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The Leather Community: Still Kinky After All These Years Jesse's Journal Photos By: Badpuppy |
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 On Memorial Day Weekend, "the world's hottest leathermen" and their admirers will gather in Chicago for the 26th annual International Mr. Leather contest. An "annual tradition for thousands in the leather community," IML is the premier gay leather event in the world. Though I have never been to IML myself, I heard from a reliable source that the event was akin to "being teleported to the Tom of Finland planet." Not even the threat of a boycott from the Christian Taliban could stop this celebration of leather manhood, pride, and community. (When I write about "leather" in this article, I mean to include SM, BD and all types of fetish. This is like my use of "gay" to include lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, etc.)
I got involved in the gay leather scene for the sex but stayed for the community; which is just as well since community lasts longer than sex. (Though I still enjoy the sex.) Thus I disagree with critics like Michael Alvear, who called IML "the Mecca of pelt mania" and argued "that people who confuse shared fetishes with collective societies are diminishing the value of the word 'community.'" Nor do I agree with those who claim that the kinky community is in decline in a world of civil unions, gay adoptions, and Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Certainly we have come a long way from the "Golden Age of Leather" (the 1970's), when a generation of newly-liberated gay and bisexual men began to explore the ever-expanding boundaries and possibilities of leathersex. AIDS ended this Golden Age, as many of the men who prowled the dungeons and backrooms, warehouses and piers of our major urban centers became casualties of this epidemic. Critics point out to the closing of leather bars and disbandment of leather clubs as a sign that the leather scene is not what it used to be. The closing of leather bars - including a few famous ones - is part of a general trend that affected the entire GLBT community, resulting in fewer bars today than there were in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s. In The Declining Role of Gay Bars, Paul Varnell listed several reasons behind this phenomenon, including AIDS, the spread of the Internet, and the fact that gays no longer need bars to socialize. This might be true for "vanilla gays" but not for most leather men and women who still use their watering holes as de facto community centers. If this might seem separatist, it is only a response to reality. The kinky community, after all, is still anathema to most people, gay or straight. Thus it is no surprise that most leatherfolk seek the safety and support of like-minded venues, whether they be bars, clubs, or IML. Speaking of leather clubs, they are far from extinct. (As president of Saber M.C., South Florida's oldest Levi/leather club for men, I have an interest in this matter.) Every week I get an e-mail announcing the creation of a new club, some specializing in fetishes I never heard of before. Leathersex clubs are very popular, especially in cities that frown upon back room or public sex. There are clubs for leather nudists, leather bears, minority leatherfolk, and even leather Christians. The only leather clubs that are facing hard times these days are the old-time "patch" clubs (like Saber M.C.), many of which have gone by the wayside. Many of these clubs died along with their last member, while others could not adapt to the ever-changing times, or the needs of the community that created them.
During the golden age of leather, being a member of a patch club was almost mandatory. If you were not a member of a club, you were considered a "GDI" (G*d Damned Independent). But much of the generation that founded those clubs has passed away, and a new generation of leathermen has come of age that does not have the need to join those clubs. To young leathermen, those clubs' rules and regulations are too restrictive; their membership too ancient; and their purpose too outdated. Besides, they argue, why go through a rigorous pledge period and boring meetings when there exist a wide variety of sex clubs, fetish clubs and nudist clubs that only require them to pay a membership and admission fee in order to have a good time. In short, why pay for the cow when the milk is (almost) free? I think there's still a place in our community for small, exclusive clubs, if only to provide their members with brotherhood and support that larger clubs are not able to give. Not all patch clubs have gone the way of the dinosaur: Some have evolved with the times; others provide unique services to their community; and still others thrive because they are in small towns where there are no other leather clubs. Every day, a new batch of young "leather curious" men and women come out into the leather scene. Some of them will eventually gravitate to the clubs, where they will find camaraderie along with the kink. This happened to me twenty years ago, and I am sure it is happening today. Jesse Monteagudo is a freelance writer and queer activist who lives in South Florida with his life partner. His views do not necessarily reflect those of Saber M.C. Drop him a note at jessemonteagudo@aol.com . |
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The "patch" clubs - named after the patch or colors that members wear on our leather vests - were patterned after outlaw motorcycle clubs, and most of them began their careers as gay bike clubs (M.C.'s). Thus, they incorporated most of the exclusive rules, hierarchies, pledge periods, point systems and secret handshakes of the outlaw clubs.