Gay leather culture
Leather folk are kissers. On the mouth. It’s a trend I’ve noticed since I started closely following and writing about the leather community about a year ago, but one that became undeniable on the first night of Mid Atlantic Leather (MAL) Weekend, one of the biggest leather conventions in the country, earlier this month.
I watched kiss after smooch after elaborate brush in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency in Washington, DC’s Capitol Hill neighborhood on Friday night. Whether reuniting after years spent apart or just meeting that evening, guys of all shapes, sizes, and colors were kissing (and groping, and then some) with abandon. The hotel was exclusively reserved for the convention, so there was no risk of prudes wandering in and getting offended, and given how little most of the 3,000 attendees were wearing, that was probably for the best.
I was wearing a harness that clipped onto my belt loops, serving double duty as suspenders, over a shirt (I’m not the shirtless type, though that is overwhelmingly the norm at these kinds of events) and a pair of jet pants. Instead of kissing, I resolutely stuck a hand out whenever I was introduced to someone new. A few offered hugs, and the r
What’s in the Archives? Leather!
Leather in the Archives
by Gordon Richardson, with assistance from Alan Miller and Michael Holmes (photography)
Leather subculture
The leather subculture denotes practices and styles of dress organized around sexual activities. Leather culture is most seeable in gay communities and most often associated with gay men (“leathermen”), but it is also reflected in various ways in the gay, lesbian, multi-attracted , and straight worlds. Many people associate leather tradition with BDSM (Bondage/Discipline, Dominance/Submission, Sado/Masochism) practices and its many subcultures.
Gay male BDSM leather culture grew out of post-WWII biker tradition. Some men returning from the war received surplus motorcycles, leather jackets, and other military gear. Wearing jeans and a T-shirt with a leather jacket and cap riding a motorcycle created an iconic image that was adopted by the first same-sex attracted leather people. The first gay leather bars were the club houses of early biker clubs that opened later to the public. Pioneering gay motorcycle clubs included the Satyrs, established in Los Angeles in 1954; Oedipus also in Los Angeles in 1958, and the Fresh York Motorbike C
Why is the gay leather scene dying?
In a dimly lit sidestreet in London’s East End there is a black box of a building scrawled with graffiti. A CCTV camera perched above the door signals it probably isn’t a squat, but there is no signage. Inside, past three sets of doors and a switching room cordoned off with an old tarpaulin, is a shadowy warren of alcoves, cages and black corners. Knee-high leather boots hang from iron chains looped through ceiling hooks like fetish bunting. Men kitted out in chaps and overcoats prowl the corridors, while others sip Foster’s, waiting for a nod and a wink. A gregarious barman greets regulars while hairy-chested musclemen appear on a petty screen next to an ice bucket.
This is the Backstreet, London’s only remaining gay leather bar. But after a 33-year dash serving London’s kinksters, its days might be numbered. “The developers have been sniffing around us for years,” says Aaron the barman. “They want to build another high-rise.” Disagreement from Tower Hamlets council and community activists has granted the club a brief reprieve, according to the staff, who all work under the assumption that any day could be the venue’s last.
A string of closures
GAY LEATHER CULTURE
THE GLOBAL INFLUENCE
ON MEN AND WOMEN
Rob Halford is one of biggest rock stars of all time
He put the agenda for the look of metal for years to come.
What scant people realize is that he is gay
and took his image directly from gay leather culture.
Marlon Brando is an American sex symbol.
His leather and denim image in the classic clip, The Wild One, created
a powerful image of strong masculinity and sexuality for men all over the world.
What few people realize is that he was openly bisexual
and also took the leather image from lgbtq+ culture.
Now, obviously we're not saying that everyone who enjoys wearing leather is gay.
What we are saying is the truth.
Gay leather culture has created powerful strong images
and role models for male lover men and women.
SEE ALSO GAY Dominance AND SEXUALITY
MARLON BRANDO
Marlon Brando is a courageous man who was openly fluid in a second of bigotry.
He's one of the greatest movie stars of all time.
His image of the leather rebel was popularized by the 1953 film 'The Uncontrolled One.'
On the big screen, Marlon Brando, wearing jeans and a leather jacket, promoted an image of rugged, masculine independence. 
A Brief History Of Leather And The Gays
Give to me your leather, hold from me my gays…
By Fraser Abe
Cubs, pups, otters, silver foxes and bears, oh my. The lgbtq+ ecosystem has a affluent taxonomy of subcultures that all somewhat stem from one Adam(4Adam)’s rib – the leather community. It’s been around since the 1940s, when the notion of otters and the like were just a twink-le (get it?) in some queen’s eye. We’re here to break down the history of leather for you, going all the way back to the greatest generation.
It’s generally assumed that leather society got its start in the 1940s, as an offshoot to post-World War II motorcycle clubs that began popping up around the same time. Gays had flocked in droves to large cities monitoring Blue Discharges from the army, a way of removing homosexuals from service, as dishonourably discharging and imprisoning gays became impractical with the huge number of recruits during WWII. It led to massive groups of homosexuals in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.
Meanwhile, a dissatisfaction with the post-WWII white picket fence view of America was building, especially as seen in films like 1953’s The Wild One, starring Marl
A Brief History Of Leather And The Gays
Give to me your leather, hold from me my gays…
By Fraser Abe
Cubs, pups, otters, silver foxes and bears, oh my. The lgbtq+ ecosystem has a affluent taxonomy of subcultures that all somewhat stem from one Adam(4Adam)’s rib – the leather community. It’s been around since the 1940s, when the notion of otters and the like were just a twink-le (get it?) in some queen’s eye. We’re here to break down the history of leather for you, going all the way back to the greatest generation.
It’s generally assumed that leather society got its start in the 1940s, as an offshoot to post-World War II motorcycle clubs that began popping up around the same time. Gays had flocked in droves to large cities monitoring Blue Discharges from the army, a way of removing homosexuals from service, as dishonourably discharging and imprisoning gays became impractical with the huge number of recruits during WWII. It led to massive groups of homosexuals in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago.
Meanwhile, a dissatisfaction with the post-WWII white picket fence view of America was building, especially as seen in films like 1953’s The Wild One, starring Marl