Leather History in the US
The choice to wear leather attire or accessories depends on who you ask. While it originally stemmed from the gay motorcycle gangs of the 1940s and 1950s, wearing leather nowadays has expanded to all sexualities, and is often tied in with one’s personal fetish.
BDSM Leather: From Bikers to Mr. International
World War II and Biker Gangs
In 1940s America, a perfect combination of events created what we call the leather culture today.
Motorcycle gangs are thought to be the watershed of leather culture, as they grew in popularity following the second World War.
In a truly shitty move, the U.S. army created Blue Discharges, removing any African Americans and homosexual men from service, because of the colour of their skin, or because it was too logistically difficult to imprison or discharge all the gay men who had been recruited for the war. Over 48,000 veterans who had sworn to protect the United States were simply told to leave. While they weren’t discharged dishonourably, none were granted honourable discharge, either.
It’s no wonder then, that the large cities in the United States (San Francisco, Chicago, New York) saw an influx of gay men, and the motorcycle clubs and organizations began to form around this demographic.
Overall discontent with the country’s social norms continued to simmer just below the surface, as the conservative leanings of the country continued to bring the hammer down on a burgeoning beatnik culture.
The First Gay Leather Bar in America
In 1958, the first gay leather bar in the United States opened in Chicago, Illinois.
From there, the gay leather scene would only continue to grow. Gay men who were drawn to the leather subculture were likely dissatisfied with the societal narrative that stereotyped them as effeminate.
Gay leather motorcycle clubs pushed back against the popular culture representations, which made it all the more an ideal spot for kink and S&M exploration to take root.
Pat Califia: A Lesbian Leather Pioneer
A lesbian activist in San Francisco, Pat Califia is often credited as being instrumental to the creation of lesbian leather S&M groups.
She co-founded one of the first lesbian S/M groups, called Samois, and wrote a number of BDSM and sex guides geared specifically towards a lesbian audience.
A couple years later, Leather and Lace was founded in LA as a woman’s BDSM support and social group. The group claims to have learned “Old Guard” traditions from men in the gay leather subculture. Their militarized approach included a code of conduct and a uniform worn only after a member had “earned” the right.
Over the years, leather culture also has taken root in the BDSM subculture and practices, as well as becoming a symbol of everything from LBGTQ+ rights, heightened masculinity, love of motorcycles or association with bike clubs, feelings of independence, or just good old-fashioned sexual fetish.
Old Guard vs New Guard in BDSM Leather
There’s a lot of debate in leather circles around which traditions are original or “true”, with some even questioning if ‘Old Guard’ ever existed in the first place.
In reality, the Old Guard was about as varied in traditions, rituals, and military-esque protocols as it is today.
“New Leather” or “New Guard” is what we know today, and most historians appear to agree that there aren’t many significant differences between this evolution and the “Old”, though members of the leather culture and community are very passionate about their memberships.
If we’re being honest, the biggest distinguishing feature between the Old Guard and the New Guard is the degree of gender diversity in each.
It’s only natural that women were lacking in the Old Guard, especially given the fact that women could not officially face combat in WWII, and the concept of being queer had not yet entered public discourse. In the New Guard, a kinkster can practice high protocol or have no protocols in place whatsoever. They can be lesbian, bisexual, straight, gay, trans, queer, or any number of other identities.
Today, kink leather culture has grown to encompass several major sub-communities, each representing a different approach to kink and BDSM. You don’t have to own a motorcycle to be a member of most leather communities and clubs.
All you need is a passion or curiosity about kink, an open mind, and of course a love for leather.
No one on the Kynk 101 team is active in leather culture. We did our very best to cover the basics of this very rich history, but if you see something missing (or downright incorrect), or if you have personal experiences to share, please let us know!
References
[1] Johnson, Matthew (2014). Leather Culture, glbt, inc.
[2] Abe, Fraser (2000, March 12). A Brief History of Leather and the Gays, In Magazine.
[3] MacArthur, Tim (2019, May 17). The Blue Ticket Discharge: A Color that has Stained the Lives of WWII-Era Veterans for Over 75 Years, M-Vets.
[4] Abe, Fraser, ibid.
[5] “Leather Culture”, Leatherpedia.com
[6] ibid.
