Trying to describe how and when the leather community began is like asking when homosexuality started. It is something very primal and lives within the heart of those that self-identify as Leather oriented. Man began wearing hides and animal skins long before the loom, spun wool or combed cotton. The hides not only provided protection from the elements but also spoke to the virility of the hunter. It is a connection with that primal attraction that draws many to the Leather community without even knowing what it is.
Here in the U.S. the Leather community began to formalize itself out of men returning home from WWII. For many men of that era the military was their first homosocial experience, their first time away from home, and their first male bonding experience under a high level of stress and discipline. These men learned the values and pleasures of discipline and playing hard. And gay vets had an increased sense of self-esteem knowing that they served as well and fought as hard as their straight counterparts.
After their return to the States these men wanted to retain or recreate the elements of their military experience which they found appealing while at the same time hanging out with other masculine men both socially and sexually. And they found that within the motorcycle culture. They subconsciously transferred their loyalty of uniform to their leather gear and thus developing what many refer to as “Old Guard” traditions.
“Old Guard” was an unspoken set of rules about acceptable and unacceptable dress code, how one handled personal affairs, social etiquette, who was allowed in, and more. These gay vets created a butch subculture which allowed many to specialize their sexual interests in a way that had never been possible before. It made it apparent that there were many ways to be gay, and those that had an inclination to kinky action found a home within the leather community. However, inclusion was not just granted. One had to learn the rules of inclusion and follow the required steps.
There were “ranks” within the leather community. Masters/Sirs/Daddies were the dominant role and ranked higher in the community and given the respect of tribal elders only after having proven themselves worthy of such title and respect. The submissive role of boy/slave/puppy were held by men looking to serve or a novice willing to learn from his Dom to move up the ranks and someday be one himself. There were strict protocols to the social interaction between men based on one’s role. But it was very much about a brotherhood watching out for each other as anything else. Don’t forget homosexuality was a criminal offense in much of this country at that time; it was their way of protecting themselves and each other from those outside forces.
Today, leather is more about sexual exploration, sexual freedom and expression. It represents a strong comfort level with one’s inner desires, the ones that civilized society tell us we should suppress. Leather is a healthy outward expression of that, it says, “I might not love the same way that you do. I don’t have to. I am comfortable in my own skin and you should be too. It’s ok to be kinky…or not”. Many of the players in the modern leather community have never experienced military service or the 1950’s “rebel” culture. So, leather expression has changed and continues to change based on the experiences and views of the major players. It is an evolution based on the primal instincts of those involved. What would once cause a stir in a young man’s jeans doesn’t have the same affect for today’s youth. Bike culture has given way to sports and pop culture which transfers over into the leather culture and vise versa. And although “Old Guard” has in many ways been replaced by the “New Guard” or even “No Guard”, some of the protocols have survived. Those protocols that survive are the ones that address how we treat one another.
The Leather community always has been and always will be a brotherhood. It has strong roots in masculinity which epitomized the masculine gay man. Artists like Tom of Finland and Etienne celebrated this image. Mainstream pop culture of the 1970-80’s tried to make a caricature of him, as it so often does with things it does not understand. But that early misrepresentation of the Leatherman in pop culture has both served the community as well as become a disservice. Then, it provided a mystic of danger that shielded it from outsiders, only the brave and truly interested dared venture there. Now, it symbolizes freakish, unnatural behavior to the masses of uninformed. But nothing could further from the truth. Whether one is into the BDSM that is associated with leather or just into leather fetish, it is a most natural and healthy expression of sexuality and community.
Colorado has been on the forefront of the leather movement which is evidenced by a few remaining organizations. The Rocky Mountaineers Motorcycle Club will celebrate their 43rd Anniversary in October making it one of a few remaining gay motorcycle clubs from that era. The Mr. Leather Colorado Foundation will celebrate its 31st Anniversary by naming Mr. Leather Colorado 2011 at their contest in June. Two of the twelve men that competed at the very first IML contest in 1979 were from Colorado. Colorado contestants have won the title twice. Ron Moore, Mr. Leather Colorado 1984, won the title and Bruce Chopnik, Rocky Mountain Mr. Leather 1999, also won.
A titleholder is a mixture of trailblazer, role model, spokesman and ambassador for the community he represents. Each year at IML, a panel of judges from within the leather/fetish community, pick one man, from a field of contestants, that they feel best epitomizes what it is to be a Leatherman. The judging panel changes every year, so the criteria for the best representative changes every year. It is not always the best looking or most buff man that wins. Often the winner is someone who has something to say, can say it eloquently and has earned the respect within community. The same is true for Mr. Leather Colorado but on a local level.
Leather is not exclusive to the gay males of society. There are a great number of women and men into leather that identify as gay, straight, bisexual and pansexual. Just as the gay Leatherman gather in Chicago every Memorial Day weekend for International Mr. Leather, Leatherwomen gather each year to compete for and celebrate International Ms. Leather. The pansexual community also has various Leather title competitions to celebrate their contribution to the lifestyle.
For me, winning the title of Mr. Leather Colorado in 2006 offered me a platform to tell my story in the hope that it would inspire others. I have been leather oriented for as long as I can remember. Many of my favorite childhood pictures are of me wearing a leather vest. If fact, most of my childhood pictures are of me in a leather vest, chaps, boots or some combination. I discovered my leather nature in earnest the first time I walked into a leather shop and felt that primal stir deep within my core. I knew that, for me, leather and kinky sex were the most natural things in the world.
I also knew that I wanted to spread the message that it is ok to be into leather or kink, or both. It doesn’t make you sick or twisted. What two or more consenting adults do within the context of their relationship is not deviant behavior. Connecting with your primal urges is as natural and freeing as learning to walk. It doesn’t make you sick or twisted. It might make you misunderstood by those to whom the concept seems so foreign, and yet that’s ok too. We are all here to experience the highest vision of ourselves and who we really are. Your experience won’t be like mine, you don’t have to be into leather or kink or even understand it. But don’t deny me my freedoms, sexual expression or otherwise…and I won’t deny you. After all that is the foundation of our nation, is it not. I don’t believe these to be empty words written by our founding father, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”.
The men that formalized the Leather community are the very men that fought to defend those words. I am honored to be a part of such a community. I draw strength, guidance and inspiration from our past. I hope to offer strength, guidance and inspiration. I also look forward to future generations for their offerings. We, along with other facets of our very diverse GLBT community make up the fabric of our much broader global community. And there is the lesson, a lesson of brotherhood and in-clusion, not ex-clusion.