Winning a title like International Mr Leather makes you an A-lister with guaranteed invitations to LGBT events around the globe.  But what if you want your reign to be more than just parading around in a leather jockstrap?

How did a Canadian country boy get to the dizzying heights of the world’s leather scene?
What inspired him to want to visit the gay communities in far-flung countries like Uganda and Ukraine?
And, in describing his visits as ‘life-changing”, what did he learn from the activists in these countries with such harsh anti-LGBT laws?

To go behind the scenes and discover his motivations and hopes, we spoke with International Mr Leather 2015, Patrick Smith.