03/18/2024
"A leather event? At The Baton? A DRAG bar?"
The Mr. Windy City Leather Contest at The Baton is an opportunity to revisit and build upon long neglected Chicago Leather History.
The Baton Show Lounge was founded 55 years ago by Chicago's roller skating, baton twirling, drag impresario Jim Flint. Jim was a contemporary of Chuck Renslow - founder of The Gold Coast, The Chicago Eagle, and International Mister Leather. Chuck Renslow was one of the early supporters of The Baton, serving for the first 6 months as a business partner to help get the show lounge up and running. Jim Flint was a member of the Chicago Knights Motorcycle Club, and the President of the Midwest Conference of Clubs - an early association of midwest motorcycle clubs.
In 1976, Flint branched out from drag and opened his own leather bar "The Redoubt" at 65 W. Illinois, right across the street from Chuck Renslow's "The Gold Coast." The Redoubt (whose name was derived from the French Redoute or "fortification") was a small bar that served as the overflow bar for The Gold Coast. The Redoubt was known for its down and dirty "anything goes" basement room known as "The Bunker." The handrail down to the Bunker was a long piece of cherry wood, that transformed as one descended, ending with the carved shaft and head of a p***s as one emerged into the basement lair. Behind the bar was a tank filled with piranha, which was a major attraction at feeding time.
Joey McDonald, Executive Director of the Renslow Trust, said the following: "The Redoubt was more ominous and dark [than the Gold Coast], and had more of a dungeon feel. The guys there seemed to be more into the dominant-submissive headspace. The piranha tank sort of sums up that feel. It was very "the hunter and the hunted" at the Redoubt. It had that chase-and-be-chased-tension."
Eventually, the Redoubt moved to 440 N Halsted, where the vibe changed to more of a neighborhood leather bar. Then, in 1982, Flint moved The Redoubt to Atlanta where it was housed in a a former drive in, and included The Baton South. Long time manager Dan Neniskis considered it "a leather and lace kind of thing." The Redoubt was the largest leather bar in Atlanta until the opening of The Atlanta Eagle. Sadly the Redoubt did not last long in Atlanta and Flint abandoned the leather bar concept to focus on The Baton and his fledgling Continental Pageantry system. Flint continues to be actively involved in the running and management of both enterprises today, as he prepares to celebrate his 83rd birthday later this year.
Additionally, in 1985 Flint served as the emcee for International Mister Leather as his alter ego "Felicia." In 2012 Flint donated a collection of Redoubt artifacts to the Leather Archives and Museum, including t-shirts, matchbooks, the cherry p***s handrail to the basement bunker, and the sign to the bar.
So, as you can see, The Mr. Windy City Leather Contest at The Baton is an opportunity for the modern day Chicago leather, kink and gear community to revisit the early roots of the LGBTQ movement. When the owner of a drag lounge could open a leather bar, helping to both move the culture between these two niche areas, and further break down barriers in our community.
You can learn more about the history of Chicago legend Jim Flint, The Baton Show Lounge, and The Redoubt, in the acclaimed biography: "Jim Flint - The Boy from Peoria", by Tracy Baim (Publisher of The Chicago Reader) and Owen Keehan (Chicago LGBTQ Author and Historian). Purchase your copy at any local bookseller.
(This post originally appeared on the CODE Night page at the launch of CODE Night, the monthly, dress code enforced, leather and fe**sh event at The Baton Show Lounge.)
