in equal measure.
Heās someone who will fix your harness, pour you a drink, and tell you to stop being so damn hard on yourself ā all in the same breath. His presence is grounding. His energy is electric. You donāt forget him.
The Work Is Never Done
Jackās time as IML didnāt end when the next sash was handed out. His work continues in the trenches ā teaching, speaking, holding space, calling bullshit, and lifting others up. Heās still doing the thing so many of us aspire to: turning survival into celebration, pain into power.
Jack Thompson is living proof that leather isnāt just a fetish ā itās a culture. A resistance. A family. And itās a family that, thanks to him, now looks a little more like all of us.
Final Word
If you donāt know Jack Thompson yet, fix that. Watch his speeches. Listen to his interviews. See how he walks through the world like he belongs in every room he enters ā because he does. Because we all do.
Jack is a mirror for what queer leather life can be: sexy, smart, intersectional, loud, and liberatory. Heās not asking for your permission ā heās inviting you into the future.
And baby, that future is wearing boots. š¤š§·š„¾