The Colonization of Leather

by Hardy Haberman

Colonization is not all bad. After all, had not the British Empire not colonized the subcontinent, Iwould never be able to get a good Chicken Vindaloo outside of Delhi. Also, the English language would not be the lingua franca of the majority of the world. But I’m not here to talk about the British screwing up cultures and civilizations around the world, I am examining a colonization that is happening much closer to home.

The rise of the leather subculture, specifically the gay male leather subculture in the mid-twentieth century is somewhat well documented, and I am not enough of a scholar to parse the inconsistencies of that narrative. As a member of that subculture since the mid 1970’s I am sufficiently informed to recognize the changes to it and the possible causes. By the time I dipped my toes into the leather scene, the prevalence of gay biker culture was already stating to wane. Though I was a member of the Dallas Motorcycle Club, I didn’t own a bike. My saving grace was owning a van, which was a great asset for moving food and supplies for our events and runs.

About the time I got firmly involved with that group of gay bikers, the appearance of HIV and AIDS began its tornadic path. It tore through the leather community and almost extinguishing the early sparks of the leather subculture. But leather was stronger than that disease. It pushed our subculture together, and out of a sense of self-preservation we began a mutual support system. Leather bars became less a place to pickup someone for casual kink and a focus for fundraising to aid our brothers who were sick and dying. Leathermen and leatherdykes began working together and that is when I believe we shifted from a subculture to a community.

Leatherdykes stepped in to care for their leather brothers who were being neglected in hospitals. Leathermen “de-kinked” their dying brothers houses, rescuing their leathers, magazines, and toys before appalled biological family members swept through and tossed it all in the landfill. Legacy leather was awarded to promising newcomers or gifted to old friends who could still use it. I believe the idea of “earned leather” came from this era. It was a natural extension of a subculture teetering on the brink of extinction to propagate and reenergize itself.

The restrictions that “safer-sex” placed on the gay community put a real damper on the kind of casual sex that many Leathermen had enjoyed, but some realized that a lot of what we do carries little or no risk of transmitting HIV and so as a response our community started educating ourselves and others as to the kinds of intense and hot and safe scenes we could still have. A local group called The Disciples of DeSade worked in concert with the Dallas County Health Department and began a series of seminars they called “Beyond Vanilla”. From those monthly meetings, the weekend long event we know today was born.

And that brings me to the colonizing issue. As our play became more visible, we attracted people outside the LGBTQ community. There were several groups that already were focused on heterosexual kink, but national organizations like National Leather Association opened their doors to anyone with a sincere interest in Leather/BDSM/Fetish. Once the doors were opened, they could never be shut again.

As more straight people arrived, they did not understand the language of our culture, and so leather changed to accommodate this influx. The gate keeping that had always been a defense against curious and perhaps ill-intentioned outsiders was lowered. The sacred space of the leather bar was opened up and in the process the apostates changed the sacraments. In a leather bar during the 1980’s, consent was “yes until no”. In other words, getting groped or at least getting some lascivious contact was part of the experience. You could always say “No thanks” and the contact usually stopped. The arrival of heteronormative folks turned that in its head. In the straight world consent was “no until yes” Additionally, the new arrivals in an effort to fit in, adopted the dress and symbols of Queer leather. Symbols that were not any kind of rank, but instead shorthand. Keys on the left or right, a cock ring hung from a motorcycle epaulette, hankies, Muir caps, were all meant as essentially marketing, to let people know what you were seeking, at least for that night. This led to problems when a handsome straight man would show up dressed like a Tom of Finland drawing and would get offended by some man making advances, or more awkward, his female “slave” would be incensed that “her Master was being disrespected”. An event I witnessed on more than one occasion.

The community, was gradually being changed and the colonization led to a lot of confusion and misinformation, like the whole “Old Guard” myth and mystique. Straight men claiming to be trained in Old Guard protocols and traditions brought with them a pseudo-provenance that was used to justify their positions and ranks within what previously had been a very loosely organized system. What’s worse is cynical publishers pumped out fictional books to reenforce this myth which culminated in the ludicrous assertion that there was some kind of “Council of Elders” who governed all decisions in the leather world. As I have said numerous times, I can’t get 4 gay men to agree of where to have brunch, much less make pronouncements on who can and cannot get “covered”. In fact the whole “covering” ritual appeared in the mid 1990’s in my experience and is essentially a new thing.

Now, as I said to begin this screed, without colonization I wouldn’t be able to find a good Chicken Vindaloo, and without the colonization of the leather community we would not have the robust network of events and organizations we have today. It’s not all bad, but to deny that it happened or make up myths to support a specious back-story does a disservice to the men and women who pioneered the subculture.

I will now retire to my porch and shake my cane at those damned kids in my flowerbeds.

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Article of interest on colonization: https://www.ribbonfarm.com/2012/01/27/peak-attention-and-the-colonization-of-subcultures/