The Leather Archives & Museum Statement on the Leather History Timeline

For the last 23 years, the LA&M has encouraged community members to update the
Leather History Timeline (LHT), a document originally created by Tony DeBlase that
chronologically recorded important moments, people, publications, and clubs. When Tony
became a co-founder of the LA&M, the Timeline was added to our collections and website.
Though not a comprehensive account of Leather history, the Timeline was initially used to:

Fill in the gaps within the LA&M collections, which allowed researchers, visitors, and
historians to access, validate, revise, edit, and make additions to the purview and scope of
Leather history.

Record as much of this history as possible and share it with leather/kink/BDSM

communities so that we knew we had a history.

Invite and encourage people to update the LHT in real time.

As the LA&M moves into 21st century, our collections and our institution have grown
significantly—we hired a full-time archivist on staff, have significant numbers of volunteers
and interns working to process, describe, and provide access to our holdings; we have
increased our digital presence through social media, our online public access catalog
Leather Archives Systems Holdings (LASH), and through our finding aids available on the
LA&M website. We have thousands of records, artifacts, artwork, photographs, and films
that chronicle Leather history in a way that just wasn’t possible in the earliest years of the
LA&M.

As of June 30th 2014, the LA&M is no longer updating the Leather History Timeline. It has
become virtually impossible to record “leather history” in a PDF, particularly within a
timeline that is maintained by a single institution whose focus is to collect, preserve, and
exhibit Leather/kink/fetish/BDSM lifestyles through archives and memorabilia for historical,
educational and research purposes. The LA&M does not purport to be the single authority
on these communities, and the expectation of maintaining a document like the LHT
assumes such authority, which does not align with the mission of the LA&M. Therefore, the
Leather History Timeline will be integrated into our collections (in its many updated forms).
Additionally, the LA&M is providing access to a PDF of the Timeline on our website’s Media
Release page for the next six months. As of January 1st, 2014, the Timeline will be removed
from the website and made available by request. Additionally, the LA&M encourages
individuals, clubs, and leather communities alike to use the Timeline as a way to tell your
own stories and histories. Please feel free to download the Timeline and add to it, make a
Wiki about it, use the Timeline as a template and create your own! Chicago Leather Club
created their own Chicago Leather History Timeline by using the Leather History Timeline
as a guide. The LA&M looks forward to seeing the timelines that are created in the
future.The LA&M would also like to thank and acknowledge all the individuals and
organizations that have edited, added to, conducted fact-checks, and revised the Leather
History Timeline. You all have made it what it is today. Thank you for your participation!
 BCE: (Before Common Era)
Time Event
Ca. 5000 BCE: Creation of rock drawings at Ti-n-Lalan, near Fezzan in Libya, showing
an animal headed creature with a gigantic penis, and an animal/man
hybrid, having sex.
Ca. 2500 BCE: Gilgamesh, King of Uruk, in the Sumerian poem cycles that constitute
one of the oldest known pieces of literature, meets Enkidu, the only man
who rivals him for strength and bravery. They become lovers and
particularly enjoy wrestling with each other.
2355 - 2261 The reign of Egyptian King Pepy II Neferkare who, in what may be
BCE: history's first homosexual short story, makes nocturnal visits to have sex
with his general, Sisinne.
Ca. 1900 BCE: Destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Too bad the bible is
not more explicit about the reason. The interpretation hinges on the
Hebrew word meaning "to know." The term is used 943 times in the Old
Testament; only 15 of these times is it a euphemism for sexual activity.
In the New Testament, the only reference to Sodom (Luke 10:10)
identifies the sin as inhospitality. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah
probably had nothing to do with sexuality.
1503-1354 BCE: The reign of Egyptian Queen Hatshepsut who adopted male dress and
even wore a false beard.
Ca. 1250 BCE: The Ani Papyrus shows the rite of the "animation of the phallus." It
appears to be one of the earliest recorded examples of a blow job.
Ca. 1000 BCE: The Israelite king Saul demands of David, as a bride-price for his
daughter Michal, 100 Philistine foreskins.
Ca. 730 BCE: "Krimon warms the heart of Simias" is one of several lines of
homosexual graffiti that constitute one of the earliest know uses of the
Greek alphabet.
7th Century BCE: Ashurbanipal, the last Assyrian king, dresses in women's clothing most of
the time. The cross-dressing is used to justify his eventual overthrow.
600 BCE: After this date it becomes customary for Greek hoplites, the upper class
warriors who fight in the phalanx, each to take a boy of 12 as a lover to
train until he is 18 and can hunt and fight. In Crete a ritual kidnapping
consecrates the pairing.
580's BCE: Sappho's famed girls' school flourishes on the isle of Lesbos. Her
exquisite love poems to students are the earliest known lesbian writings.
Ca. 540 BCE: The Etruscan Tomb of the Bulls at Tarquinia, with its fresco depicting one
man anally penetrating another.
418 BCE, Dec. Birth of Epaminondas, one of the great military geniuses of the ancient
25: world. Like other Greek warriors he loved boys, but for him delight in
boys was complete, he never married or produced an heir. His two
favorite boys fell in battle and, by his order, were buried with him in his
tomb.
382 BCE, April Birth of Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great. In 350 BC he
18: leaves on a military expedition, taking with him 800 boys to be used for
the pleasure of himself and his officers.
378 BCE: The Sacred Band of Thebes is formed. This military unit consists entirely
of 150 male couples and is based upon the belief that men fighting
alongside their lovers would die rather than shame one another.
356 BCE, July The birth of Alexander of Macedonia -- known to history as Alexander the
20: Great -- king, general, world conqueror, and lover of men, particularly
Hephaiston, whose death in 324 he mourns extravagantly, and the
eunuch slave boy Bagoas, who had been a favorite of Persian king
Darius.
338 BCE: The Sacred Band of Thebes is annihilated by Philip of Macedon and his
son Alexander at the Battle of Chaeronea. The 300 stood their ground
and perished.
333 BCE: Alexander of Macedonia begins his campaign to conquer the Persian
Empire, and takes Egypt and much of Asia before turning back in central
India.
324 BCE: The death of Hephaiston, lover of Alexander the Great.
323 BCE, June Death of Alexander the Great.
10:
300 BCE: Addeaus of Macedon is quoted as saying, "When you meet a boy who
pleases take action at once. Don't be polite, just grab him by the balls
and strike while the iron is hot."
186 BCE: The Roman Senate attempts to suppress the Bacchanalian rites in which,
according to the historian Livy, there is more debauchery among the
men with each other than with the women.
100 BCE, July 13 Birth of Gaius Julius Caesar in Rome. "Wife to every man and husband to
BCE: every woman."
71 BCE: Revolt of Roman slaves, led by Spartacus. The revolution is crushed by
consuls Pompey and Crassus and the slaves are crucified along the
Appian Way.
10 BCE, Aug. 1 Birth of Claudius, Emperor of Rome. Robert Graves' novels, and
BCE: Masterpiece Theatre's production of I Claudius enlightened us, but not
about Emperor Claudius' contributions to the gladiatorial games or of his
male lovers.
1 BCE: Publication of Ovid's Ars Amatoria, the first self-help sex manual.

1 -999 CE
Time Event
12 CE, Aug. 31: birth of the future Roman emperor, Caligula
26 CE: The Roman Emperor Tiberius (born Nov 16, 42 BC) retires to Capri,
where he indulges in all forms of sexual exploration.
39 CE, Sept. 4: birth of the future Roman Emperor, Titus. He was not a Tiberius or
Caligula or Nero, or even a Claudius. But he did complete the coliseum,
the site of some of the bloodiest activities yet to come in Roman history.
41 CE, Jan 21: Roman Emperor Caligula killed by a guard who had been frequently
forced to kiss the royal middle finger in public, and other things in
private. (Birth Aug 31, 12 CE)
45-68 CE: Reign of Nero (born Dec. 15, 37 BCE), who as Emperor of Rome, would
elevate torture to new heights as a spectator sport.
53 CE, Sept. 15: Birth of Marcus Ulpius Trajanus, who became the Roman Emperor
Trajan, the first non-Italian emperor. His accomplishments were many,
not only in battle, but in the construction of public works. All of the
ancient sources discuss Trajan's homosexuality candidly, differing only in
the stories used to illustrate his sexual preferences.
69 CE, April 15: The Roman Emperor Otho (Marcus Salvius Otho), who literally rose to
power on his knees before Nero, stabs himself in the heart.
76 CE, Jan. 24: Birth of Hadrian, who would become Emperor of Rome and lover of the
beautiful Antinous (July 16 c.110) who drowned himself in the Nile at
age 21, perhaps in as a self sacrifice to save the life of his lover and
master.
79 CE, Aug 24: Vesuvius erupts, thereby preserving the homoerotic, and other sexually
explicit, wall murals that would surely have been destroyed by later
Christian "civilizations".
188 CE, April 4: Birth of the Roman Emperor Caracalla. Gay -- but not leather, he
certainly set the standard for a bath house!
3rd century CE: Sebastian, a handsome young Roman Centurion is beloved by the
emperor Diocletian, who turned against him when he embraces
Christianity. He was stripped and tied to a tree and shot full of arrows by
his fellow centurions. But he survives only to die many years later in a
second martyrdom when he is stoned to death. St. Sebastian has been
called the patron saint of gays, and the patron saint of SM.
205, March 8: Birth of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, who would become Heliogabalus, the
boy Emperor of Rome. Blatantly homosexual he was married twice in one
night choosing a well hung charioteer as his husband and a boy named
Hierocles as his wife. He sent out his agents to round up the men with
the largest penises in the Roman empire. Eventually his own guards
shoved a sword up his ass and dumped him in a sewer. He was 17.
342 CE: The emperors Constantius and Constans, having inherited much of the
empire of their father Constantine, call for "exquisite punishment" for
homosexuality.
390 CE: The Roman Emperor Theodosius sets the punishment for homosexuality
as death by burning.
533 CE: Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, decrees that homosexuality and
blasphemy are equally to blame for famines, earthquakes, and
pestilence. He orders castration for offenders.
693 CE: The Council of Toledo declares that "sodomists" have infiltrated the
Church and order that clerics who lay with men should be degraded,
exiled, and damned.
809-813: Reign of Abbasid Caliph Al-Amin of Baghdad, whose mother becomes
dismayed by his preference for male eunuchs and packs his court with
girls disguised as boys. These "ghulamiyyat" then become a fashion in
many Moslem courts.
955-964: Reign of Pope John XII who loves both boys and muscular young men,
he dies at the age of 26 from a stroke while having sex with one of his
beautiful young men.

1000 -1499
Time Event
1032 - 1044: Reign of Pope Benedict IX, who has been called the Christian incarnation
of Elagabalus.
1106, Sept. 28: Robert II, gay son of William the Conqueror is captured in battle and
imprisoned for the rest of his life.
1073: All known copies of Sappho's lesbian love poems are burned by
ecclesiastical authorities in Constantinople and Rome.
1076: Archbishop Lanfranc in England orders a priest's benediction on a
marriage, but for another 100 years poor people continue to marry
without benefit of clergy.
1157, Sept. 8: Birth of Richard Plantagenet, Richard Lion Heart, Richard I, King of
England and Duke of Aquitaine. His lover for many years was Philip, King
of France. He was one of the era's most widely respected generals. But
he produced no heirs and eventually his loathsome brother John
ascended to the British throne. The result was the Magna Carta.
1210 - 1215: The Council of Paris declares sodomy to be a capital offense. This
marked the start of a militant anti-sodomy campaign by the Catholic
Church.
1252: St. Thomas Aquinas begins his theological teaching. He declares that
God created sex organs exclusively for reproduction; homosexual acts
were thus "unnatural" and heretical.
ca. 1260: The Legal School of Orleans orders that women found guilty of lesbian
acts have their clitoris removed for the first offense; that they be further
mutilated for a second offense; and burned at the stake for a third.
1268, Oct. 29: Frederick of Baden, Duke of Austria, willingly joins his condemned lover,
16 year old Conradin of Sicily, the last legitimate Hohenstaufen (Born
 March 24, 1252), and they are buried alive together.
1292: Europe's first known execution for sodomy takes place in Ghent.
1307, Oct. 13: Philip IV of France orders the arrest of all members of the Knights
Templar. In the following years hundreds of Templars are imprisoned,
tortured, and/or burned because of their supposed toleration as sinless
of "acts against nature."
1310, Oct. 12: The Knights Templar are put on trial for heresy in France. Most recant
the confessions made under torture, expecting pardon from and Pope
Clement V, which is not granted. The French crown, and the church, thus
gain control of the order's great wealth.
1323: In one of the earliest recorded trials for sodomy, Arnold of Verniolle is
found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment with a diet of bread and
water. Despite stiff church prohibitions against sodomy, the trial record
shows that Arnold had little trouble finding sex partners.
1326: Hugh le Despenser the younger, the second lover of Edward II of
England, is hung, after his genitals have been cut off and burned before
his eyes, upon the order of Edward's wife, Isabella, and her lover, Roger
Mortimer.
1327: Edward II of England is murdered by the insertion of a red hot poker into
his rectum. (birth April 25, 1284)
1350: Welsh poet Daffyd ap Gwilym produces explicit ballads like "The Penis"
and "Deer Copulating"
1373, Sept, 28: Birth of the painter Caravaggio, whose short, violent life encompassed
drinking, brawling, murder & sodomy.
1431, May 30: Birth of Joan of Arc, at Rouen, France. She led the French armies against
the British invaders and won battle after battle. Then she was captured
by the British in Normandy and condemned to be burned at the stake
because she refused to stop wearing men's clothing. Abandoned by most
of the French, her friend Gilles de Rais tried to rescue her but was too
late.
1440, Oct. 26: Gilles de Rais, best friend of Joan of Arc, is executed in Nantes, France,
for the torture and murder of hundreds of children. (born Jan. 10, 1404)
1450-1453: Pope Nicholas empowers the Spanish Inquisition to investigate and
punish homosexuality.
1464: Pope Paul II elected to office. Like John XII he died while having sex, but
the cause of his death was strangulation.
1469, May 3: Birth of Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian political philosopher. The Prince is a
masterwork of mind control.
1471-1484: Reign of Pope Sixtus IV. His reign is purchased by his lover Pietro Riario
who runs the church, including the Spanish Inquisition, until his death in
1474. After that time Sixtus entertains himself by having muscular
young men strip and fight to the death, the survivor becoming his bed
partner. When Sixtus was ill his physicians prescribe mother's milk, the
 pope suggests that the juice of young men would suit him better.
1474: A Rooster is burned at the stake for "the heinous and unnatural crime of
laying an egg".
1475, March 6: Birth of Michelangelo Buonarroti, (death 1564) Italian sculptor, painter
and poet. Not a leatherman himself but certainly gay. And where would
we be without his David to become, among other things, FeBe's logo,
and his wrestlers in a 69 of testicle torture!
ca. 1480: Pico of Mirandola in "Against the Astrologists", describes a male
acquaintance who is sexually excited by being whipped before sex. This
is the first known case history of a masochist.
1494: Christopher Columbus's physician on his second voyage to the new
world, wrote that the behavior of the natives was, "Detestable!
Nauseating! Disgusting!" It was common practice among these Carib
tribes to castrate boys captured from enemy villages and keep them as
lovers until they were eighteen, then they were killed and eaten.

1500 - 1599 CE
Time Event
1500's: Elena de Cespedes, a Spanish woman who lived as a man and married a
woman, is discovered and immolated.
1513: Balboa, while exploring what is now Panama described homosexual
activities among the natives he witnessed as "Abominable". He threw 40
of the offenders to his dogs.
1520, June 30: Inca Emperor Montezuma II dies at Tenochtitlan, Mexico. He is know to
have cannibalized the boys he sodomized.
1526: A Spanish historian wrote that Carib men also had lovers that they did
not intend to smother in butter and spices. These lovers were
distinguished by wearing "naguas" or short skirts and jewelry their lovers
had given them.
1530: In an Inca town in northern Peru, shortly after being conquered by the
Spanish, there were fifteen women for every man, the men had been
burned for suspected homosexual activities. By 1580 the area was still
known for its gay activity.
1533: The "buggery" law is passed in England decreeing a penalty of death.
This is the first time the offense is covered under civil, rather than
church, law.
1541: The birth of the painter El Greco (death 1614) "His men are martyrs or
conquerors; in their gaunt visages he traces the weariness and the final
exhaustion of the body in surrendering to the mystical vision, or the
savage meditation of those entrusted with the flagellation of Heretics."
1550 - 1555: Reign of Pope Julius III who, upon election as Pope, made his 17 year old
 lover a member of the College of Cardinals, and also appointed him
Secretary of State. His orgies with teenage Cardinals were common
knowledge. Most were horrified but the Archbishop of Benevento wrote a
book, In Praise of Sodomy, dedicated to the pope.
1551, Sept. 19: Birth of Henri III, King of France. In the final years of his reign (he died
at 37) he surrounded himself with handsome young men and abandoned
himself to hedonistic joys. He took particular delight in flogging the
backs of penitents marching in holy procession.
1563: The Roman Catholic council of Trent concludes that sex is bad and
denounces "paintings calculated to excite lust." Pope Paul IV has clothes
painted onto the naked figures in Michelangelo's painting, Last
Judgement, in the Sistine Chapel.
1564, Feb 26: Birth of English playwright Christopher Marlowe. "All they that love not
tobacco and boys are fools."
1570's: Rome: Montaigne reports that at the Church of St. John, Catholic priests
perform same sex marriages. A contemporary historian reports that
same sex couples married in St. John's are burned in the city square.
1576: Brazil: Spanish explorers report that some native women "give up all
duties of women and imitate men...Each has a woman to serve her, to
whom she says she is married, and they treat each other and speak with
each other as man and wife."
1580, April 1: The Netherlands: Civil Marriage is first established.
1583: The Third Provincial Council of Lima, in Peru, tells natives that "sodomy
whether with another man, or with a boy , or a beast ...carries the death
penalty, ...and the reason God has allowed that you should be so
afflicted and vexed by other nations is because of this vice that your
ancestors had and many of you still have."
1585: In one of the earliest recorded cases of masochism, Sister Mary
Magdalene de Pazzi begs other nuns to tie her up and hurl hot wax at
her. She also made a novice at the convent thrash her.
1590: In "Lectiones antique" Ludovicus Caelius Rhodiginus describes a man
who needs to be whipped to have an erection.

1600-1699
Time Event
1600, March 18: Fourteen year old Catalan de Erauso escapes from a Basque convent
then goes on to serve in the Spanish army dressed as a man. In 1620
the Pope gives permission for her to continue to dress in men's clothing.
1602, July 6: birth of Jerome Duquesnoy in Brussels Belgium, The eminent sculptor
was working on projects at the cathedral of St. Bavon in Ghent when he
was arrested for sodomy with two acolytes of the church who had served
 as his models. He was strangled and then burned at the stake.
1610: The Virginia Colony passes the New World's first sodomy law, decreeing
the penalty of death for offenders.
1611, July 27: Birth of Murad IV, Sultan of Turkey. His name was synonymous with
cruelty, torture and unspeakable horror. His reign was bloody, and the
armless, legless, tongueless victims of his tyranny numerous.
1619: Virginia: The first slaves are brought to North America. Quaker John
Woolman later notes that despite their not being allowed legal marriage,
"Negroes marry after their own way."
1624: Richard Cornish of the Virginia Colony is tried and hanged for sodomy.
He is the first person in America known to be convicted of this offense.
1624 - 1653: The rule of Nzinga as King of Angola, this female to male cross dresser
fought and won many battles against the Portuguese army.
1625, Feb. 7: In Virginia Thomas Hatch is sentenced to a whipping, the loss of one ear,
and seven years of servitude, for daring to speak against the execution
of a man for the crime of buggery.
1631: Mervyn Touchet, the Earl of Castlehaven, is put on trial for sodomy. He is
found guilty and beheaded.
1631: Rembrandt sells rude etchings, thought to be of his wife pissing.
1638: Massachusetts orders every town to "dispose of all single persons." In
Connecticut, bachelors are taxed 20 shillings a week.
1639: The German doctor Johann Heinrich Meibom describes the sexual
excitement of some men when whipped in De usu flagrorum. He reasons
that this is because the sperm fluid in the kidneys is heated by whipping
and then descends to the testicles. Variations on this theory will
dominate the thinking on SM until the 19th century.
1641-42: The Massachusetts Bay Colony incorporates the language of Leviticus
20:13 into it's laws. Other New England colonies soon follow suit.
1649: Sarah White Norman and Mary Vincent Hammon are charged with "lewd
behavior each with other upon a bed" in Plymouth MA. Charges against
Hammon are dropped, but Norman is convicted and has to make a public
confession. She is the first woman in America know to be convicted of
lesbian activity.
1644, April 10: Birth of John Wilmot, later Earl of Rochester, British writer. His poetry
extols the joys of every possible type of human coupling.
1654: Execution of Jerome Duquesnoy (born 1602), court sculptor of Flanders.
he is found guilty of sodomy with two church acolytes who had served as
his models, strangled and burned at the stake. His brother, Francois,
also a sculptor, created Brussels' famous Pissing Boy fountain.
1655: The colony of New Haven expands its definition of sodomy - a capital
offense - to include sexual relations between women.
1659: In France, by Royal decree, secret marriages and abductions are
 summarily abolished.
1661: In New England, the first Colonial divorce. Massachusetts averages one a
year until 1760.
1661 - 1750: All the Southern colonies, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania pass laws
prohibiting interracial sex and marriage.
1662-1723: The reign of Emperor Kang Xi, who first took steps to prohibit consensual
homosexuality in China.
1677: Using the newly invented microscope, Dutch researchers Leeuwenhoek
and Ham observe human sperm for the first time.
1681: The young Count de Vermandois, the son of Louis XIV of France by
Louise de La Valliere, applies for admission to a secret fraternity of
homosexuals active, but underground, in the French Court. Because the
young count is so indiscreet in his activities, his father discovers his
orientation, and the existence of the fraternity. Louis has his son
whipped in his presence and then exiles him.
1694: First mention of the Cerne Abbas Giant, a huge chalk drawing on the side
of a hill near Dorchester, England. The naked giant with club and erect
phallus is supposedly prehistoric. But why was it not noticed until now?
Some suspect a 17th Century hoax designed to annoy the Puritans.
1694, Nov 21: Birth of Francois Marie Arouet, better known as the French
philosopher/writer Voltaire. He once ended a letter to a male friend, "I
kiss your rod." Should we consider Candide a masochist?
1698: Kristian Franz Paullini confirms Meibom's theory in Flagellum salutis, but
claims that blood is warmed by whipping, which then excites the sperms
in the testicles.

1700 - 1799 CE
Time Event
1700's: In the Prussian state of Uuerttemburg, cripples and blind persons are not
permitted to marry.
1712, June 28: Birth of Jean Jacques Rousseau (death July 2, 1778). By his own reports,
except for one relationship, the artist was a lifelong unfulfilled masochist,
dating from a school spanking when he was 11. In one affair, he had a
Mistress who dominated him thoroughly, but even she refused to re-
enact his much desired spanking.
1720: Anne Bonney and Mary Read, partners who dressed as men and sailed
the seas are tried for Piracy.
1730, Sept. 17: Birth of Baron Freidrich von Steuben, aid to Frederick the Great, who
was in charge of training the Prussian army until there were objections to
"indecent liberties" with young men. He then offers his services to the
Continental Army in America and joins Washington at Valley Forge.
 There he organizes and disciplines the men into a powerful striking force.
When he retires he adopts two handsome young men to become his
heirs, and he probably continues to train and discipline them.
1730, Nov. 6: The future Frederick the Great of Prussia, 18, (born Jan. 24, 1712) is
forced by his father to watch the torture and beheading of his lover, Lt.
Hans Hermann von Katte, after the two of them were caught trying to
run away together. Later as king, on learning that a particularly well-
endowed soldier had been arrested for "bestiality with his horse," he is
reputed to have replied, "Fool -- don't put him in irons; put him in the
infantry."
1730-31: Authorities announce the discovery of an extensive homosexual network
in Amsterdam. Three hundred prosecutions resulted and 70 people,
including boys as young as 14, were executed.
1740, June 2: the Birth of the Marquis de Sade.
1740: China's first sodomy laws are enacted by Manchu Qing regime, which
outlaws male homosexuality.
1749: Publication of Fanny Hill, by John Cleland. The novel about a London
prostitute is immediately suppressed, but it has enjoyed enormous
popularity for more than two centuries.
1749, Jan. 29: Birth of King Christian VII of Denmark, whose physician assigned him a
sadistic male lover who beat him regularly.
1753, Sept 20: Birth of Tippu Sahib, the last maharajah of Mysore, who spends his life
resisting British designs on India. The "Tiger of Mysore" demonstrates his
feelings for the British by personally supervising the gang rape of each
captured soldier.
1753, Oct. 18: Birth of Jean Jaczues Regis de Cambaceres in France. Under Napoleon he
became the primary architect of the Napoleonic Code. He was discreet,
but not secretive, about his homosexuality and it was through his
influence that the Napoleonic Code, and many later laws based upon it,
legalized private consenting homosexual acts between adults. (died:
Mar. 8, 1824)
1754, Sept 9: Birth of William Bligh, later to become renowned as Captain of H.M.S.
Bounty. He survived the mutiny and the long voyage in an open boat,
while all of the mutineers perished on Pitcairn Island. And he certainly
knew how to have a man flogged!
1755, Sept. 4: Birth of Hans Axel, Count von Fersen, in Stockholm Sweden. General,
Statesmen, and lover of three different Swedish kings. The reason for his
horrible death has never been satisfactorily explained. A savage mob
tore him to pieces in the streets of Stockholm as police looked on and did
nothing. He had been beaten with canes and umbrellas and then kicked
to death.
1758, May 6: Birth of Francois de Robespierre, a leader of the French revolution, he led
in sending many of the nobility, and their supporters, to the torture
chambers, and to the guillotine. He ended up there himself.
1763, Oct. 29: By order of the King of France, the Marquis de Sade is committed to
Vincennes fortress for excesses committed in a brothel which he has
been frequenting for a month.
1768, Apr. 3: On Easter Sunday, at about nine o'clock in the morning The Marquis de
Sade accosts Rose Keller, she accompanies Sade in a cab to Arcueil.
There, in his rented cottage, he orders her to undress, threatens her with
a knife, and flogs her.
1772, Sept. 3: Verdict: The Marquis de Sade, and his man servant Latour, are found
guilty. The former of crimes of poisoning and sodomy, and the latter of
the crime of sodomy, and are condemned to expiate their crimes at the
cathedral porch before being taken to the Place Saint-Louis "for the said
Sade to be decapitated.. and the said Latour to be hanged by the neck
and strangled... then the body of the said Sade and that of the said
Latour to be burned and their ashes strewn to the wind." On Sept 12
Sade and Latour are executed in effigy on the Place des Precheurs, in
Aix.
1775, July 9: Birth of Matthew Gregory "Monk" Lewis in London. A master at writing
the silly, overripe 18th Century Gothic romance novels that are still fun
to read. In his Ambrosio, or the Monk (1795) Ambrosio is seduced by a
woman driven to blind nymphomania by demons, who enters the
monastery and Ambrosio's bed disguised as a boy. His sins are found out
and he is tortured by the Inquisition, sentenced to death, and bargains
with the Devil, who destroys him.
1776, Jan. 17: M. Trillet comes to La Coste to claim his daughter, who is known in the
chateau as Justine. During an argument with the Marquis de Sade, Trillet
fires a pistol shot at him almost point blank, but misses. He runs off to
the La Coste township where he babbles about what has happened. Later
Catherine (aka Justine) sends someone to find her father, who returns to
the chateau. Here she tries to calm him but Trillet, who has brought four
other men back with him, flies into another rage and fires a second shot
into a courtyard where he thinks Sade to be. All five men then flee.
1776, Feb. 13: The Marquis de Sade is arrested by inspector Marais at the Hotel de
Danemark, on the rue Jacob and taken to Vincennes fortress where, at
9:30 that night, he is formally entered as a prisoner.
1776, April 18: In a letter from the Marquis de Sade to his wife: "I am in a tower closed
in by nineteen iron doors, with light reaching me only through two little
windows, each with a score of iron bars." He complains that in over the
two months he has been in prison he has been allowed only five walks of
one hour each, "in a sort of tomb about forty feet square surrounded by
walls more than fifty feet high."
1776, Sept. 7: After winning a trial, and escaping from authorities, the Marquis de Sade
is again incarcerated at Vincennes prison.
1778, March 10: Lt. F. G. Enslin is drummed out of the Continental Army for "attempting
to commit sodomy with J. Monhart, a soldier."
1780's: In the United States, colonial laws become state constitutions. Bigamy is
 prohibited, the marriage of a lunatic is void, and age requirements are
set. Marriages can be annulled for impotence and blood relations.
1782, July 12: The Marquis de Sade completes the manuscript of his "Dialogue between
a Priest and a Dying Man".
1784, Feb. 29: The Marquis de Sade is transferred from the Vincennes prison to the
Bastille.
1785: The Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue includes the phrase
"gentlemen of the back door" as a slang term for gay men.
1785, Oct. 22: The Marquis de Sade begins the final revision of his draft of a major
work: The 120 Days of Sodom or The School for Libertines.
1788: The French doctor Francois Amedee Doppet confirms Meibom and
Paullini's theory. He expands it by pointing out that women always have
warm vaginas after whipping. At the end of his article "Das Beisseln und
sein Auswirkunauf den Geschlechtstrieb" he gives safety tips for
flagellants. This is the first known SM safety text!
1788, Mar. 1: The Marquis de Sade begins work on his short novel Eugenie de Franval,
which he completes in six days.
1789, July 2: The Bastille logbook notes that "The Count de Sade shouted several
times from the window of the Bastille that the prisoners were being
slaughtered and that the people should come to liberate them."
1789, July 4: At 1:00 AM, as a result of a report made to Lord de Villedeuil on the
Marquis de Sade's conduct on July 2, he is transferred to Charenton
Asylum by Inspector Quidor.
1789, July 14: The Bastille is stormed and the Marquis de Sade's cell is sacked. His
furniture, his suites, linen, his library and most important, his
manuscripts are "burned, pillaged, torn up and carried off."
1790, Apr. 2: de Sade is released from Charenton Asylum.
1791: Justine by the Marquis de Sade (1740-1841) is first published in France.
1791, Oct. 22: First performance at the Theatre Moliere of Sade's Le Comte Oxtiern ou
les effets du libertinage. A second performance occurs two weeks later
which gives rise to a disturbance and causes Sade to suspend further
performances.
1792: Civil marriage is established after the revolution in France.
1794: Prussia becomes the first German state to abolish the death penalty for
homosexuality (which had been in effect since 1532), and replace it with
flogging and imprisonment.

1800 - 1849 CE
Time Event
1800's: in Washington DC, We'wha, a two-spirit leader and representative for the
 Native American Zuni tribe, is married to a man.
1801, March 6: Sade and his publisher, Nicolas Masse, are arrested. Police searches find
manuscripts and printed works, including Juliette and La Nouvelle Justine
and a tapestry depicting "the most obscene subjects, most of which were
drawn from the infamous novel Justine."
1801, April 2: The Minister of Police decides that a "trial would cause too much of a
scandal which an exemplary punishment would still not make
worthwhile" So de Sade is "placed" in Sainte-Pelagie prison as
"administrative punishment" for being the author of "that infamous novel
Justine" and of that "still more terrible work Juliette."
1805: Publication of Ein Jahr in Arkadien (A Year in Arcadia), by Herzog August
von Sachsen Gotha, the first homoerotic book in the German Language.
1809: New York: In Genton vs. Reed, the state Supreme Court recognizes
common-law marriage, which won't be declared void until 1901.
1809, Mar. 31: Birth of Edward Fitzgerald, English writer who cruised the Suffolk docks
"looking for some fellow to accost me and fill a very vacant place in my
heart."
1809, Dec. 29: Birth of William Gladsone (death May 19, 1898) The four time Prime
Minister of England was dedicated to self flagellation both to punish
himself for impure thoughts and to achieve a pleasure from the act,
which he then repented.
1810: The Napoleonic Code is instituted in France. It eliminates all laws
forbidding homosexuality.
1810: The mother of a schoolgirl accuses Marianne Woods and Jane Pirie,
mistresses at a boarding school for girls, of "improper and criminal
conduct" with each other, The British courts debate whether a sexual
relationship between women was even possible. Lillian Hellman used his
plot 120 years later as the basis for her play The Children's Hour.
1813, April 28: Prince Mikhail Kutuzov, who lead the defense of Moscow against
Napoleon, dies of a heart attack while having sex with a soldier.
1814, Sept 13: On this day Francis Scott Key wrote "The Star Spangled Banner." This
deserves a healthy "so what?" from most readers of this list. But Key set
his flag waving poem to music originally titled "Anacreon In Heaven".
The Anacreonitics, who delighted in copying the Greek poet's style,
seemed to miss the subject, which was largely about boys he diddled.
OK, whatever the etymology the anthem is unsingable.
1814, Dec. 2: Death, at Charenton Asylum of Donatien Alphonse Francois de Sade, the
Marquis.
1820, May 12: Birth of Florence Nightingale, who is alleged to have said, "I have lived
and slept in the same bed with English Countesses and Prussian farm
women...No woman has excited passion among women more than I
have."
1821, Nov. 11: Birth of Feodor Dostoeovski (death Feb. 9, 1881). The writer's letters to
 his beloved Anna are peppered with direct references to his fetish for her
feet. His contemporary, Turgenev, called him "the Russian Marquis de
Sade," perhaps suggesting more than the Anna letters reveal.
1824, Nov. 6: In France the Marquis Astolphe de Custine is sadistically gang-raped by a
group of soldiers with whom he had made an assignation.
1825, Aug. 28: Birth of Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, German sexologist and activist
1826: Karl Ernst von Baer discovers the human ovum.
1828: The English Parliament closes a loophole in its definition of the capital
crime of buggery. It would no longer be necessary to demonstrate "The
actual Emission of Seed" to convict someone of buggery or rape.
1828: First publication, in Leipzig, Germany, of the Memoirs of Casanova.
1830: Publication in France of the two volume work La Marquise de Gange, of
which de Sade is the anonymous author.
1833, Jan 28: The birth of Charles George "Chinese" Gordon, military hero of Imperial
Britain and martyr at Khartoum. He was fond of picking up street
urchins, bathing them, feeding them and mending their clothes with his
very own needle and thread."
1834 - 36: Heinrich Hoessli, a Swiss milliner, publishes his two volume set Eros: On
the Love of Men, in German. It collected all the examples he could find of
homosexual love in ages past -- Greek, Roman, and Persian love poems
and manuscripts - and was one of the first books in modern times to give
a positive view of homosexuality.
1835, June 15: Birth of Adah Isaacs Menken (death Aug. 25 1868). This most famed
sexpot of the Victorian age was the star of "Mazeppa." She flashed
apparent nudity in the face of Emperor Franz Josef -- he liked it. She was
also the lover in reality, or publicly held fantasy, of many famous men
including numerous crowned heads and chiefs of government. She was
once paid by Dante Gabriel Rosetti to spend the night with poet Charles
Swinburne, giving him the flogging he wanted, possibly in an attempt on
Rosetti's part to convince the poet that women were desirable sex
partners.
1836: Death of Threse Berkeley who supervised a flagellant brothel at 28
Charlotte St, London. Ms. Berkeley is the inventor of the Berkley
bench/horse, a specialized piece of furniture for flogging and bondage.
1836: The last execution for homosexuality takes place in Britain, although the
death penalty for homosexuals will remain on the books until 1861.
1836, Jan 27: Birth of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, author of Venus in Furs. The man
who put the "M" in SM.
1837, April 5: Birth of British poet Charles Algernon Swinburne who wrote many lines in
praise of switches on asses.
1840, Aug. 14: Birth of German psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing in Mannheim,
Germany
1843: Massachussetts repeals its 138 year old anti-miscegenation law.
1843: Hungarian physician Heinrich Kaan publishes his report named
Psychopathias sexualis, reinterpreting sins of the flesh as psychological
disorders. The theological terms "deviation", "aberration", and
"perversion" are introduced into medicine.
1844: In The Queen vs. Millis, common law marriages are declared illegal in
England.
1844, March 30: Birth of Paul Verlaine, poet and lover of poet Arthur Rimbaud (born Oct
20, 1854). He was imprisoned for two years after shooting his lover. He
wrote "Sonnet to an Asshole" which begins "Dark and wrinkled like a
deep pink, / It breathes, humbly nestled among the moss / Still wet with
love..."
1844, July 25: Birth of Thomas Eakins in Philadelphia. The great American artist
specialized in painting muscular, nude male models, nude male athletes
and nude male bathers.
1844, Aug. 29: Birth of Edward Carpenter, the great English "sexual emancipator."
Believing the effeminacy of "Uranians" a myth, he affected a form of
macho dress, as did his working-class lover George Merrill, that make
them both look, almost a century later, awfully contemporary.
1844, Oct. 15: The birth of Friedrich Nietzche. (death Aug. 25 1900). The philosopher
was not an ardent of SM, but listed among the four women in his life one
married woman whom he flogged during sex and who, dressed as a man,
beat him senseless before another sexual encounter. Also, a photo of
Nietzche shows him as one of two gentlemen horses "pulling" a cart on
which Lou Andreas-Salome (not "the" married woman) crouches with a
knotted whip raised.
1846, Feb. 20: New York City policeman Edward McCosker is dismissed for "indecently
feeling the privates" of a male passerby while on duty.

1850 - 1899 CE
Time Event
1854, Feb. 16: birth of English writer Horatio Forbes Brown. When he died in 1926 his
executors burned most of his unpublished works, attempting to hide his
taste for sailors, footmen and other strapping members of the lower
orders. One of his surviving poems depicts a boring society musicale in
which every stanza ends with the line, "But I liked their footman John
the best."
1856, May 6: Birth of Sigmund Freud in Freiberg, Austria.
1857: French physician B. A. Borel champions the concept of physical and
mental "degeneration" that is also used to explain "incorrect sexual
behavior". The concept will dominate psychiatric thinking until Freud.
1857, Feb. 22: The birth, in London, of Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell,
founder of the Boy Scouts, army officer, and homosexual.
1858, June 12: Birth of Henry Scott Tuke, British painter and grand master of romantic
boy painting. He was an athlete who took great pride in his splendid
body and was obsessed with painting nude boys and experimented, and
succeeded , in developing a special technique for capturing on canvas
the effect of sunlight on naked skin.
1861: England eliminates the death penalty for male homosexual acts;
offenders are now subject to imprisonment for ten years to life.
1862, Aug. 6: Birth of Goldsworthy Lowes Dickinson, professor of classics at Cambridge
where the students were only too happy to satisfy his tastes as a boot-
fetishist. He wrote of one young man, "I liked him to stand upon me
when we met."
1864, Sept. 1: Birth of Roger Casement in Ireland. In the course of British consular
service, he exposed the atrocious conditions imposed on gatherers of
wild rubber in the Congo and similar conditions in South America. He was
knighted for his services. But, though an Ulster protestant, he became
an ardent Irish nationalist. He was arrested and tried for treason. What
sealed his doom was the admission as evidence of his diaries which
recorded all of his sexual encounters, itemizing both the amount of the
transaction (if the stud was for hire) and the size of his equipment. It
made for sensational evidence in 1916: "Stanley Weeks, 20, stripped,
huge one, circumcised; swelled and hung quite." "Enormous 19 about 7"
and "4 thick; into me." Casement was hanged on Aug. 6, 1916, a martyr
for more than Ireland.
1865, July 15: Death of James Miranda Barry (1795-1865) a Major General and
Surgeon in the British Army with a highly distinguished career and a
reputation as a rake who was known to flirt openly with the best looking
women in the room. When a charwoman was preparing the body for
burial it was discovered that the Major General was female.
1866: Superstition & Force by Henry Charles Lea published in Britain. Edited
and republished as The Ordeal by Edward Peters in 1973.
1867, Aug. 29: While speaking to a conference of jurists in Munich, Karl Ulrichs becomes
the first known person in modern times to publicly declare himself a
homosexual (though not using that word) and to speak out in favor of
gay rights (obviously, not using those words).
1869: Karl Maria Kertbeny, writing anonymously, uses the term "Homosexual"
in a pamphlet calling for repeal of Prussia's sodomy laws. This is the
earliest know use of this term. It began appearing in US medical journals
in the 1890's and in general usage during the 1920's.
1869, Dec. 8: In Austria Leopold von Sacher-Masoch begins correspondence with Fanny
Pistor, aka Baroness Bogdonoff, aka Mistress Wanda, his Venus in Furs.
1870: The first American novel to touch on gay themes, Joseph and His Friend,
by Bayard Taylor, is published. But the homosexual elements are so
subtle that a non-gay reader could easily miss them.
1872, Aug. 21: Birth of artist Aubrey Beardsley, who drew many men with gigantic
 phalluses and many asses being caned. Beardsley's professional
affiliation with Oscar Wilde ruined him and he died from tuberculosis less
than three years after Wilde's famous trial. It is believed that Beardsley
was not himself gay and that his ruin was largely a case of "guilt by
association".
1872: The newly formed German empire adopts a penal code that includes the
infamous Paragraph 175, outlawing male homosexuality. The new law
becomes a catalyst for the nascent German homophile movement.
1873, Jan. 28: In France the birth of writer Sidomie-Gabrielle Colette (d. 1954), who
wore a bracelet engraved "I belong to Missy."
1874: For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Clarke published in Australia.
US edition in 1973.
1875, March 7: Birth of Maurice Ravel, French composer. Gay but no record of his being
into leather. However, his Bolero is among the best dungeon music
possible, talk about slow build up to an exciting crescendo!
1875, April 15: Baloonists Sivel and Croche-Spinelli die in a fall over India. Buried
together in Pere-Lachaise Cemetary in Paris, their monument depicts
them lying together, naked, hand in hand, partially covered by a sheet.
1877, April 30: birth of Alice B. Toklas. "Throughout most of her life, this selfless
woman's major occupation was the care and maintenance of Gertrude
Stein."
1879, Jan. 1: The birth of E. M. Forester, British novelist, who had as his lover for half
a century a virile, handsome, married, London policeman who granted
his most elemental wish: "to love a strong young man of the lower
classes and be loved by him and even hurt by him."
1879, July: The first erotic magazine, The Pearl, a Journal of Facetiae and
Voluptuous Reading, consisting of stories with flagellation themes and
attributed to Algernon Charles Swinburne, is distributed among high
society. It last for 18 issues until Dec. 1880.
1882: In Pace vs. Alabama, the USA Supreme Court upholds a law that makes
interracial adultery more serious than intra-racial adultery, arguing that
interracial couples would produce genetically inferior offspring.
1882, Feb. 2: Birth of James Joyce, avant-garde novelist who made his lover, Nora
Barnacle, into a dominant of whom he begged beatings and floggings "in
earnest." We don't know if she said yes or no.
1885: The British Parliament at first tables the Criminal Law Amendment Act
which made all acts of "gross indecency" between males, whether in
public or private, an offense punishable by up to two years
imprisonment. However a rally that the Purity Campaign organizes in
Hyde Park attracts a crowd of thousands and on this wave of hysteria the
law is rushed through parliament. It became known as "The
Blackmailer's Charter" and was the law under which Oscar Wilde was
later tried and convicted.
1885, Sept. 11: The Birth of D. H. Lawrence, a man who has come to be seen as the
 high-priest of heterosexual love. But it is know that at one time
Lawrence had become so friendly with a handsome farm boy named
William Henry that his wife Feieda adamantly refused ever to allow the
young man to enter the Lawrence's house. Whatever his sexual
proclivities were, his writing was the major concern of censorship in the
US, and when the likes of Lady Chatterley's Lover were finally cleared by
customs, the damn had really broken.
1886, Feb. 22: The Birth of William Seaabrook (death Sept 20, 1945). This top-rated
writer about exotic places (from personal experience) was equally
famous among the literatti for his elaborate, long-term bondage of
beautiful, young women.
1886: The Austrian police physician Richard von Krafft-Ebing publishes the first
edition of his Psychopathia sexualis with 110 pages and 45 case
histories. He creates the diagnosis of "paedophilia" and adopts "sadism"
from earlier French usage. "Masochism" is not introduced until the sixth
edition.
1887: The state of Pennsylvania raises its age of consent from 10 to 16, after a
campaign by the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the White
Cross Society.
1888, Aug 15: The birth of Thomas Edward Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia, who was
captured, caned and raped by Turkish soldiers, and who loved it so
madly he hired Robert Bruce to flog him regularly after he returned to
England.
1888, Aug 16: The birth of Edgar Montillion Wolley, better known as the American actor
Monty Woolley. His taste was for black men, generally supplied by an
assortment of New York pimps. He fell in love with one and they lived
together for years as lovers.
1889: A male brothel is discovered at 19 Cleveland St. in London's West End.
The Scandal becomes the talk of society and many important figures,
including Prince Albert Victor, second in line to the throne, are rumored
to be implicated.
1889, July 5: Birth of Jean Cocteau, French artist, writer and filmmaker. One of the
many customs regarding polite Parisian pissour manners was known as
the "privilege du cape." This allowed a Frenchman who could not find a
convenient pissoir to approach a gendarme and ask him to extend his
cape so that he could take a leak behind it. One of Cocteau's favorite
amusements was to choose a handsome young cop and pretend that he
was drunk. With luck he could get his trouser buttons undone by the
helpful gendarme -- and possibly more. Uncooperative victims wound up
with wet shoes.
1890's: The "gay '90's" were the time Florenz Ziegfeld started the modern
commercial exploitation of muscular males in vaudeville exhibitions of
strength. He made the German strongman Eugen Sandow a household
name as Sandow the Magnificent. Sandow often appeared wearing only a
large fig leaf.
1891: Publication of A Problem in Modern Ethics by John Addington Symonds, it
provides a systematic review of scholarly literature on homosexuality.
1892: The New York Times becomes the first US newspaper to use the word
"lesbian" in a news story: "Lesbian Love and Murder" about a suicide
pact made by two young women after their parents forbid them to see
each other.
1892, June 5: Birth of Ivy Compton-Burnett, British novelist whose work has been
called "morality plays for the tough-minded," and who lived most of her
life in total subservience to Margaret Jourdain, a scholar and expert in
18th Century furniture.
1893: Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing first uses the term "homosexual" and
attributes it to an indelible personality trait, rather than to a sexual
activity.
1893, Feb. 20: Birth of Bill Tilden, first American to win at Wimbledon (d. 1953). He was
considered one of the greatest athletes of the 20th Century, but was
snubbed by the tennis world when his homosexuality became known.
1893, Oct. 30 Birth of bodybuilder Charles Atlas, who, though not gay, made a major
contribution to the beauty of men.
1894: One of the earliest known gay organizations is formed by George Cecil
Ives. The Order of Chaeronea took its name from the Greek battle of 338
BC at which the Sacred Band of Thebes was annihilated.
1894, Feb. 18: John Sholto Douglas, the 18th Marquis of Queensberry leaves a card at
the Albermarle Club in London addressed "to Oscar Wilde posing as a
sodomite" (sic) triggering the incident that was to bring about Wilde's
downfall. The Marquis is better know among other circles as the compiler
of the governing rules of the sport of boxing.
1894, June 7: The Blackmailers, a play by John Gray and his lover Andre Raffalovich,
receives its one and only performance at the Prince of Whales Theatre.
1895: Bom-Crioulo, The Black Man and The Cabin Boy by Adolfo Caninha
published in Brazil.
1895, Jan. 1: birth of J. Edgar Hoover, for many years head of the US Federal Bureau
of Investigation. He maintained secret surveillance files on individuals
and organizations, including gay and other sexually identified ones. He
was a homosexual and homophobe. (died: May 2, 1972)
1895: Oscar Wilde is convicted of committing "indecent acts" with young lower-
class men and is condemned to two years of hard labor.
1895, Mar. 9: Official date of Leopold von Sacher-Masoch's death from heart failure as
given by his family. This incorrect date is still found in a large number of
texts. Actual date of death: 1905, see below.
1895, May 6: Birth of Rudolfo Alfonzo Raffaelo Pierre Filbert Guglielmi di Balentina
d'Antonguolla in Castellaneta, Italy. Better known as Rudolph Valentino,
there is little argument that he enjoyed male to male sex, was
dominated by his lesbian wife, and died because his macho image
 demanded that he fight in a boxing arena. But we love him best for the
image of the captured Sheik hanging from un-stretched arms to that
barred window, his chest bared, his body ready for whatever we desire.
1896: The English researcher Havelock Ellis starts work on his monumental
book, Studies in the Psychology of Sex.
1897: Archaeologists working in Egypt find some of the lost poetry of Sappho
on papyrus scrolls used to line ancient coffins and to stuff the carcasses
of mummified animals.
1897, May 15: Magnus Hirschfeld and five friends found the Scientific-Humanitarian
Committee in Charlottenburg, then a suburb of Berlin. Their goal was to
abolish the anti-homosexual Paragraph 175 in German law. The
committee dissolved on June 8, 1933 to avoid being banned by the
Nazis. Paragraph 175 was still in force.
1897, May 19: Oscar Wilde is released from Prison in England.
1897, Nov.: Publication of the first English edition of Sexual Inversion by Havelock
Ellis (1859-1939), the first book in English to treat homosexuality as
neither a disease nor a crime. (Born Feb 2, 1859)
1898, June 5: The birth of Federico Garcia Lorca, gay Spanish playwright who has the
vicious Bernarda Alba, in the play with her name, shout out to the mob
dragging away the adulteress, "Hot coals in the place where she sinned!"
1898, Sept 21: The birth in Moscow of artist Pavel Tchelitchew. His cubistic painting,
Figures, depicts a rape with three male nudes.
1898: Der Eigene (The Exceptional) becomes the first gay publication destined
to a long existence, until 1931! Edited by Berlin writer Adolf Brand who
in 1903 founded the Community of the Exceptional, after Hirschfeld's,
the second gay organization in Berlin.
1899: The Torture Garden, a novel by Octave Mirbeau published in France. First
English edition in 1931. Research edition 1989.
1899: Magnus Hirschfeld publishes the first issue of the Jahrbuch der sexuelle
Zwischenstufen (Journal of Sexual Intermediates).
1899: Publication of A Marriage Below Zero, by Alfred J. Cohen, considered the
first American novel in which homosexuality is a central theme. Naturally
the homosexual character commits suicide.

1900 - 1909 CE
Time Event
1901: The death in New York of Mary Anderson, who had lived as Murray Hall
and had married two women.
1902: Richard von Krafft-Ebing dies in Graz, Austria at age 62 of multiple
strokes.
1903, Sept 10: Birth of Ciril Connolly, English writer who was considered one of the
"bright young men" of the 1920's. Chubby chasers should note that he
wrote: "Imprisoned in every fat man a thin man is wildly signaling to be
let out." OH YES!!
1903: The British physician Havelock Ellis publishes "Studies in the Psychology
of Sex."
1904, Dec. 17: The birth, in New York City, of artist Paul Cadmus, who wonderfully
portrayed lusty sailors, and had a painting destroyed by the Navy as
being "inappropriate".
1905: The Memoirs of a Voluptuary, the Secret Life of an English Boarding
School by Anonymous published in Britain. US edition in 1971.
1905: Leopold von Sacher-Masoch dies in an insane asylum in Mannheim,
Germany.
1906: Maximilian Harden, publisher of Berlin's Die Zukunft, prints an editorial
warning of the danger presented by the homosexual conspiracy.
1906: In Austria the first publication of Young Torless by Robert Musil (Eng. ed
1955) a novel depicting a sexually explosive hazing in an Austrian
military school.
1905: The Austrian physician Sigmund Freud publishes his Drei Abhandlungen
zur Sexualtheorie. Sadism and masochism are described as illnesses
resulting from incomplete or faulty development of a child's personality.
Psychoanalysis, a form of speculative philosophy with no empirical basis,
becomes the dominating theory in psychiatry for the next 60 years.
1905, Mar. 2: Birth of Marc Blitzstein, American composer. He was murdered by a
hustler in Fort-de-France, Martinique in 1968.
1907: A crowd of 2000 shows up for a debate about Germany's sodomy law,
the notorious Paragraph 175, sponsored by the Scientific Humanitarian
Committee.
1907: Release of film Love Microbe, the first in which sex is central to the plot.
A scientist isolates the "germ" that causes people to get the hots for
each other.
1907, Feb. 21: birth of W. H. Auden, English poet. His poem "The Platonic Blow" was
published in Fuck You: A Magazine of the Arts in 1965 without his
permission. The poem was then issued in a Trade edition of 300 copies
and a "Rough Trade" edition of 5 numbered copies each with "beautiful
slurp drawings." The first two lines of the poem are, "It was a Spring
day, a day for a lay, when the air / Smelled like a locker-room, a day to
blow or get blown."
1907, Sept. 23: Birth of Anne Declos, aka Dominique Aury, aka Pauline Reage, the author
of Historie d'O. (death: April 26 1998)
1908: Sergei Pavlovich Diaghilev (born March 19, 1872; died 1929) meets
Vaslav Nijinsky (born March 12, 1890). In their five years together
Diaghilev totally dominates Nijinsky's life as he shapes him into one of
 the finest dancers the world has ever seen and creates a relationship
(slave and Master?) that eventually results in Nijinsky's madness.
1908: Publication of The Intermediate Sex by Edward Carpenter in England.
1908: First publication of Physical Culture magazine, the first magazine to focus
on the male physique with lots of articles about sex and photos of
scantily clad men.
1908, Aug. 18: Birth of Sir Frances Rose, the last of Gertrude Stein's many artist
proteges. In 1952 Alice B. Toklas reported that Rose was in trouble
because of a Spanish gypsy boy he had found and hired as both valet
and bed mate. After an incident involving a stolen bicycle Rose examined
the boy's papers and discovered that he was his illegitimate son.
1909: Two black men are accused of oral sex with one another in Kentucky.
They are not convicted because the judge couldn't find any law on the
books under which to find them guilty. He urged that lawmakers remedy
this problem, and soon many states had outlawed oral sex.
1909, July 23: In Woodside, OH, the birth of writer Samuel M. Steward, aka Phil
Andros. As sex researcher Dr. Alfred C. Kinsey's major contact with the
world of homosexual male SM he arranged and participated in scenes
staged for Kinsey's cameras.

1910 - 1919 CE
Time Event
1910: Among the Klementi tribe in Albania, if a virgin swore to twelve
witnesses that she refused to ever marry, she would be allowed to live
as a man carrying weapons and herding livestock.
1910: Magnus Hirschfeld creates the term "transvestite" and is the first to
separate them from homosexuals.
1910: The Chicago Vice Commission reports the presence of whole "colonies" of
sexual perversion, including a homosexual street gang, known as the
Bluebirds, that frequented Grant Park.
1910, May 14: Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein begin living together in Paris.
1910, Dec. 19: birth in Paris of Jean Genet, his gay and SM themed works include The
Balcony, Querelle du Brest, and Our Lady of the Flowers. (Death in 1986)
1911: A law is passed in the Netherlands prohibiting sexual contact between
members of the same sex under the age of 21. The law sparked Dutch
nobleman Jacob Schorer to form Nederlandsch Wetenschappelijk
Humanitair Komitee, modeled after Hirschfeld's Scientific Humanitarian
Committee in Germany. The NWHK provided support to homosexuals
until 1940 when Schorer destroyed its records to prevent them from
falling into the hands of the Nazis.
1912: The Scientific Humanitarian Committee polls candidates for the
 forthcoming Reichstag election to learn their view on gay issues. Ninety
one out of the 96 who respond say that they favor gay rights!
1913: Alfred Redl, head of Austrian Intelligence, is exposed as a double agent
working for the Russians. He commits suicide the next morning.
Authorities who search his rooms find abundant indications that Redl had
been a homosexual. The widely publicized case gives prominence to the
idea that homosexuals are security risks, and 37 years later, US Senator
Joseph McCarthy used the Redl case to raise similar fears.
1914: Publication of Dictionary of Criminal Slang which includes the first known
printed definition of the word "faggot" as a term for "a male
homosexual'.
1914: Magnus Hirschfeld publishes his 1067 page study on homosexuality.
1915, May 25: Foreseeing a wartime shortage, Amy Lowell hoards 10,000 of her
favorite Havana cigars in her home in Brookline, MA. (born Feb 9, 1874)
1916, Nov. 29: Birth of artist Neel Bate, as "Blade" one of the pioneers of gay erotica.
His most famous work, an underground classic in pre-Stonewall days is
The Barn, which he wrote and illustrated.
1916, Dec. 30: On this date Grigori Rasputin is murdered. The Russian monk, who was a
famous sexual adventurer, spent some years initiating women into the
reportedly Christian cult of flagellants before he settled into the court o
Nicholas and Alexandria. There is no evidence that his position in the
Russian court stopped or impeded his involvement with the female
flagellants cult.
1917: The new revolutionary government of the Soviet Union abolishes the
sodomy laws of the tsarist regime.
1917: The Bolshevik government in Russia says it will recognize only civil
marriages.
1917, Nov. 20: T. E. Lawrence "of Arabia" (1888-1935) being held captive by the Turks
at Deraa is caned and (probably) raped by Turkish army officers, an
incident described in his 1926 book The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. His
taste for the cane continued through life.
1918: Publication of Life is Movement, the autobiography and manual of
Hungarian born Eugen Sandow, who thrilled audiences in New York and
London throughout the 1890's. Billed as 'The world's strongest man' he
often appeared wearing only a metal fig leaf, held in place by a spring
metal strap that was hidden in the cleft of his ass.
1919: Magnus Hirschfeld founds the Institute for Sexology in Berlin. The
Institute combines the world's first sex counseling center, a museum, a
library and an ongoing series of educational events.
1919, Jan. 7: Birth of Robert Duncan, a leading poet of the San Francisco renaissance.
The first poet to use the word "cocksucker" in print and the first to strip
to the buff during poetry readings.
1919, May 24: release of Anders als die Andern (Different from the Others), one of the
 earliest films to offer viewers a gay-positive perspective. It costarred
Konrad Veidt and Magnus Hirschfeld.

1920 - 1929 CE
Time Event
1920, May 8: The birth in Finland of Touko Laaksonen, the erotic artist who would
become known to leather men of the world as Tom of Finland. (Died
1992).
1921: The Theatre des Eros, the first theater devoted exclusively to gay plays,
is founded in Berlin.
1921: Publication in France, of Sodome et Gomorrhe by Marcel Proust.
1921, March 29: The birth in London of actor Dirk Bogarde whose autobiography reveals
an adolescent seduction by a man who first mummy wrapped him in
bandages.
1921, Sept. 16: The First Congress for Sexual Reform opens at Berlin's Institute for
Sexology.
1922: The Soviet Union re-introduces the concept of "crimes against nature"
and begins the process (finalized by Stalin in 1933) of re-criminalizing
homosexual acts.
1922: "Miss Furr and Miss Skeene" by Gertrude Stein is published in Vanity
Fair. This is regarded as the first published fiction using the word "gay"
to refer to homosexuality.
1922: The God of Vengence, a play by Sholom Asch featuring a lesbian
relationship, is produced in Provincetown, MA. It is the first play on an
American stage to depict gay or lesbian characters, and created an
outcry the next year when it reached Broadway.
1922: A petition to abolish Paragraph 175, Germany's sodomy law, is presented
to the Reichstag, but without success. The petition was largely the work
of Magnus Hirschfeld and his Scientific Humanitarian Committee, and
was signed by such prominent intellectuals as Albert Einstein, Herman
Hesse, Thomas Mann, and Leo Tolstoy.
1922: Birth, in Hailey, Idaho, of Bob Mizer, creator of the Athletic Model Guild
and Physique Pictorial. Died: May 19, 1992.
1924: The 17th edition of Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia sexualis is published. It
will be translated into seven languages.
1924: In Virginia, "A bill to preserve the integrity of the white race" prohibits
white marriage with any non-white. Richmond uses the law to segregate
housing, prohibiting residence by any person who could not marry into a
majority of families already on the block.
1924: Andre Gide, in If It Die, makes his homosexuality public. He is the first
prominent individual in modern times to do so.
1924, Apr. 3: Birth in Omaha NB, of Marlon Brando, who's levis, tight t-shirt, and
leather jacket created a look so many copied.
1924, Apr. 15: Birth of Dr. Howard Brown, American public health administrator.
1924, Oct. 24: The New York Times reviews Dr. Joseph Collins' book The Doctor Looks
at Love and Life in which Collins concluded that "the majority of
homosexuals... are not degenerates". The review is the first time the
word "homosexual" has appeared in this newspaper.
1924, Dec. 10: The Society for Human Rights, founded in Chicago by Henry Gerber
(1892-1972), probably the first "gay lib" organization in the US, is
granted a charter by the Illinois legislature. It lasted only a few months
but during that time Gerber brought out two issues of the country's first
gay liberation magazine, Friendship and Freedom. No copies of these
are known to still exist.
1925, Jan. 14: The birth of Yukio Mishima. His erotic drive was always advanced by his
fantasies of SM-drawn blood. His suicide (Nov. 25, 1970) blended his
erotic fantasies, his political theories and his flair for public drama.
1925, May 21: The birth of Dr. Franklin Kameny, founder of the Mattachine Society and
spiritual godfather of all contemporary activists for sexual freedoms.
1925, Aug. 2: Birth of Roy Dean, photographer of the American Male in the all
together, and often in nature as well. He is also the power behind Colt
Studios and, as an artist, is known as both Colt, and in the pre frontal
nudity days, as Lugar.
1926: The German physician Albert Moll organizes the "1. International
Conference on Sex Research" in Berlin.
1926, Feb. 15: Birth of British film director John Schlessinger, whose Midnight Cowboy
(1969) was kicked to pieces by the critics for being too gay, and by
militant gays for not being gay enough.
1926, May 30: Birth of George Jorgensen, who went to Denmark for surgery and
became Christine Jorgensen, the world's best known transsexual.
1926, June 3: Birth of Beat poet Allen Ginsberg who horrified W. H. Auden by kneeling
and kissing the older poet's trouser cuff.
1926, Oct. 15: Birth, in Poitiers, France, of philosopher and gay sadomasochist Paul-
Michael Foucault. (d. 1984)
1928: D. H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover is published in France. Banned
in Britain, it is only in 1960 that a British court declares the book to be
art not porn.
1928: Publication of Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness. Calling for the
"merciful toleration of inverts," it became the best known book in English
with a lesbian theme.
1928, March 18: Birth of American playwright Edward Albee. Who's Afraid of Virginia
Woolf? may or may not really be about a male couple, but is it an SM
scene?
1929: The French judge Rene Guyon starts work in Thailand on his Studies in
 Sexual Ethics, claiming that an individual has a right to free sexual
expression as long as the rights of others are not harmed.
1929, Jan 12: The publishers of Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness are served with
a summons in an effort to censor the lesbian novel.
1929, Aug. 26: Birth in Chicago of Chuck Renslow, who with his partner Dom "Etienne"
Orejudos, was to father Kris Studios, The Gold Coast, Man's Country,
International Mr. Leather, and other enterprises. More Recently Chuck
has been instrumental in founding The Leather Archives & Museum and
the Chicago Eagle.
1929, Aug. 29: Birth of English born American poet Thom Gunn.

1930 - 1939 CE
Time Event
1930's: Anthropologists report among the Nuer tribe in the Sudan there exist
unions in which a woman marries another woman and counts as the
father of her children.
1930: Denmark repeals its sodomy laws. It is the first European nation to
respond to the early homophile movement. Poland, Switzerland, and
Sweden all follow suit within fifteen years.
1930: Marlene Dietrich, in the film Morocco, makes the first of her many male
impersonations.
1930: Publication of The Story of Punishment, Man's Inhumanity to Man by
Harry Elmer Barnes. Revised edition 1972.
1931: The Chinese Nationalist Party forbids arranged marriages.
1931, Feb. 8: The birth, in Marion, Indiana, of James Dean. The mysterious masochist
and cultural icon did nothing in his life to dispel the rumors of his
masochism (preferring, it is said, to be burned with cigarettes and to be
kicked and stepped on) and the rumors became legends after his death
in a car crash on Sept. 30, 1955.
1932: The Zenith of gay activity in Berlin which then had over 300 homosexual
bars and cafes, of which a tenth were lesbian. Between 1933 and 1945
virtually all homosexual activity was driven underground by the Nazis.
1932: First publication in Zurich of Der Kreis one of the longest running
European gay magazines, it ceased publication in 1967. Articles were in
German, English and French. It frequently published material by
American writers, artists, and photographers, including the first fiction
from Phil Andros, and nude male studies by George Platt Lynes under the
pseudonym Robert Rolf.
1932, Dec 28: Birth of Manuel Puig, Argentinian novelist whose work includes "The Kiss
of the Spider Woman".
1933: Birth, in New South Wales, Australia, of artist Nigel Kent. When he
 started drawing and painting male SM imagery he signed his work
"James D." but later began using his real name. He has lived in the
Netherlands since 1973.
1933, Jan. 30: Hitler bans all gay publishing in Germany.
1933, May 6: In Berlin, Nazis ransack Magnus Hierschfeld's Institute for Sexual
Research and, on May 11, burn his library and museum collection which,
Christopher Isherwood reported, included many SM implements.
1933: Noel Ersine's Dictionary of Underworld Slang lists "gay cat" as meaning
"a homosexual boy", this is the earliest know PRINTED equation of the
words "gay" and "homosexual".
1933: In Germany Hitler rises to power. Within two years a license of "genetic
cleanliness" is necessary for marriage and a German cannot marry a
Jew.
1933: Department II of the German Gestapo is created for the express purpose
of hunting down and imprisoning homosexuals.
1933, July 1: Birth of Domingo "Dom" Orejudos, better known as the erotic artists
Etienne and Stephen, and as partner with Chuck Renslow in operation of
Kris Studio, the Publication of Mars and Rawhide magazines, the Gold
Coast leather bar and Man's Country baths in Chicago, and the founding
of the International Mr. Leather contest.
1934, March 7: Stalin restores criminal sanctions against homosexuality to the Soviet
Union.
1934, March 10: The birth in El Paso, Texas, of author John Rechy, whose writing skirted
the edges of leather sexuality, and about which he had strong opinions.
1934, June 30: Gay SS Chief Ernst Rohm, and many of his "Brown Shirts" were
assassinated by rival Nazis with the approval of Hitler in the "Night of the
Long Knives."
1934: Publication in England of The History of Torture in England by L. A. Parry.
1935, April 9: In a letter of this date Sigmund Freud wrote, "homosexuals must not be
treated as sick people..."
1935, May 13: T. E. Lawrence "of Arabia" fatally injured in a mysterious motorcycle
"accident" in England. Dies May 19, 1935.
1936: The American housewife Dorothy Spencer publicizes a scheme to
improve marriage by mutual domestic spanking.
1936: Leftist German director Gustav von Wangenheim (1895-1975) produces
the film Bortsy (The Fighters) which depicts the Nazis as homosexuals.
In reaction the Hitler regime enacts a new and more stringent version of
the notorious Paragraph 175, and increase convictions for homosexual
activity in Germany.
1936: The suicide of Robert Ervin Howard, creator of Connan the Barbarian.
Exceptionally close to his mother as a boy, and bullied by older boys he
turned to exercise and developed the body he admired in other men.
When his mother lapsed into a coma he blew out his own brains with a
 borrowed pistol and Cross Plains, Texas, had a double funeral. He was 30
years old and had written 21 Connan stories in which images of muscular
men suffering under the domination of others was prominent.
1938: The American zoologist Alfred C. Kinsey begins his studies on human
sexual behavior, using empirical data from over 12,000 interviews.
1938: Fourteen US states introduce bills to impose restrictions on marriage to
persons with syphilis and other venereal diseases in a "social hygiene"
panic.
1938, March 17: Birth of Rudolf Nureyev, Russian, then American, Ballet dancer.
Renowned for his love of rough trade a friend advised: "I once told Rudi,
he can be as naughty as he likes, but if he isn't more careful, they're
going to find him...some morning in an alley in Soho, his head laid open
with a lorry driver's spanner." He died of AIDS in 1993.
1939: Albert Moll dies of natural causes in Berlin before the Nazis can transport
him to a Death Camp.
1939: In the film Bringing up Baby, Cary Grant, appearing in a dress, exclaims
that he has "gone gay". Historian John Boswell credits this as the first
public use of the term in the US, outside of pornography and the
homosexual community. But it isn't until the 1970's that "gay" is widely
accepted as the standard, non slang synonym for homosexual, and not
until 1987 that it is accepted by the New York Times.
1939, Jan. 10: Birth of actor Sal Mineo. He wore the leather jacket in Rebel Without a
Cause even though he was the obvious and willing bottom to James
Dean's reluctant Top. His grisly 1976 murder has never been solved.
1939, Feb 24: Birth of American playwright Doric Wilson.
1939, Sept. 22: Sigmund Freud, suffering from cancer in an advanced stage, dies in
London by morphine overdose through physician assisted suicide.

1940 - 1949 CE
Time Event
1940, July 27: Birth of the Reverend Troy Perry, Minister, activist, leatherman, and.
founder of the Metropolitan Community Church. He devised a wonderful
way to use the Gideon bible found in every hotel room as a ball weight.
1941: The first appearance of the cartoon character, Wonder Woman, an
Amazon with special powers, living on an all-woman island. Her magical
lasso rendered powerless anyone she placed in bondage.
1942, March 14: MP's raid a gay brothel near Brooklyn Navy Yard, among the clientele
they find the US Senator who chairs the Naval Affairs Committee.
1942, April 3: Birthdate of Anthony F. DeBlase, aka Fledermaus, leather/SM writer,
editor, publisher, teacher, and creator of the Leather Pride Flag.
1943, July 22: Birth of Robert Wiley Kirk, the erotic artist "Cirby" (died Dec 21, 1991)
1943: Jim Kepner is hoodwinked by a pen pal into joining the Sons of Hamidy,
a wholly imaginary group of political and military leaders fighting for gay
rights. Kepner quickly discovers the ruse, but is so involved with the idea
he begins a campaign to collect books, papers, and other artifacts that
grow into the International Gay and Lesbian Archives, now housed at the
University of Southern California.
1944, June 10: Christa Winsloe, author of Madchen in Uniform and vocal anti-Nazi is
murdered in Vichi France.
1945: Justice Weekly begins publication in Toronto. This little magazine
excerpts news items related to punishment but it's highly coded personal
ads are to real attraction to SM people all over North America.
1945: Bob Mizer founds the Athletic Model Guild in Los Angeles. His original
intent is to serve as a middle man between hunky young males and the
artists and others seeking their modeling (legitimate!) services. This
aspect fails dismally so he begins marketing the photos directly to the
public.
1945: Formation of the Veterans' Benevolent Association, the first gay
membership organization in the US, formed to try to get homosexual
soldiers some of the respect they deserved for the hardships they had
endured.
1945, May 31: Birth of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, German film maker, author, director,
& actor. His films often deal with same-sex relationships in which erotic
desire becomes a function of the struggle for dominance of one partner
over another. (died 1982)
1945, Aug. 7: Birth of Cynthia Ann-Slater, San Francisco Bay area SM activist and
founder of The Society of Janus.
1945, Dec. 11: Birth of John Preston, author of Mr. Benson and many other notable
volumes of leather fiction.
1946: A gay social club "The Shakespeare Club" is founded in Amsterdam.
(Name change to Centre for Culture & Leisure, in 1949) Dance nights
become extremely well attended and to accommodate the crowds, a
large commercial dance hall, Der Oden Kring (DOK) is opened in 1955.
From this basis Amsterdam has become the gay mecca of Europe.
1946: Bob Mizer takes his first photos for the Athletic Model Guild. The subject
is 22 year old Howard Olson who had just been discharged from the US
Marine Corps. Olson wears only a posing strap and is caught spread-
eagled in the air in the middle of a jump.
1946, Sept. 26: Birth of Andrea Dworkin, American writer and feminist. And ardent
crusader against pornography, SM and other sexual "evils".
1946, Dec. 29: Birth of William Carney, author of one of the earliest explicitly gay male
SM novels, The Real Thing.
1947: Alfred C. Kinsey founds the "Institute for Sex Research" at Indiana
University.
1947: California strikes down its anti-miscegenation law.
1947, Mid: Bob Mizer is arrested and charged with disseminating obscene material.
He refuses consul's advice and pleads "not guilty". He is convicted and
serves six months in a California Prison. Upon release he resumes
business exactly as before. In 1953 his appeal reaches the US Supreme
Court, where his conviction is overturned because the judge erred in
instructing the jury on the legal definition of "obscene."
1947, July 4 - 6: More than 4000 motorcycles converge on Hollister California and their
riders unleash 40 hours of drunken terror on the town. 40 CHiPs threaten
to use tear gas. Nearly 100 bikers are jailed.
1948: Axel and Eigil Axgil, a male couple, found the National Homosexual
Association, the first gay rights Organization in Denmark. On Oct. 1,
1989 they are the first to marry under Denmark's same sex marriage
registry.
1948: Alfred C. Kinsey publishes the first part of his study on human sexual
behavior, Sexual Behavior in the Human Male.
1948, March 3: Birth of Albert Andrew Kraus Jr. Later to be a founder of the Windy City
Bondage Club, and a co-chair of NLA: I during a critical period of it's
redevelopment,
1948, March 9: The Veteran's Benevolent Association, the first postwar American
homosexual organization, is incorporated in New York state.
1948, March 20: Inspector Craig Ellis, head of the vice squad of Philadelphia Police Dept.
gives his men a list of books he considers obscene and orders that the
city's bookstores be raided immediately and all titles on the list be
confiscated. No search warrants or court orders of any kind are issued.
54 booksellers are raided and nearly 1200 books seized, including works
by James Farrell, William Faulkner, Erskine Caldwell, and Harold Robbins.
The district attorney brings suit against five of the booksellers. But Judge
Curtis Bok rules in favor of the booksellers and freedom of the press.
1949: Sam Steward and Steve Masters meet in Alfred Kinsey's garden. The
two, who would each later be leather icons in their own right, perform
SM scenes for Kinsey's research.
1949: The Thief's Journal by Jean Genet is first published in France. English
edition 1964.
1949: South Africa passes a law prohibiting interracial marriage.

1950 - 1959 CE
Time Event
1950's: Mississippi makes publication of "general information, arguments, or
suggestions in favor of social equality or intermarriage between whites
and Negros" a crime.
1950: After a year of revolution in China a marriage law sets age limits and
allows widows to remarry. Prospective marriage partners must be
checked for "correct" thinking with the party.
1950: Publication of
The Invisible Glass by Loren Wahl
Quatrefoil by James Barr
1950, June 15: Chuck Renslow and Dom Orejudos start Kris Studios to publish male
physique photography. Orejudos begins sketching some of the models.
1950, Nov.: The first issue of AMG's Physique Pictorial is issued. Cover "Havasu
Creek" by Quaintance. No copies of this issue are known to exist.
1950, Dec.: Mattachine Society founded in Los Angeles.
1951: (or by 53) Shaw's, New York City's first Leather Bar opens.
1951: Rene Guyon critizises the United Nations for not including sexual rights
as a basic human right.
1951: Clellan S. Ford and Frank A. Beach publish their study "Patterns of
Sexual Behaviour", a comparison of the sexual preferences of 200
cultures. The study shows how relative Western sexual traditions are.
1951, April: Harry Hay (born Apr. 7, 1912), Rudi Gernreich, Chuck Rowland, Bob Hull
and Dale Jennings start The Mattachine Society in Los Angeles.
1951, May 26: British Foreign Office officials Donald Mclean and his cruel "master" Guy
Burgess defect to the USSR.
1951, Nov.: The cover date of the oldest known extant copy of Physique Pictorial
Vol.1, No. 2. Cover painting of a nude man riding a white horse through
the surf: "Dashing" by Quaintance.
1952: (or by 54) The Lodge, New York City's second leather bar opens.
1952: Jack's on the Waterfront opens at 111 Embarcadero in San Francisco.
The bar particularly attracts longshoremen, motorcycle men other butch
types. Gradually evolves from a straight bar with "homo space" to a gay
bar with a maritime flavor. Closed in 1962 as part of the "gayola"
scandals.
1952: Joe Wieder, a championship competitive bodybuilder who had started a
series of body building magazines converts his American Manhood to
compete with the "informal" poses and slimmer "natural" physiques of
magazines like Physique Pictorial and Vim.
1952: First publication of Tomorrow's Man. A tiny physique magazine Published
by Irv Johnson in Chicago, which combined the look of Physique Pictorial
with articles on body building and staying in shape. It quickly became
the #1 physique publication.
1952: Alan Turing, mathematical genius, breaker of Nazi codes, acclaimed as
"the man who saved England" reports the theft of his property by a
hustler, when the police realize why the thief was there Turing himself is
arrested and prosecuted. He is chemically castrated by the authorities
 and hounded by the press. He commits suicide in 1954.
1952, April: Dale Jennings, a member of the Mattachine Society in Los Angeles is
arrested by the police. Mattachine organizes The Committee to Outlaw
Entrapment.
1952, May 27: Birth of Sasha Alyson, founder of Alyson Publications, a gay press that
gave presence to a broad range of gay and lesbian works, including
Coming to Power, the writings of John Preston, and many other
leather/SM works considered "marginal" at the time, by other publishers.
1952, August: Cover date of Physique Pictorial issue bearing a cover painting by
Quaintance, "Sacrifice," depicting a nearly naked man chained in spread-
eagle suspension to a vertical sun disk. In the foreground two virtually
naked warriors lie bleeding (dying) from arrows penetrating their backs.
This cover resulted in censorship in Los Angeles county. No one objected
to the bondage, blood, or violent theme. They wanted the lushly rounded
asses of the dying warriors covered!
1952: College English professor Sam Steward begins a sideline business as Phil
Sparrow, tattoo artist.
1953: Alfred C. Kinsey publishes the second part of his study on human sexual
behavior, Sexual Behavior in the Human Female.
1953: The German physician Harry Benjamin coins the term "transsexuals" and
is the first to distinguish them from transvestites.
1953, Apr. 23: US President Eisenhower issues orders prohibiting employment of gays in
government agencies.
1953: Forbidden Colors, Yukio Mishima's novel with SM overtones is first
published in Japan. First English edition in 1968.
1953, Aug.: Tomorrow's Man #8 contains the first published art by Dom Orejudos
and the pseudonym Etienne is created.
1954: Satyrs M/C founded in Los Angeles, the first gay motorcycle club in the
world.
1954: Historie d'O by Pauline Reage (real name, Anne Declos) first published in
France. In 1955 it won the Deux-Magots prize, an important French
literary award. In 1965 Grove Press publishes the first English language
edition as The Story of O.
1954: Birth of Bob Flannigan, SM performance artist and "Super-masochist"
1954: The San Francisco police stage a crackdown on "Sex Deviates" hitting
particularly the area of Market and Embarcadero streets.
1954: Joe Wiedner begins publication of Body Beautiful and Adonis, big budget,
color cover, physique magazines which alternate publication in
succeeding months. The rise of physique magazines threw the body
building publishing world into a homophobic panic, except for Wiedner
who jumped in and competed.
1954: On the urging of Jim Kepner and Ann Carrl Reid, Chuck Rowland starts
the Church of ONE Brotherhood to minister to the religious needs of gays
 and lesbians. It prospers for about a year, then folds.
1954: The movie The Wild One Starring Marlon Brando as a leather jacketed
motorcycle gang member is released, creating a sensation and giving
seed to an image.
1954, Feb.: One magazine includes its first article about a women's issue. Lesbians
continued to be included in the content, and on the staff, until 1959.
1954, June: Suicide of Alan Turing in England, after being outed as a homosexual
when he reported the theft of some items by a young man he had invited
into his home. Turning had been instrumental in breaking Nazi codes
during the war, and is considered the father of the computer.
1955: Publication of
Cool Hand Luke by Donn Pearce, the novel which inspired Paul
Neuman's superb movie performance as a member of a southern
prison camp chain gang.
Two by Eric Jourdan in France. This novel of male love with definite
SM elements was published in English in 1963.
1955, Sept. 21: The Daughters of Bilitis, the first Lesbian organization in America, is
formed in San Francisco.
1955, Sept. 30: James Dean is killed in a car crash in California. The actor's smoldering
sexuality and young death (at 24) elevated him to legendary status. The
persistent rumors that he enjoyed being burned with cigarettes and
kicked and trampled under men's feet provided hours of pleasant fantasy
for many Tops.
1955, Nov. 1: An anti-homosexual witch hunt begins in Boise, ID, later documented by
John Gerassi in The Boys of Boise.
1956: The last of the US laws making epilepsy a disqualification for marriage
are removed.
1956: Publication of
The Street of the Sun by Lance Horner, the most homoerotic and SM,
of the Mandango family of novels.leathermen. (born Jan 5, 1945)
1956, Sept.: Jim Kepner and Dorr started America's first gay studies classes. In Jan
1957 they started the first 36 week course in World History from the gay
perspective. Kepner conceived and edited Americas first gay scholarly-
style journal: ONE Institute Quarterly of Homophile Studies for three
years.
1957: The German physician Hans Lehfeldt founds the "Society for the
Scientific Study of Sexuality" (SSSS) in New York.
1957: Amsterdam's first leather bar and hotel, The Argos, opens. It is still in
business!
1957: The Spring issue of Physique Pictorial magazine includes the first
published erotic art of Tom of Finland, and marks the first time that
name is used.
1957: Erotic artist George Quaintance dies.
1957: Publication of
Color of Darkness, a novel by James Purdy (born July 14, 1923).
The Last Exit to Brooklyn, a novel by Hubert Selby Jr. (born July 23,
1928)
1957: In the Crittenden Report, the US Navy concludes that homosexuals
serving in the military do not create a security risk. The Pentagon denies
the existence of this report for twenty years.
1957, Sept. 4: In London the Wolfenden Report recommends decriminalization of
"private homosexual acts between consenting adults".
1958: Both Federal and Chicago authorities charge Kris studios with censorship
violations. Renslow fights back, surprising the prosecution. His defense
uses the simple stand that nudity is not obscene. In support his attorney
shows photos of nude male sculpture in the courthouse where the case is
being held. Kris was found not guilty, prosecution appealed and
eventually the same decision came from the US Supreme court.
1958: Publication of
The Question by Henri Alleg, an account of the French Algerian
newspaper man's torture at the hands of French paratroopers.
Those about to Die, a history of the Roman games and arena shows
by Daniel P. Manix.
The Balcony, Jean Genet's play which accommodates every sexual
desire, is published in French and English.
Muscle Boy, by Bud Clifton
Confessions of a Mask, an autobiographical novel by Yukio Mishima
first published in English.
1958: Oedipus MC founded in Los Angeles, the second gay motorcycle club.
1958, May 12: The Homosexual Law Reform Society is founded in London.
1958, June: Chuck Renslow becomes manager of The Gold Coast in Chicago and
creates the first Leather Bar.
1959: The Big Dollar at 34th & 3rd in New York City opens, A VERY leather bar.
1959: The Spur Club a leather friendly bar at 126 Turk in San Francisco's
tenderloin is raided and closed.
1959: In the San Francisco mayoral election homosexuality becomes a political
issue. The incumbent clamps down on "queers".
1959: Publication of Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs. (born Feb. 5, 1914)
1959: US Supreme Court rules in favor of allowing distribution of D. H.
Lawrence's novel, Lady Chatterley's Lover.
1959: Kellers (bar) opens in New York City and becomes a gathering place for
gay motorcycle riders.
 1960 - 1969 CE
Time Event
1960, March 16: The Gold Coast, Chicago's first leather bar, (opened June 1958) is
purchased by Chuck Renslow and Associates.
1960: The Why Not (518 Ellis St.) in the Tenderloin is San Francisco's first
leather bar. The owners hire Tony Taverossi to create an atmosphere
that will attract the leather crowd. The bar closes shortly after opening
when Tony propositions a vice squad cop.
1960, Spring: Owners of San Francisco gay bars revolt against police pay-offs and the
"Gayola Scandals" result. Police retaliate with a vengeance and close
most Gay bars in the city.
1960: Publication of Christ and The Homosexual by Robert Wood, which
includes a rather accurate description of one of the many SM parties
hosted by Bob Milne at his home in NYC in the early 1950's.
1960: A British court rules that D. H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's
Lover, is art not porn.
1960: Warlocks MC, and California Motor Club formed in southern California
and San Francisco respectively.
1960: DL Sterling, "The Leathermaker", makes his first pair of motorcycle
chaps.
1961: Michael Foucault publishes Folie et deraison (Madness and Civilization)
by Michael Foucault, claiming that the role of psychiatry in modern
society is to remove people who refuse to conform to it's norms. A
shortened English version is published in 1965.
1961: The Hideaway, a leather friendly bar at 438 Eddy in San Francisco's
tenderloin raided and closed.
1961: The Tool Box at 339 4th St. at Harrison in San Francisco opened. It took
what Tony Taverosi had created at the Why Not and developed it into
what became the classic SF leather bar design. The bar featured the
Chuck Arnette mural of masculine men, which was made famous by the
June 1964 Life magazine. Closed in 1971.
1961: Moved by the Gayola scandals, Jose Sarria becomes the first openly gay
man to run for San Francisco city supervisor. He does not get elected.
1961: Victim is the first film by a major British commercial studio to feature
homosexuality as its theme. Dirk Bogarde plays a closeted barrister in a
plot about gay blackmail and suicide.
1962: The German sex researcher Hans Giese publishes his book
Psychopathologie der Sexualitat, with the intent of continuing Krafft-
Ebing's Psychopathia sexualis. In the medical text book, which dedicates
the first 30 pages to the importance of Christianity in sex therapy, he
quotes the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sarte's theories on SM as
research, and links sadomasochism to the rise in abortions. Giese's
school of thought continues to dominate sex research in Germany until
 today. In 1992, three of the four professors for sex research in Germany
will be former students of Giese.
1962: Again, in response to the Gayola scandals and their aftermath San
Francisco bar owners and employees form the Tavern Guild, to wield
political influence.
1962: Fisting is "invented" in a San Francisco basement.
1962: Satyrs M/C holds its first Badger Flat Run.
1962: Publication of King Rat by James Clavell. The novel explores dominance
in men's relationships in a Japanese prison camp during WWII.
1962: Otto Preminger's film of Alan Drury's novel Advise and Consent, is the
first movie explicitly showing a gay bar.
1962, Jan. 1: Effective this date Illinois repeal its sodomy laws and behavior between
"consenting adults in private" is no longer subject to criminal
prosecution.
1962, Nov.: "Birth" of Phil Andros as Sam Steward, writing for eos and amigos
magazines of Denmark, uses this pseudonym for the first time.
1963: Denmark becomes the first modern state to drop virtually all censorship.
1963: Publication of
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, a novel that gives a look at
sex, violence, and mind control in a future age.
City of Night by John Rechy, a novel that takes a close look at the
underbelly of gay life: hustling as it was.
Our Lady of the Flowers, Jean Genet's first English edition
Pleasures of the Torture Chamber by Johnathon Swain.
Flagellation - The Rod & The Whip by George Bishop.
The Velvet Underground by Michael Leigh.
1963: Physique Pictorial begins to print a scribbled code of astrological
symbols along with its photographs. The symbols give Bob Mizer's ideas
about the personalities, and sexual proclivities, of the models. A code
sheet to decipher them is sent to favored customers. In 1967 the
symbols are used as part of the sexual pandering case against Mizer. He
destroys all copies of the code's meanings. .
1963: Scott Studio, one of the best physique photography studios closes when
Tom Nichol, the owner and photographer, moves from London to
California. Nichol is noted for early (before 1950) photos of men in
boots, leather, biker caps, etc. and for the infamous "Scott Shorts," thin
white gym style shorts always at least two sizes too small for his
models, who somehow squeezed into them.
1963, Feb.: Publication of the first (and only) issue of Young Adonis magazine, the
first to have substantial full color. The cover trumpets "24 photos in
color" and "More Color than any other magazine!"
1963, May: Mars magazine, a male physique publication with leather leanings,
begins publication. It is designed and edited by Chuck Renslow and Dom
 Orejudos of Kris studios
1963, Sept. 15: Second City Motorcycle Club founded in Chicago.
1964: The opening of the NYC World's Fair is preceded by a "cleanup" of gay
bars, shutting down every one in the city except Julius' in the village.
1964: Publication of
Rough Trade by Lou Rand.
Stockade a novel by Jack Pearl which focuses on abuse in a military
prison.
With Rod and Whip, A History of Flagellation Among Different Nations
by Valhalla Books.
A History of Torture by Daniel P. Manix.
Flagellation Curiosa Pt. 1: Sublime of Flagellation, by H. T. Buckle, Pt.
2: Experiences in Flagellation, Compiled by an Amateur Flagellant,
American edition
1964: US courts allow importation of Danish magazines showing full frontal
male nudity if they are official publications of nudist organizations.
International Nudist Sun is the most popular all male title, many others
feature only women or both men and women.
1964, June 26: Life magazine features "Homosexuality in America," an article by Paul
Welch that includes a two page spread on the Tool Box, San Francisco's
premier leather bar, and sparks a migration of eager leathermen to
"Baghdad by the Bay."
1964: The first appearance of Al "A. Jay" Shapiro's cartoon creation, "Harry
Chess", in the Philadelphia based gay monthly Drum.
1964: Empire City MC founded in NYC and holds first Empire City Christmas
Party and Toys for Tots.
1964: Recon MC founded in San Francisco.
1964: Society for Individual Rights (SIR) founded in San Francisco.
1965, Apr.: Second City MC founded in Chicago. The first such club in the Midwest.
1965: Grove Press issues the first English edition of Pauline Reage's The Story
of O.
1965: In New York City, Steve Masters (real name Mike Miksche, a highly
respected fashion artist) one of the most talented homoerotic, and
leather oriented, artists, and publisher of the Physique Magazine, BIG,
commits suicide. His wife finds the studio where he worked on his
erotica, and had sm scenes with other men, and burns most of his art.
Fortunately he had already donated much work to Kinsey, for whom he
had performed SM scenes with Sam Steward.
1965: Publication of
Quatrefoil by James Barr, a novel of sex among men in the US Navy.
Madame deSade in Japan, a play by Yukio Mishima. First English
The Lonely Sex - Mail Order Vice by Carlson Wade.
 The Lonely Sex - Mail Order Vice by Carlson Wade.
1965: Formation of Saddlemasters MC and Saddlebacks of Orange County both
in California and of SixtyNine Club in London, England.
1965: On the Levee a bar at 987 Embarcadero in San Francisco becomes
popular with the leather crowd. Closed in 1972.
1965, Late: A new physique magazine, Butch, produces its first issue, filled with
unidentified frontally nude male photos from Arts Unlimited. Virtually
simultaneously Drum an activist gay magazine published in Philadelphia
prints, in the copies of its January 1966 issue that goes to subscribers,
but not to those sent to newsstands, the first full frontal male nudes
that are not presented in the guise of anthropological study or nudist
culture.
1966: CMC (California Motorcycle Club) rents Sefarer's International Union hall
for their annual CMC Carnival, thanks primarily to Don Rotan who was a
member of both CMC and the Sefarer's union.
1966: Barbary Coasters MC formed in San Francisco.
1966: Jose Sarria, "The Widow Norton," becomes the first "Empress of San
Francisco," and the gay Court System has begun.
1966: Publication of
Song of the Loon by Richard Amory, the first of a trilogy of erotic
novels that took the American fascination with cowboys and Indians
to a whole new level.
Sadism by Andre Tarade.
1966: The American gynecologists William H. Masters and Virginia Johnson
publish their study on the Human Sexual Response.
1966: The first complete male to female genital confirmation surgery in the US
takes place at Johns Hopkins University Hospital.
1966, Feb.: North American Conference of Homophile Organizations (NACHO) meets
in Kansas City. It quickly deteriorates into a vicious fight among
organizations with differing objectives and strategies. All of the
elements of today's PC wars were there, and doing battle.
1966, July 25: FeBe's opens on Folsom in San Francisco and quickly becomes one of
the leading leather bars, particularly for members of motorcycle clubs.
The bar's "leather David" logo (the original a plaster sculpture by Mike
Caffee) becomes a leather icon. A Taste of Leather, upstairs at FeBe's,
opens in 1967 as one of the first in-bar leather shops. FeBe's closes in
1986.
1967, Jan. 1: Los Angeles Police raid the Black Cat, the incident "boosted the modest
PRIDE newsletter into The Advocate."
1967: The "Summer of Love" in San Francisco
1967: Publication of
Eustace Chisholm and the Works a novel by James Purdy.
 Numbers by John Rechy, a novel exploring the gay male obsession
with accumulating tricks.
Brutality Through the Ages by John Swain.
Sexual Sadism - The Pleasure of Inflicting Pain by Edward Podolsky
MD and Carlson Wade.
Erotic Variations by John Barry.
Sex and Sadism by Val Vane.
1967: A survey that questions 643 Germans on their attitudes towards sexual
deviant groups shows that sadists are seen as egotistical, aggressive,
revolting, unsympathetic, wild, unbalanced, strict, dominating, hard,
active, cold, sick, introverted, pedantic, and close-mouthed. They are
associated with the stereotypes of murderers and pimps. Homosexuals,
themselves still considered deviant, and students have slightly less
negative attitudes. Attitudes towards masochists are not examined.
1967: Bob Mizer of Athletic Model Guild is arrested and charged with running a
male prostitution ring because of his first concept of AMG as a referral
service for models. He is convicted and for most of 1968 Physique
Pictorial fails to appear and Mizer, who hated to travel, is not at home.
1967: Formation of Cheaters MC and Constantines of the Bay Area, both in
San Francisco.
1967: Barbary Coasters present their first annual San Francisco Motorcycle
Awards.
1967: Nick O'Demus opens his A Taste Of Leather shop upstairs at FeBe's. One
of the first in bar leather shops.
1967, Jul. 26: The United States Federal Court for the District of Minnesota upholds a
landmark decision affirming the right of all persons to receive materials
dealing with the nude male figure.
1967, July 27: The Sexual Offenses Act, removing criminality from sexual relations
between consenting adults, an action which had been recommended by
the Wolfenden Report in 1958, finally becomes law in England and
Wales.
1967, Aug.: The newsletter of PRIDE (Personal Rights in Defense and Education)
becomes The Los Angles Advocate.
1967, Aug.: The third national North American Conference of Homophile
Organizations (NACHO) meets in Washington, D.C., with friction
between East Coast and West Coast representatives.
1967, Oct. 9: The film I am Curious - Yellow premiers in Stockholm. It will become a
major example of sexual liberation in the US.
1967, Nov. 17: The Oscar Wilde Book Shop, the first gay and lesbian store of it's kind,
opens in New York City. For years all SM publications are banned from
the store.
1968: Off the Levee is opened at 527 Bryant in San Francisco by the owner of
the leather bar "On The Levee". This location later becomes the leather
 friendly bar and restaurant Chez Mollet.
1968: The Ramrod at 1225 Folsom in San Francisco, opened and quickly
succeeded FeBe's as THE leather bar, at least for the SM crowd, while
FeBe's remained the prime bar for MC club socializing.
1968: Formation of Buddy MC and Warriors MC in California, Nine Plus and
Cycle MC in New York City; Serpents in San Francisco; Spartan MC in
Baltimore and Washington DC; SMCLA, later changed to Lost Angels, in
DC; V Senses Rubber Club in NYC; Rocky Mountaineers MC in Denver;
and Texas Riders MC, originally the Warlocks and later the Cobras, in
Houston.
1968: Cycle MC holds first annual Bass River Run.
1968: Metropolitan Community Church founded in Los Angeles by Rev. Troy
Perry, a leatherman.
1968: In New York City several leather friendly bars, restaurants and private
clubs open. These include: The Hayloft private club; The International
Stud bar, JB's Restaurant, OK Corral dining room; the Skull after hours
bar; the Tool Box bar; and the Nine Plus clubhouse on 21st St. Louie's
Bar is renamed Louie's Spartan Lounge.
1968: Cycle MC begins publication of it's newsletter Wheels and Nine Plus
begins publication of its Scimitar. New York Motor Bike Club publishes
last issue of its Black and Blue.
1968: Alan Selby begins Mr. S Leathers in London, England.
1968: Publication of
The Agency, and its sequel, The Agent, two novels of explicit SM by
David Meltzer.
The Figa by Paul Mariah, a poem paean to fisting.
The Real Thing by William Carney (birth Dec 29 1946)is published by
Putnam's, a major publishing house.
1968, Jan.: Under pressure to abandon its militant roots, PRIDE was dissolved by its
founders, who sold The Advocate to Dick Michaels, Sam Winston and Bill
Rand for one dollar.
1968, Jan.: Der Kreis, the world's oldest known homophile publication,
headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, ceases publication after thirty five
years.
1968, March: An Orange County man looses his home and auto insurance after a
neighbor sees him kiss a man in his backyard. The neighbor reports the
incident to the police, who contact the man's insurance company.
1968, April 14: Mort Crowley's play, The Boys in the Band opens in New York City.
(Birth Aug. 21, 1935)
1968, Aug.: A dedication to militant law reform and a formalization in structure
sweeps thorough the North American Conference of Homophile
Organizations (NACHO) which meets in Chicago.
1968, Aug.: LA police raid the Patch II, a gay bar in Wilmington, leading "flower
 laden gays to raid the Harbor Police Station and help start MCC and two
other major organizations."
1968, Sept.: Demanding equal access to the Yellow Pages, San Francisco homophile
groups lodge a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission
asking for a separate listing of "Homophile Groups", the phone company
accedes in August 1971, after several years of court struggles.
1968, Dec.: The New Jersey Supreme Court rules that homosexuals have the right
to assemble in public, overturning the revocation of three New Jersey
bars' licenses for "permitting apparent homosexual to congregate."
1969: Time magazine declares 1969 "The Year of the Newly Militant
Homosexual"
1969: Fred Halsted meets Joey Yale at the Black Pipe, a Los Angeles leather
bar. They make the film LA Plays Itself, with explicit SM scenes, and
begin a lifelong relationship.
1969: Publication of
Return to the Chateau by Pauline Reage in France, a sequel to The
Story of O. US edition published in 1971.
Leather, The Leather Queens, and several similar erotic novels by
Dirk Vaden.
$tud, the first Phil Andros novel written by Samuel Steward and
published by Guild Press.
Flagellation & The Flagellants - A History of the Rod by Rev. Wm. A.
Cooper, BA, American edition.
The Homosexual Handbook by Josef Bush, which includes the names
of people the author suspects of being gay. The publisher quickly
recalls and destroys 7000 copies, then reprints the book omitting only
one name: J. Edgar Hoover.
1969: American anthropologist Paul Gebhard publishes his article on Fetishism
and Sadomasochism, placing SM in a cultural context. SM is seen as a
result of cultural forces and as a form of scripted behavior. Gebhard's
break with the view of SM founded by Krafft-Ebbing and Freud paves
the way for sociological studies on SM.
1969: Formation of Apollos, Commanders MC, UYA MC and Wheels MC in NYC;
Border Riders MC in Seattle & Vancouver BC; Vanguards MC in
Philadelphia; Vikings MC in Boston and the AAMC, the Atlantic Midwest
Coordinating Council, lather the Atlantic Motorcycle Coordinating
Council. In London England V Senses Rubber club becomes Rubber
Man's Club of London.
1969: Newsletters are first published by several clubs: The Longship from
Vikings MC (ceases publication 1970); Innertube from V Senses Rubber;
and Tread from Wheels MC.
1969: The Den bar opens in New York City.
1969: The Shed becomes Boston's leather-levi bar.
1969: The Leather Cell (a leather and toy shop) opens in the basement, "The
Pit", of the Gold Coast in Chicago.
1969, Jan.: Bob Mizer brings out Physique Pictorial Natural introducing both color
and frontal nudity to his publication.
1969, Jan.: Members of the Danish parliament considered a bill to legalize
marriages between homosexuals; the bill will be defeated and
reintroduced annually until it is finally passed in 1989.
1969, Feb.: The Correctional Association of New York called for an end to the state's
criminal statutes against abortion, prostitution, and homosexuality.
1969, April: Chain Male #1, one of the BEST gay male SM/bondage photo-books is
published.
1969, May: Pat Rocco's nude ballet film, A Breath of Love, is accepted for screening
at the San Francisco Film Festival.
1969, May: West Germany decriminalizes male homosexual acts between men over
21. East Germany had repealed its antigay law a year earlier.
1969, June: After 32 years, the statue of David at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress,
California, has its fig leaf removed.
1969, June 27: Judy Garland is buried. Memorial services are held in New York City.
1969, June 28: New York City Police raid the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar on Christopher
St. near 7th Ave. triggering riots that last several nights, and becoming
the seminal event in public awareness of the fight for gay rights.
1969, June 29: "Four Policemen Hurt in Village Raid" reported the New York Times, on
page 33.
1969, July: Reporting on the Stonewall riots, Time magazine says, "The love that
once dared not speak its name now can't seem to keep its mouth shut."
1969, July 1: US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia holds that
homosexuality does not automatically disqualify a government
employee for continuing in his job.
1969, July: The Gay Liberation Front is formed in New York City.
1969, Aug.: North American Conference of Homophile Organizations (NACHO)
meets, again in Kansas City.
1969, Aug.: Alaska's Supreme Court rules the term "crime against nature"
unconstitutional.
1969, Oct.: A National Institutes of Health Task Force on Homosexuality, headed by
Dr. Evelyn Hooker, submits its report favoring the decriminalization of
homosexuality.
1969, Oct.: The University of Minnesota recognizes a club for gays and sympathizers
called FREE (Fight Repression of Erotic Expression).
1996, Oct. 30: Film star Ramon Novarro is murdered in his Los Angeles mansion by
Paul and Tom Ferguson, brothers and hustlers. Paul had previously
modeled for Kris Studios. Rumor has it that the murder weapon was a
metal dildo (gold in some stories, lead in others) given to Novaro by
 Rudolph Valentino.
1969, Dec.: In a landmark decision the California Supreme Court rules that the state
cannot revoke a teacher's credentials over charges of homosexual
conduct.
1969, Dec.: Hawaii's state Penal Revision Project recommends that private
homosexual activity be legalized.
1969, Dec. 21: Gay Activist Alliance founded in New York City.
 1970
Time Event
1970: The explicitly homoerotic SM film Born to Raise Hell starring Val Martin,
produced by Terry LeGrand and directed by Roger Earl, is released in Los
Angeles. It remains a classic of the genre to this date.
1970: Publication of
Cruising a murder mystery novel by Jay Green set in New York's
leather bars. When later made into a movie starring Al Pacino it was
the subject of vocal demonstrations by gay activists who objected to
the portrayals.
The Young Master by William Lambert III, one of the best from this
prolific author of gay erotica with an SM twist.
Leather Ad V1: M and V2: S novels by Larry Townsend. Sex and the
Lash Lovers by R. Rodgers Kingman.
1970: Michael Holm starts Revolt Press in Sweden. He publishes Tom of
Finland's books of artwork, and later starts Mr. SM and Toy magazines.
1970: Formation of Boston Bike Club; Centaur MC of Richmond VA; Druids MC
of Washington DC; Entre Nous of Boston; The Lake Riders of Chicago;
the Libertines of Kansas City; MS Amsterdam, MSC Rhein-Main
Frankfurt; MC Kemo of Montreal; PCMC of Los Angeles; Praetorians of
New York City; The San Franciscans; South Pacific MC of Sydney;
Southern Cross MC of Melbourne; Spearhead of Toronto; TOR MC of
Toronto and Vulcan Rubber Club of Washington DC. New York First, a
council of New York motorcycle clubs is formed.
1970: Spearhead holds its first Roundup run and the Vanguards hold their first
Oktoberfest. The first Leather Sabbat is held in Washington DC.
1970: Leather bar openings include: the Barn in NYC; Boots in Ft. Lauderdale;
The Cellblock in NYC, The Leather Game in Los Angeles; The Leather
Stallion in Cleveland, the Eagle's Nest, NYC; the Triangle in NYC,
1970: Professor Louis Compton of the University of Nebraska teaches the first
gay studies course in the US.
1970: The Gay Activists Alliance selects the Greek letter lambda as a symbol of
the gay movement.
1970, Jan.: More than 250 homosexuals, led by the Rev. Troy Perry, march for
police reform on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles.

1970, Jan.: Customs officials seize and seek permission to destroy, ten artworks
from an international erotic exhibit scheduled to show in New York City.
Permission is denied by a New York court citing the First Ammendment.
1970, March: A gay San Francisco postal worker fights an attempt by the Civil Service
commission to terminate him for "moral incompetency," recovering his
 job in November, and paving the road for future Civil Service
Commission reforms.
1970, June: Celebrating the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, the first gay
pride parades/marches/rallies are held in New York, Chicago, San
Francisco and Los Angeles. Cycle MC marches in the Christopher Street
Liberation Day parade in NYC.
1970, July 6: Troy Perry, founder of Metropolitan Community Church, and a
leatherman, sits on the steps of the Federal Building in Los Angeles
refusing to eat or leave until someone from the city of Los Angeles
comes and talks to him about Gay rights. Eleven days later city
Councilman Robert Stevenson holds a curbside meeting with Perry,
ending his vigil.
1970, Aug.: North American Conference of Homophile Organizations (NACHO) holds
its final meeting in San Francisco. Morris Knight leads street people in to
smash NACHO. "Anarchy faced off with arrogant conservatism, and
anarchy won," says Jim Kepner.
1970, Sept.: The Federal Commission on Obscenity and Pornography urges the repeal
of most anti-pornography laws.
1970, Nov. 25: Yukio Mishima commits ritual suicide after a failed attempt to incite a riot
at a Military school in Japan. (Born Jan. 14, 1925).

1971
Time Event
1971: The In Between opens at 1347 Folsom in San Francisco, in between
FeBe's and the Ramrod. It soon metamorphosed into the No Name, a
popular leather bar.
1971: The first FFA run is held in Cambria CA.
1971: Formation of Argonauts, Cycle Runners MC, Koalas, and LOBOC in
California; Chicago Knights MC; Keystone Riders in Philadelphia;
Kingmasters in Los Angeles, Northern Riding Club in the UK; Scorpions
MC (originally Centaur MC's DC chapter) in DC; Thunderbolts MC in
Connecticut; Tribe MC in Detroit and Unicorns MC in Cleveland. The
Boston Bike Club disbands.
1971: Runs initiated include The Centaur's Olympia, Entre Nous' Days of
Equinox and Hell-Za-Popper held jointly by Wheels and Nine Plus.
1971: Leather bar openings include: the Bootcamp in San Francisco, DC Eagle,
The Ramrod in Phoenix, the Stockade in NYC and the 247 in Philadelphia.
1971: Publication of
All or Nothing by Dirk Vaden, one of the most popular leather novels
of its time.
Run Little Leather Boy and The Scorpius Equation, two of Larry
Townsend's best early novels.
 Run Little Leather Boy and The Scorpius Equation, two of Larry
Townsend's best early novels.
History of Flagellation in two photo illustrated volumes by Jon A.
Peterssen.
1971, Jan. 3: First lesbian center in the US opens in New York City, sponsored by the
NY Chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
1971, Feb.: The Eulenspiegel Society is founded in New York City as North America's
first SM organization. It is open to all sexes and orientations.
1971, Apr.: Bob Ross begins publishing the Bay Area Reporter, aka the B.A.R., in
San Francisco. Mr. Marcus begins his leather column in this newspaper in
August of 1971. As of this writing in Jan,. 1999, both the paper and the
column are still going strong after 28 years!
1971, Apr. 30: Richard Chinn and John Cantrell are arrested in downtown Chicago for
kissing each other in public.
1971 Aug. 5: The Bootcamp, a uniform themed bar opens at 1010 Bryant St. in San
Francisco. Marcus Hernandez, aka Mr. Marcus, is manager.
1971, Aug. 29: Tribe M.C. (later Tribe Detroit, Inc.) founded.
1971, Aug.: In Chicago: Thirteen men decide to organize a group specifically to hold
gay male SM play parties and the Chicago Hellfire Club is created.

1972
Time Event
1972: The Folsom St. Barracks at 1147 Folsom St in San Francisco is the city's
first leather oriented "Bathhouse".
1972: Marcus Hernandez, leather bar manager and leather columnist for The
Advocate and later for the B.A.R., is selected as the first gay Emperor of
San Francisco. (Not counting the Emperor Norton, of course.)
1972: Formation of Atlantis MC (originally Unicorn/Atlanta) in Atlanta;
Atons of Minneapolis; Bucks MC in Pennsylvania; Celtics MC in
Mississippi; Hawks MC in Los Angeles; the Interclub Fund in
San Francisco; Iron Cross MC in Montreal; Knights of Malta,
Black Rose Chapter, Portland OR; Knights of Malta, Emerald Chapter in
Seattle; NY Levi Club; Omaha Meatpackers; Rainbow MC in California;
The Selectmen of Detroit, The Stallions of Cleveland; and Titan MC of
Boston.
1972: Frank Ball founds TAIL, The "Total Ass Involvement League," with
members all over the world who communicate through frequently
published newsletters, and membership rosters with carefully coded
indications of sexual specifics offered and sought.
1972: Marshall Loeb begins publication of SMads, which offers gay male
 subscribers a chance to place and respond to explicitly SM personal ads.
1972: Cycle MC sponsors its first tour to New Orleans for Mardi Gras.
1972: Iron Cross publishes first issue of its newsletter Crossroads and Nine Plus
publishes last issue of its Scimitar.
1972: Two New York leather bar institutions, the Ramrod and The Spike
(formerly the Stockade) open. Nine Plus moves to a new location
between The Spike and The Eagle.
1972: Publication of
Black In White IN by K. Kevork, Interracial gay sex with strong
elements of SM.
A Persian Boy by Mary Renault, a novel that follows a slaveboy in the
service of Alexander the Great.
Punishment, An Illustrated History by Peter N. Walker
The Leatherman's Handbook by Larry Townsend, the first non-fiction
book about gay male leather lifestyles.
1972: Producer Terry LeGrand and Director Roger Earl make a gay male SM
film starring Val Martin and a large cast. Born to Raise Hell is still
regarded as one of the best gay male SM films ever made.
1972: R. Litman and C. Swearingen, in an article in the Archives of General
Psychiatry, describe a "bondage subculture" in the USA. This is the first
such reference to any leather group recognized as a "subculture" in the
professional literature.
1972, April: The (San Francisco) Bay Area Reporter newspaper begins publishing a
column devoted to leather related news, gossip and information written
by "Mr. Marcus," (Marcus Hernandez.) The first, and longest running,
column of its type, in 1999 it is still going strong!
1972, April 4: Atons of Minneapolis founded.
1972, May: Chuck Holmes sends out his first mail order flyer for gay erotic 8mm
films, one of which starred the legendary king of porn John Holmes (no
relation). The business would eventually become Falcon, one of the
biggest gay video companies in the world.
1972, May 2: Death of J. Edgar Hoover, for many years the director of the US Bureau
of Investigation. For years his federal police force had kept surveillance
records on thousands of individuals and organizations including many
that were gay or engaged in other sexual activities beyond vanilla. After
his death stories surfaced about his 44 year "friendship" with Clyde
Tolson (1900-1975) who was his right hand man at the FBI and was his
housemate outside the office. Photos of Hoover in female drag have also
appeared. It seems that our FBI director, who could blackmail Mafia dons
and presidents with ease, was both homosexual and homophobe!
1972, June 27: Gay News, England's first gay newspaper, founded.
1972, July: Queen's Quarterly a New York based gay male magazine includes a very
well illustrated article on the life and work of leather/SM publisher and
 artist, Steve Masters in Vol 4, #4.
1972, Aug.: Los Angeles police raid a HELP (Homophile Effort for Legal Protection)
monthly fundraiser at the Black Pipe, a major leather bar. Among those
arrested: HELP president Larry Townsend. The police are surprised when
the organization fights back. Some consider this the West Coast
Stonewall.
1972, Oct.: In a contest held at the Chicago Leather bar, the Gold Coast, John
Lunning becomes Mr. Gold Coast. The FIRST leather title holder.

1973
Time Event
1973: The American sex researchers John Gagnon and William Simon publish
Sexual Conduct: The Social Sources of Human Sexuality, introducing the
concept of "scripted behavior" into research.
1973: The US Supreme Court, ruling in Miller v. California, defines obscenity as
a violation of the community standards in the location where it is viewed.
1973: The National Gay Task Force is founded.
1973: The Leather Fraternity, a contact club newsletter for leathermen is
started in Los Angeles by "Robert Payne".
1973: Tom of Finland's first exhibition of original art, the illustrations for the
book, The Loggers, is held in the back room of a sex shop in Hamburg. It
is a disaster, poorly hung, poorly lit, no sales, and most of the art
disappears.
1973: Formation of the Argonauts of Wisconsin in Green Bay; Cin City CC in
Cincinnati; Colorado Riders in Denver; Cycle men South in San Diego;
Denim Guy Club in Australia; Gateway MC in St. Louis; Kansas City
Falcons MC; Loge 70 in Switzerland; Long Island Spuds, Monterey Dons
in California, MSC London in the UK; Northern Lights in Montreal;
Olympian Cycle Corps in Dallas; The Pride Chicago; Rochester Rams, NY;
Roo Bike Club, Sydney; Saddlemasters, Illinois, SF GDI; Silver Star MC,
Milwaukee; Thebans MC (Originally FLLA), Miami; Tridents MC
International and Wrangler MC Dallas. The Mid-America (Originally
MidWest) Conference of Clubs formed.
1973: Inaugural issues of newsletters: Atlantian from Atlantis MC; The Bolt
from Thunderbolt and Scene and Machine from D. B. I. Corp, Washington
DC. The latter newsletter publishes a list of leather bars in the US,
Canada and Puerto Rico. And holds the first Mr. Scene & Machine contest
at the NY Eagle--won by Mr. DC Eagle, Johnny Albert.
1973: Inaugural runs: Atlantis MC's Dogwood; and Omaha Meatpacker's Rough
Out.
1973: The Thunderbolt's clubhouse burns.
1973: The Red Star Saloon opens, it is connected to the Barracks bathhouse,
and is noted for it's sleaze, as exemplified by its Chuck Arnette
watersports ads and posters.
1973: Folsom Prison, a leather bar at Folsom & 14th St. opens in San Francisco.
It closes in 1977.
1973: Ron Johnson becomes manager of the No Name in San Francisco and
converts it into a kind of Performance Art Leather Bar which becomes
wildly popular.
1973: The End Up opens in San Francisco and The Interchange Saloon opens in
Detroit.
1973, March 3: Two policemen shoot it out in a Sacramento, California, public toilet after
one tries to arrest the other for "oral copulation."
1973, April 28: Mid-America Conference founded during the 8th anniversary run of 2nd
City MC in Chicago.
1973, May 6: 600 protestors link hands across New York's George Washington Bridge
in a demonstration for gay rights.
1973 Nov.: The Ambush opens at Harrison and Dore in San Francisco, and attracts a
unique laid back crowd of leather hippies. It remains a unique leather bar
until it closes in 1986.

1974
Time Event
1974, Early: The German physician Andreas Spengler begins a sociological study on
the German homosexual sadomasochistic subculture.
1974: Rob Meijer opens RoB Amsterdam leather shop in Amsterdam. The shop
becomes legendary for it's quality and design, and expands to become
one of the leading erotic art galleries in the world and THE leading
gallery for leather male art.
1974: Tom's Saloon opens in Hamburg, decorated with numerous huge photo
murals of specially commissioned Tom of Finland drawings.
1974: Formation of The Alabama Celtics MC (originally Celtics MC Azalea
chapter, later Celts MC, Mobile); BALL MC (Bay Area Leather/Levi MC),
Tampa/St. Petersburg; Celtics MC, New Orleans; Corps of Rangers, Los
Angeles, Handlebar MC, Seattle; Houston MC; Ili Holo Hawaii;
International Roadmasters, Detroit; Iron Cross MC, Los Angeles; Knights
d'Orleans; Knights of Malta, Western Chapter, Reno; The Lanyards,
Toronto; The Links MC, DC; Midland Link MSC, Worcester, UK; MSC
Berlin; MSC Hamburg; MSC Panther Koln; NY Ontario Leather Club,
Buffalo, Pennine Chain MSC, Cheshire, UK; The Philadelphians MC;
Regiment of the Black and Tans, Los Angeles; Rodeo Riders, Elkhart, IN
(later Chicago); The Shipmates, Baltimore; SLM Copenhagen; Society of
 Janus, San Francisco; Sons of Apollo MC, Phoenix; Swords de Montreal;
Trash MC, NYC; and Zodiac Fraternal Society, Vancouver BC.
1974: Formation of the Mid-America Conference of Clubs in Chicago, The Forum
in San Francisco, and in Europe, ECMC, European Conference of
Motorcycle Clubs.
1974: First "Let Us Entertain You" weekend sponsored by the leather clubs of
Houston on the weekend following Mardi Gras.
1974: Bar openings include: The Bike Stop in Philadelphia; Gauntlet, NYC; The
Horseshoe Saloon, DC; Munich Eagle; A/J Ranch, Harper's Ferry WV; and
the Strap, NYC.
1974: Lambda Rising Bookstore opens in Washington DC.
1974: The Leather Underground opens in Baltimore
1974: Bella Abzug and Edward Koch become the first members of the US House
of Representatives to introduce legislation prohibiting discrimination
based on sexual orientation.
1974: Robert Opel strips naked in the Los Angeles City Council Chambers
during a meeting of the council.
1974: Jim Ward, a jeweler, meets Doug Malloy a wealthy man who had made a
lifelong study of body piercing in various cultures. They become lovers,
partners, and in 1975, the founders of the body piercing business,
Gauntlet.
1974: The Society of Janus is started in the San Francisco Bay area by Cynthia
Slater. It is an SM interest group open to all genders and orientations.
1974: The first World Congress of Sexuality is held in Paris.
1974: Publication of
Gay Bondage issue #1 magazine edited by "Tau" (Jim-Ed Thompson).
Produced after Jim Ed had convinced the House of Milan, for which he
worked as an editor of heterosexual SM titles, to try a gay title. After
three issues they are convinced and Gay Bondage is replaced by
Action Male, a magazine of more general gay male leather interests.
S-M The Last Taboo by Gerald and Caroline Greene.
Bound to Serve, first issue, the photo magazine of gay male bondage
and SM lasts for 10 issues, through 1980.
The Story of Harold a novel by Terry Andrews, which features sm
images of burning
1974, Feb 14: Opening night for Doric Wilson and Peter de Valle's Off Off Broadway
theatre TOSOS (The Other Side Of Silence) with de Valle's revue Lovers
featuring a Leather couple and the song "Belt & Leather".
1974, Feb 14: Fan Dancer Sally Rand performs at Man's Country Music Hall in
Chicago (she is in her 70's) setting a precedent that years later
allows for nude performances in this theatre.

1974, Apr. 2: Robert Opel appears naked on television worldwide as he streaks the
 Oscar award ceremony.
1974, Apr. 8: Members of the American Psychiatric Association agree with its trustees
to stop listing homosexuality as a mental disorder.
1974, May: The first demonstration of gay activists in Portugal, seeking repeal of
anti-sodomy laws.
1974, May 18: a study conducted by the Sex Research Institute of Indiana University
recommends ending laws and harassment against adult consenting
homosexuals.
1974, June 21: The last defendants in the LAPD raid of a HELP fundraiser at the Black
Pipe are cleared of all charges.
1974, July 19: Los Angeles Temple Beth Chayim Chadashim (founded in 1972) is
chartered by the Union of American Hebrew Congregations becoming the
first gay religious organization to receive such official recognition.
1974, Aug.: The Society of Janus publishes it's first newsletter. It will become the
club's well known Growing Pains.

1975
Time Event
1975: Publication of
The Boy Keeper by Carl Strater
Confessions of O, Conversations with Pauline Reage by Regine
Deforges in France, US edition in 1979.
Tailpipe Trucker by Clay Caldwell.
A Book of Terms, Symbols, Abbreviations by R.F.M. A Glossary to help
in reading the SM personal ads.
Discipline & Punishment, The Birth of the Prison by Michael Foucault in
France. English edition in 1979.
A Collection of SM edited, and partially written, by RFM. This is the
first, aside from his autobiography, in a series of magazine sized
anthologies of gay male SM erotica to be published by RFM.
Care and Training of the Male Slave, by Robert Payne the first of a
series of this title.
My Life as a Masochist Volume 1, an autobiography by RFM (Roger
Mays). Volume 2 follows in 1977.
The Story of Harold by Terry Andrews. new edition. This one includes
illustrations by Edward Gory.
1975: Robert Payne publishes a book of still photos from the SM film, Night of
Submission.
1975: The Story of O is made into a Movie.
1975: The Advocate, the only nationally circulated Gay newspaper, is
 purchased by David Goodstein and moved from Los Angeles to San
Mateo, California.
1975: Pier Paolo Pasolini, poet, film maker, and political activist, is murdered in
Italy by a hustler. (Born March 5, 1922)
1975: French philosopher Michel Foucault spends much of the year teaching at
Berkeley, and being thrilled by the liberated gay sexuality he found in
San Francisco, especially in the bathhouses. He becomes particularly
fascinated by "limit-experiences" such as SM. He continued to visit San
Francisco through 1983.
1975: Formation of ASMC, American Social Mens Club, Boston; Association
Sportive Motorcycliste de France; Battalion Motorcycle Corps, Dallas; The
Blackhawk MC, Richmond VA; Black Sabbath San Franciscans MC; Blue
Max Cycle Club, St. Louis; Brothers MC, Jacksonville; Centurion MC, SF;
Chicago Cossacks Brotherhood; Colts MC, Ft. Lauderdale, Conquistadors
MC, Orlando; Elagabulus MC, Norwood, South Australia; Excelsior MC,
NYC; Five Star MC, New Zealand; Hawaii Club, LA; Heart of Texas MC,
Austin; Iron Guard BCE, NYC; Kansas City Pioneers; Knights of Malta,
49ers Chapter, SF; Knights of Malta Stockmen's Chapter, Denver; Militia
MC, Norfolk, VA; Mini Bikers MC, New Orleans; MSC North West, New
Brighton, UK; Munchner Leder Club; Nova NYC' Ottawa Knights; Rodeo
Riders, Chicago; Rurals MC, Roermund, Netherlands; Sierra
Mountaineers, South Lake Tahoe; Sierra Pacific Rangers; Signs of
Zodiac, Detroit; SLM Stockholm (originally SLM Sweden); Sternwheelers,
Louisville, KY; Space City MC, Houston; Sunrays MC, Miami; Sunrays
MC, Miami; Tejas MC, Houston; Trade-Winds of Chicago; Voyagers, New
Bedford, MA; Vulcan Rubber Club, Boston Chapter; and Yorktown Levi
Denim Club, Toronto. Inter Club Fund incorporated in San Francisco and
Southern Conference of Motorcycle Clubs formed.
1975: Bar openings include: The Cell Block, Philadelphia; The Chamber, Kansas
City; Hombre, SF; and Knolle, Berlin. The Exchange, a leather shop in
the Columbus OH Eagle, opens as does the Emporium in San Francisco.
1975: The Catacombs, a private club for SM and, primarily, fisting opens in San
Francisco.
1975: Gauntlet, a business devoted to body piercing, is started by Jim Ward
and Doug Malloy.
1975: Larry Townsend founds, and becomes president of the Hollywood Hills
Democratic Club, the first openly gay political club in Los Angeles, and
possibly anywhere.
1975, Apr. 15: Gay Students Union of UCLA presents a panel discussion on SM as a part
of Gay Awareness Week II, Fred Halsted, Joey Yale and 2 others are
invited to present.
1975, June: John Embry, Alternate Publishing, begins publication of Drummer
magazine.
1975, June 4: Fred Halsted's film Sextool opens at the Lincoln Art Theater in
New York City at the O'Farrel Theater in San Francisco. It will
also be screened at the Museum of Modern Art in New York
and at the San Francisco Art Institute and Joey Yale, it's star,
will be featured on the cover of People magazine.
1975, July 4 The Federal Civil Service Commission bans the arbitrary dismissal of, or
refusal to hire, known homosexuals.
1975, July: The first Prairie Fire run jointly sponsored by 2nd City MC, Chicago
Knights MC and The Pride Chicago.
1975, Aug.: Robert Payne announces the film, and accompanying photo still book,
The Pledge in Drummer #2.
1975, Aug.: Robert Opel's "Requiem for a toolbox" in Drummer #2 is the artist's ode
to the famed San Francisco leather bar.
1975, Aug.: Scott Masters' story "Five in the Trainer's Room" begins serialization in
Drummer #2. It runs for nine issues.
1975, Aug.: Robert Payne announces publication of a collection of still photos from
the film Sextool.
1975, Sept. 8: Leonard Matlovich appears on the cover of Time magazine with the bold
print: "I Am a Homosexual." Len's story broke on the front page of the
New York Times and nationwide by wire service on Memorial Day Monday
of the same year.
1975, Sept. 19: Leonard Matlovich is discharged from the army for homosexuality. They
gave him a medal for killing a man and kicked him out for loving one!
1975, Oct.: Drummer #3 includes the publication's first masthead listing Robert
Payne as Publisher, Jeannie Barney as Editor in Chief, and V. C.
Kuemmel as Art Director. And it includes the Magazine's first centerfold,
a collage of Target photos from "The Pit" series shot in the so-named
lower floor of Chicago's leather bar, the Gold Coast.
1975, Oct. 1: The Story of Q by Robert Payne is first published.
1975, Oct. 31: Val Martin is selected "Mr. Leather" in Los Angeles at the Hawk's annual
Leather Sabat.
1975, Oct. 31: The Cycle Sluts are born in Los Angeles at a "Gay Girls Riding Club"
Halloween Costume ball, a significant step in leather gender bending.
1975, Oct.-Dec.: The date on the first issue of the magazine Leather Bound.

1976
Time Event
1976: Publication of
The History of Sexuality, Volume I: An Introduction, by Michel
Foucault.
 RFM's second Collection of SM short fiction by himself and other
authors.
Two Bulls in a Male Harem by Robert Fraum. This is the first in a
trilogy of very heavy SM erotic novels.
Mannespielen, a portfolio of art by Rex, followed by Icons in 1977 and
the Rex calendars, published by The Trading Post, then the Mineshaft,
in later years.
Gay American History, Lesbians and Gay Men in the USA by Jonathan
Ned Katz, Revised edition 1992.
1976: The Gage Brother's film Kansas City Trucking Co. starring Fred Halsted
and Richard Locke, is released.
1976: Michael Zen's film Falconhead is released.
1976: Nick O'Demus, owner of A Taste Of Leather shop upstairs at FeBe's,
opens The Trading Post at 960 Folsom in San Francisco
1976: Formation of Adventurers/Suncoast Florida; American Leathermen MC of
Houston; Companion MC, Philadelphia; The Connecticut Copperheads;
The Corn Haulers, Des Moines; Dallas MC; East Anglia Bikers, UK;
Falcons MC, Rhode Island; FFA-CAC, DC; Glass City Champions
(originally International Roadmasters of Toledo); Griffin Motor Club,
Canberra, Australia; Jackaroos, Victoria, Australia; Knights of Omaha;
MSC Finland; MSC Groningen, Netherlands; New York Coordinating
Committee, Peregrine MC, Atlanta; 76ers, San Bernadino, CA; South
Pacific Rangers, SF; Silver Barons MC, Reno; The Spirits of St. Louis;
SLC Stuttgart; SLM Norway; The Tarnsmen, Baltimore; Trojans MSC,
Toronto; and Valley Knights MC, Sacramento.
1976: Bar openings include: Badlands, NYC; and The Boston Eagle.
1976: The NY Eagle begins Sunday brunch and Tea Dance.
1976: The Slot, a very leather "hotel" sex club, opens on Folsom near 6th in
San Francisco. And a sex club called "The Hotel" opens in San Francisco,
in 1979 it changes it's name to the Handball Express.
1976, Jan 1: At a New Year's Eve party at the Second City MC clubhouse in Chicago,
Andrew Charles and Tony DeBlase, who had sighted each other in the
last few seconds of 1975, and who had been lip locked through the
transition, meet and begin what is, as of this writing, a 23+ year
partnership.
1976, Jan.: Full Moon Night at Larry's, Los Angeles' popular leather bar, becomes so
crowded it is changed to admission by invitation (and reservation) only.
1976, Feb.: In Detroit, a jury awards $200,000 to a man who claimed that an auto
accident, in which his car was rear ended, turned him into a homosexual.
1976, March: Drummer #5 includes the first cartoon strip by British artist Bill Ward.
The strip is titled "King".
1976, March: Drummer #5 includes the first installment of "Babysitter" by Phil Andros,
with art by Chuck Arnette.
1976, March: Latrec in Leather, a collection of drawings by Chuck Arnette, is
advertised in Drummer #5.
1976, March: Eons Gallery, Los Angeles' erotic art gallery has its first show:
photographs by Robert Opel.
1976, March 4: Man Friday, a Broadway musical in which Friday offers his body to
Robinson Caruso, flops.
1976, March 8: After long court battles in Seattle the Washington State Police drop bars
against hiring homosexuals.
1976, April 10: Los Angeles Police Department raids a Slave Auction being held at the
Mark IV baths as a fundraiser sponsored by Drummer magazine. A major
case of police overkill as the resulting legal actions show.
1976, April 13: San Francisco Police Chief Charles Gain urges homosexuals on his force
to come out of the closet and show that gays can be good cops.
1976, June: SM Dungeon Devices, an illustrated catalog of SM toys is published by
The Trading Post in San Francisco.
1976, July: Robert Opel covers a Leather Wedding at Griff's, a popular Los Angeles
leather bar, in Drummer #7.
1976, July: "Famous Sadists in History" series starts in Drummer #7.
1976, July: Publication of the first issue of Package, Fred Halsted's "Journal of Men
Fact & Opinion." Lasts 6 issues, through Jan 1977.
1976, July: Three gay men in Des Moines restaurant are charged with disturbing the
peace after they winked at two heterosexual men who claimed the wink
made them nauseated.
1976, Sept.: A California court of Appeals orders two men who had been arrested on
lewd conduct charges for kissing in public to register with the state as
sex offenders.
1976, Sept.: Chicago Hellfire Club celebrates its 5th anniversary by holding a weekend
long event featuring a Saturday night SM party at a remote campground.
Called Inferno 5, this is first of what are to become the most infamous
and exclusive male SM play events.
1976, Sept.: The Gold Coast, Chicago's premier leather bar, celebrates it's 15th
anniversary with a week long party detailed in Drummer #9.
1976, Sept.: Drummer #8 features a photo spread of the gay leather world's best
known tattoo artist, Cliff Raven, painting tattoos on Val Martin.
1976, Sept.: Alan Eagles takes over the "Movie Mayhem" series in Drummer #8 and
the series takes flight.
1976, Sept.: "Many Happy Returns" by Phil Andros, illustrated by Chuck Arnette, is
published in Drummer #8.
1976, Sept.: Blueboy magazine, a Miami based gay nude glossy, publishes an SM
issue -- it is a fiasco.
1976, Oct.: The Cycle Sluts are featured in Drummer #9, including a cover photo of
 one of the leather gender benders. Publisher John Embry, many years
later, blames this photo being responsible for one of the worst selling
issues in the magazine's history.
1976, Oct.: Drummer #9 includes the first "Erotic Dots", in which the reader
connects the numbered dots to reveal an, often otherwise unprintable,
drawing. This, as most but not all of the "Erotic Dots", is by the artist
Sean.
1976, Oct.: Drummer #9 includes the first part of the serial "The Great SM Murder
Mystery" by John Rowberry & Rue Dyllon. The series stops, uncompleted,
in Drummer #11. This is the first time Rowberry's name appears in
Drummer, the magazine he will serve and influence over many coming
years.
1976, Oct. 26: The Mineshaft in New York City opens. This after-hours club allowed and
encouraged virtually all forms of sexual activity among its hot male
patrons. It was a Mecca for leather/SM types in the Eastern US and
Canada. Closed in Nov. 1985.
1976, Nov.?: The cover of Drummer #10 spotlights a new artist, REX, using a drawing
he did for the Trading Post poster. But the masthead does not yet
include his name.
1976, Nov.?: Drummer #10 features the artist Etienne, with a centerfold and several
additional pages of his artwork.
1976, Dec.?: Drummer #11 spotlights the first Bill Ward cartoon strip under the title
"DRUM".
1976, Dec. 1: Willard Eugene Allen is released from a Florida mental hospital after
being incarcerated for 26 years for having sex with another man.
Although the statute under which he had been arrested had been
repealed almost 20 years earlier, state authorities had ignored doctor's
suggestions that he be released.

1977
Time Event
1977: Formation of Ambassadors of Goodwill MC, Boston; Avengers MC West,
Claremont, CA; Black Angels Koln; The Black Guard, Minneapolis;
Boomer MC, Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia; Force-5, Palo Alto;
Friends of Leather and Denim Club of Montreal; Guardians MC, New
Haven; II MC Berlin; Lancers MC, New Orleans; Leatheriders Bike Club,
Victoria, Australia; The London Blues, UK, MC Faucon, Montreal; Meisters
der Manner, Orlando; Missouri Association of Clubs,; Mobile Man Van
Club, Detroit; MSC Rotterdam; Nimbus Cycle Club, Grand Rapids;
Nutcrackers MC, Indianapolis; Pennsmen, Harrisburg, Phoenix Uniform
Club, SF; SLM Goteborg; SMBB International, Northampton, UK; South
Orange Bikers, Santa Ana, CA; Texas Cadre, Austin; and
 Tsarus/Memphis. Colts MC of Ft Lauderdale disbands.
1977: Founding of American Uniform Association (AUA) in New York City.
1977: Run premiers include First Links MC Leather Cocktails in NYC; Lone Star
in Texas; The Philadelphians Tri Cen; and Prairie Fire, at Chicago.
1977: Bar openings include Dirty Edna's Stampede, NYC; Boots, Los Angeles;
and The Brig, SF. Folsom Prison, SF, closes.
1977: Peter Adair creates Word is Out, a feature film documentary portraying
gay men and lesbians in a positive light.
1977: Doric Wilson's play The West Street Gang is produced in NYC.
1977: The Balcony, a bar at 2166 Market St in San Francisco opens and
becomes the prime hang out for the fisting crowd.
1977: Publication of
Midnight Express by Billy Hayes, which documents his experiences in a
Turkish prison. The later movie of the same title starring Brad Davis,
while most interesting and enjoyable, differs greatly from the book.
The Sexual Outlaw by John Rechy.
Action Male magazine, first issue, the successor to Gay Bondage,
edited by Tau (Jim-Ed Thompson).
Piercing Friends International Quarterly magazine (PFIQ), first issue,
by Gauntlet Enterprises, the Los Angeles based manufacturer of
piercing jewelry.
Story of Q, new edition by Robert Payne beautifully illustrated by Olaf
Hard Corps by Michael Grumley & Ed Gallucci
Life of a Masochist, the second part of RFM's autobiography
1977: Art by Olaf is first published in Drummer #13.
1977: "SM Gym" by G. B. Misa begins serialization in Drummer #14 and
continues through issue #28!
1977: A drawing by the artist A. Jay is featured on the cover of Drummer #15,
his first appearance in the magazine he will later art direct.
1977: Art work by The Hun is first published in Drummer # 15.
1977: Drummer #15 includes a drawing by Skipper, depicting a hard hat with
nails etc. piercing all parts of his body. This is the first, and one of the
very few, published works by this prolific southern California artist who
focused on very violent SM scenes.
1977: Robert Payne interviews John Rechy, author of The Sexual Outlaw, in
Drummer #16.
1977: A. Jay's cartoon strip "Harry Chess" begins its run in Drummer #16.
1977: Kurt Kreisler's "My Brother, My Slave" begins serialization in Drummer #
16.
1977: A folio of bondage drawings by Tom Hinde is included in Drummer #16.
1977: Al Shapiro, a.k.a. A. Jay, becomes Art Director of Drummer starting with
 issue #17.
1977: Art by Go Mishima is first published in Drummer #17.
1977: "Trapped" by Houston Smith begins serialization in Drummer #18.
1977: Fist Goodbody's Traveling Torture Show, a 33 RPM record is issued. This
is a Bolero-like crescendo of male moans and screams that is remarkably
well done in spite of the gender-bender album cover and other hype.
1977: Fred Halsted begins writing a column in Drummer #18.
1977: Jack Fritscher becomes Editor in Chief of Drummer beginning with issue
#19.
1977: Drawings by the artist Matt first appear in Drummer #20.
1977: Salo, Pasolini's film version of deSade's 120 Days in Sodom, is released
in the US. The film includes explicit stories and scenes of humiliation,
scat, torture, and more. However even more such scenes have been cut
to get past American censors.
1977: Drummer magazine moves from Los Angeles to San Francisco.
1977: Photographs by David Hurles, A.K.A. Old Reliable, are first published in
Drummer #21.
1977: The art of Tom of Finland is featured in a show at Robert Opel's Feywey
Studios in San Francisco. Opel interviews Tom in Drummer #22.
1977: Angreas Spengler publishes a short English version of his sociological
study on gay sadomasochists in "Manifest Sadomasochism of Males:
Results of an Emperical Study". This article is the foundation of modern
empirical research on SM. Spengler is the first to describe
sadomasochists not as sick individuals but as members of a sexual
minority that forms complex subcultures, thereby contradicting
psychiatric theory since Krafft-Ebing. The gay selection bias in the study
leads him to conclude that there are no female sadomasochists, a view
that will be held by psychoanalysts and sociologists alike until 1985.
1977, Jan.: Jeannie Barney leaves as Editor of Drummer. John Embry's name first
appears as Publisher in issue #12.
1977, Jan.: Ellen Marie Barrell is ordained as an Episcopal Priest - The first out
lesbian ordained by a major Christian denomination.
1977, Jan.: Eons Gallery in Los Angeles holds Tom of Finland show and publishes the
Tom of Finland 1978 calendar. Tom attends the opening and meets Durk
Dehner who would become his partner in establishing the Tom of Finland
Foundation.
1977, Jan. 2: Folsom Prison, one of San Francisco's best known leather bars, closes.
1977, Feb. 7: US State Dept. announces it will no longer automatically bar gays and
lesbians from employment.
1977, Feb. 14: Anita Bryant forms "Save our Children" to fight Miami's gay rights
ordinance, and ignites a counter movement that brought together gay
 men and women in unprecedented numbers to stand up for their rights.
1977, May 25: The Everard Baths, one of New York City's best known Gay bath houses,
and one of it's most leather friendly, burns, killing several patrons and
staff.
1977, June 7: Newly won gay rights legislation in Miami is rescinded following Anita
Bryant's anti-gay campaign.
1977, Sept.: Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 6.
1977, Dec. 16: The province of Quebec passes a stature banning discrimination against
gay individuals in employment, housing and public accommodations.

1978
Time Event
1978: Thomas S. Weinberg publishes an article on the "sociological
perspectives" on sadomasochism. The article is based on the concept of
"frames".
1978: Publication of
SM Truckers by Clay Caldwell, one of the many gay male erotic
publications of its time, but one worthy of special attention for its
exploration of the variety of leather relationships. Six of these stories
were reprinted in Drummer #138 and 142-146.
9 1/2 Weeks by Elizabeth McNeill. Published as fiction but based upon
a real encounter. The book is much more interesting that the later,
considerably watered down, movie.
Bunkhouse, first issue, a magazine for the Western-Levi Scene. It lasts
for seven issues through 1981.
Behavior Modification, The Art of Mind Murdering by Richard
Camellion.
Le Masochisme Au Cinema by Jean Streff, in France
1978: "Tough Shit" begins as a regular humor feature in Drummer #23,
continuing publisher John Embry's commitment to exposing the
humorous side of leather/SM.
1978: Formation of Avengers MC East, Summit, NJ; Centurions, Columbus;
Destiny MC, Miami; Eagle MC, West Palm Beach; FFA Philadelphia; Four
Star MSC Belgium; Nickel City MSC, Buffalo; Pegasus MC, Wichita;
Pennsylvania Association of Clubs; Phoenix Levi\Leather Club; Pocono
Warriors, PA; Reading Railmen, PA; Renaissance MC, Detroit; Rough
Riders MC, San Antonio; Royal Eagle, Montreal; Samois, SF; San
Francisco Wrestling Club; Scorpio Leather Club, Holyoke; South Florida
Council of Clubs; Stud MC, New Haven; Swamp Fox MC, Columbia,
SC;Toronto Motorcycle Riders; Trenton Bulls MC; Trojans MSC, Montreal
and Youngstown Exiles, OH. Signs of Zodiac, Detroit, Disbands.
1978: Bar openings include: The Arena, SF; Clementine's, St. Louis; Half-
Breed, NYC; The New Leather Loft, NYC; The Outlaw, Detroit; Stall,
Frankfurt Germany; Tiger's Paw, New Orleans; and The Watering Hole
(formerly the Roundup) SF.
1978: Nine Plus clubhouse destroyed by fire in NYC.
1978: The first article on "The Quarters" in San Francisco, appears in Drummer
#24. This near mythical, though for a short time actual, training center
and boarding facility for slaves, depicted a "Drummer" ideal.
1978: Drummer #24's cover photo is by Robert Mapplethorpe, who will later
become a world recognized photographer noted for exploring SM images.
1978: Drummer announces a search for Mr. Drummer, the winner to be picked
from photo submitted by those wishing to enter.
1978: Drawings by Cavelo are first featured in Drummer # 27.
1978: "Prison Punk" by Frank O'Rourke begins serialization in Drummer #27.
1978: Photos by Zeus studios are first published in Drummer #27.
1978: Stompers, New York City's unique combination of boot store
and leather art gallery, holds a joint exhibit of the work of
Tom of Finland and Etienne. A later exhibit focuses on the
erotic art of Domino and Stompers publishes a catalog of his
work.
1978: Drawings by Domino are first published in Drummer #29.
1978: The photography of Robert Mapplethorpe gets its first solo show at
Chrysler Museum.
1978: Gayle Rubin moves to San Francisco to begin studies of the gay
Leatherman's culture.
1978: The RoB Gallery opens in Amsterdam.
1978: The Pocono Warriors are founded in eastern Pennsylvania as a
combination of the older leather/levi/motor-cycle social club and the
more current SM sex club.
1978: The Arena and the Black & Blue, two leatherish bars open in San
Francisco.
1978: The Folsom St. Baths opens in San Francisco and by 1979 was renamed
the Sutro Baths, which is unique in having regularly scheduled women's
nights and bisexual nights.
1978: "Tough Customers" begins its long and popular run in Drummer #25.
1978, June: The Rainbow (Gay Pride) flag, designed by Gilbert Baker, is flown as a
decorative element at the annual gay pride parade. It later achieved
national prominence when a gay man in West Hollywood sued his
landlords because they attempted to prohibit him from flying his flag
from his balcony.
1978, June 13: Gayle Rubin, Pat Califia, and 16 other female sadomasochists found the
 women's SM group, Samois, in San Francisco. This is the first known
women's SM group.
1978, June 14: The US Patent and Trademark Office refuses to register the magazine
name Gaysweek, on the grounds that the name is immoral.
1978, June: The Windy City Wrestling Club is reorganized with a national
membership.
1978, July: MAFIA (Mid-America Fists In Action) founded. Holds first meeting at
Inferno in September.
1978, Sept.15 - Chicago Hellfire Club hosts Inferno 7.
17:
1978, Oct.: The American Uniform Association holds its first annual AUA Review.
1978, Nov 27: Harvey Milk, openly gay San Francisco Supervisor, assassinated, along
with mayor George Moscone, by former Supervisor Dan White.

1979
Time Event
1979: Andreas Spengler publishes Sadomasochisten und ihre Subkulturen, the
German 129 page version of his study on the sadomasochistic
subculture. The detailed German text explains that there is insufficient
data to finally conclude there are no female sadomasochists, a point lost
in the English version and subsequently on most researchers.
1979: The bar formerly known as the In Between, the No Name, and by several
other names over the years is purchased by Hank Diethelm and becomes
The Brig, quickly becoming the most popular heavy leather bar in San
Francisco. It closes in 1986 not long after Diethelm is murdered by a
trick.
1979: The Stables, The Watering Hole and the Trench open in San Francisco.
None has a long life but the two latter bars become very popular with the
water sports crowd.
1979: A sexclub called the Hothouse opens at 5th and Clara in San Francisco
1979: Formation of Castaways MC, Milwaukee; Chicago MOB (Men of
Brotherhood); Dolphin MC, Sydney; Excalibur of New Jersey; The Inn
Men, Akron, OH; Leathermen/Atlanta; Minnesota Marauders,
Minneapolis; New World Rubbermen, Santee CA, later Port Townsend,
WA); and St. Louis Leathernecks. Northern Lights MC, Montreal
disbands.
1979: The Pocono Warriors hold their first Whitewater Weekend, which includes
opportunities for whitewater rafting, and a very well equipped dungeon
space. The first organization after Chicago Hellfire Club to formally
include an SM sex party in the activities.
1979: Satyrs MC, the country's oldest, celebrates its 25th anniversary in the
Grand Ballroom of the Queen Mary, Long Beach CA.
1979: The Amsterdam Eagle opens
1979: Publication of
Rushes by John Rechy, a novel many consider to be strongly anti-SM.
Project Lambda, a novel by Paul O'M. Welles.
MS a novel by Christian Pierrejouan in Germany
1979: Publication of the first of a series of magazine size photo books from
Zeus studios featuring muscular men in bondage. The series continues
through 1986.
1979: The Robert Samuels gallery in New York City hosts the fifth Tom of
Finland show, the largest and most successful to date, until the time
came for payment and return of the unsold pieces.
1979: Mr. Benson by John Preston, writing as Jack Prescot, begins serialization
in Drummer #29.
1979: Hundreds of the 1978 Tom of Finland calendar are left unsold. Durk
Dehner comes up with a scheme to cut off the calendar and sell the
beautifully printed drawings as a photo set and the Tom of Finland
company is born.
1979: Sasha Alyson starts Alyson Publications. Alyson is one of the
first publishers to welcome gay leather/SM works, including
those by John Preston and the lesbian SM book Coming to
Power.
1979, Feb.: Britain's Queen Elizabeth II is named an "honorary man" by hosts during
a visit to the Persian Gulf so "he" could visit areas barred to women.
1979, May: David Kloss, of San Francisco, is named the first International Mr.
Leather at the contest in Chicago. Durk Dehner, of Los Angeles, is First
Runner Up.
1979, May 21: Dan White convicted only of voluntary manslaughter in the killing of Milk
and Moscone. The conviction results in the White Night riots by gay men
in San Francisco.
1979, June: Drummer # 30 features Jack Fritscher's "Meditations on Arthur Tress"
including several photos by this very homoerotic, and leather suggestive,
photographer.
1979: John Rowberry replaces Jack Fritscher as Editor of Drummer, starting
with issue # 31.
1979: Drawings by Dirk Dykstra, A.K.A. "Lazy Leo" & "Leo Ravenswood," first
published in Drummer #31.
1979: It is a year for leathershop openings in San Francisco. Leather Forever
and Leatherworld open in the Castro district. And in the Folsom area
Taylor of San Francisco opens on Clementina, and Alan Selby opens Mr.
S Leather on 7th between Folsom & Howard.
1979: Bette Midler records My Knight in Black Leather.
1979, June: "Dykes on Bikes" make their first appearance in a Pride Day Parade, in
San Francisco.
1979, July 7: Rod's (bar) opens in Madison WI. Not strictly a leather bar, but leather
friendly and for years the best there is in Madison.
1979, July 8: Robert Opel shot and killed by a hold-up man at his Feywey Studios,
1287 Howard St., San Francisco.
1979, Sept. 14- Chicago Hellfire Club's Inferno 8 goes to a two night SM party and Tony
16: DeBlase creates a schedule of demonstrations, contests, and a flea
market to fill the intervening day. It is covered extensively with text and
photos by John Preston and Tony DeBlase in Drummers #34 and 35.
This is the first real publicity on Inferno.
1979, Oct. 14: The first Lesbian and Gay March on Washington. Over 100,000 attend.
1979, Oct. 30: A Different Light Bookstore opens in Los Angeles, they will be the first
bookstore to have a separate Leather/SM section.
1979, Nov.: DungeonMaster a newsletter of male SM techniques, starts publication.
Fledermaus, a.k.a. Tony DeBlase, publisher, editor, etc. He uses the
phrase "Safe and Sane S&M" to describe its subject matter.
1979, Dec. 1: Bent, a play by Martin Sherman about the prosecution of gays in the
Nazi concentration camps, opens on Broadway.

1980
Time Event
1980: Formation of Bacchus, St. Louis; Blackhawks MC, Rock Island IL;
Centurions LL MC Roanoke, VA; FFA of Miami; The 15 Association, SF;
The Foot Fraternity, Gulf Coast Buccaneers MC, Mississippi; HyBreeds of
Rochester, NY; National Association of Black and White Men Together;
Northern Lights, Edmonton, Alberta; Renaissance Men, Detroit; SMBB
International/Australia, NSW; Stingrays MC, West Palm Beach, and
Sundance Cattle Co., Houston.
1980: Bar openings include CCW, Detroit; J's Bar, NYC, and Rawhide, NYC. DC
Eagle moves to 7th St. NW.
1980: Silver Anchor Enterprises, Inc. begins piercing jewelry business out of Ft.
Lauderdale.
1980: Val Martin is named the first Mr. Drummer by publisher John Embry.
Entered in International Mr. Leather he places as first runner up.
1980: The American Sociologist G. W. Levi Kamel theorizes that gay
sadomasochists develop their interests in a six step "career" that begins
with a disenchantment with the vanilla gay community.
1980: The American woman's rights group National Organization for Women
 (NOW) publishes their "Delineation of Lesbian Rights Issues 1980"
confirming every women's right to the "actualization of her sexuality" but
excluding sadomasochism. NOW states that including sadomasochism
would "violate the feminist principles" on which it was founded, and
claim that sadomasochists are trying to "provide a premeditated
structure for violence".
1980: Publication of
What Color is Your Handkerchief by Samois. This anthology on SM was
the precursor to Coming to Power
Harry Chess Vol. 1 a magazine sized book collection of the wonderful
witty cartoon strips by A. Jay
Waiting for the Barbarians by J. M. Coetzee, an unnerving novel of
torture and the "other"
The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy. The ritual of hazing gone awry
in a Military School
Mr. Benson by John Preston in book form.
Old Time Punishments by William Andrews. Stocks, pillories, dunking
stools, etc.,
The Barn 1948 And More Dirty Pictures by Blade, a catalog published
jointly by Stompers and Leslie-Lohman gallery
Top Comedy & Bottom Burlesque a collection of cartoons on SM by
Bruce N. Duncan
Folsom magazine, published by photographer Jim Moss. It lasts for
four issues
Mach magazine, first issue, by Alternate publishing
1980: Cruising, a movie staring Al Pacino, depicting murder and violence in
Leather bars and among leather men, opens in New York City, to loud
protests by gay demonstrators.
1980, Feb.: The 15 Association formed in San Francisco by David Lewis and others. It
is an all male group dedicated to SM activity.
1980, March 21: Cynthia Slater & Susan Thoraen rent the Catacombs for the first mixed
gender, mixed orientation SM play party. It is a success and the parties
continue until the Catacombs closes.
1980, Apr. 18: The lesbian community in San Francisco holds a public debate on
sadomasochism. This is the first known public debate on lesbian
sadomasochism.
1980, May: Patrick Brooks of Australia is named the second International Mr. Leather
at the contest in Chicago.
1980, Aug.: Brian O'Dell publishes a letter in New York City's Gay Community News
which leads to the formation of GMSMA.
1980, Aug. 8 - Chicago Hellfire Club's Inferno 9 is held near Chicago. It is the year of
10: the "Gang of Four" but all goes well.
1980, Sept.: DungeonMaster #6 includes the phrase "safe and sane scenes" to
 describe the objectives of the Safety Valve column. "Safe and sane S&M"
is a phrase often used in subsequent issues to describe the objectives of
the publication.
1980, Oct.: Jack Fritscher begins publication of his little magazine Man2Man, which
lasts for eight issues.
1980, Nov. 10: A homophobic man fires an Uzi into the crowded Ramrod bar on West
Street in New York City, killing one and injuring many leathermen.
1980, Dec.: Gay Male S/M Activists officially organized in New York City, and holds
it's first public meeting on January 14.

1981
Time Event
1881: Formation of Colorado Gay Rodeo Association, Confederation of New
York Area Clubs, Florida Brotherhood of Clubs, Lesbian Sex Mafia (LSM)
in New York City, Orlando; GMSMA, NYC; Satyricons MC, Las Vegas;
SMGays, London; Stillettos, Jacksonville, FL; and Stingrays, NJ.
Elegabulus NC, Norwood Australia, and South Florida Council disband.
1981: Bar openings include Spike, Munich and Stellwerk, Berlin. Buddy Bar in
Berlin and Tiger's Bar in New Orleans close.
1981: The Drummer Key Club, a male leather version of the Playboy clubs,
opens at Folsom & 11th in San Francisco. Advertised as the first of a
nationwide chain, others never open, and quickly evolves into a series of
more typical leather bars -- Drummaster, then the Gold Coast, and
finally the Compound, a private sex club which closed in 1984.
1981: San Francisco Eagle founded. At the time it was just one of the many
leather bars in the city, but it has endured to become the oldest leather
bar in San Francisco.
1981: Publication of
Whitewater Run by Victor Terry, a fictionalized portrayal of the Pocono
Warriors Whitewater Weekend Run
Coming to Power, a collection of articles on SM, by the San Francisco
based women's SM organization Samois
Anal Pleasure & Health, by Jack Morin Ph.D. a guide for both men and
women
1981: Publication of Aaron Travis' most famous short story, "Blue Light," in
Drummer #44.
1981: Death of Tony Taverossi, one of the inventors of the leather bar, from
AIDS related pneumonia.
1981: Advocate reporter Randy Shilts becomes the US's first out gay reporter
at a major daily newspaper when he is hired by the San Francisco
 Chronicle.
1981, June: Ray Pereyra is named the second Mr. Drummer in the first Mr. Drummer
Contest.
1981, April 4: A performance art space named, and located at, 544 Natoma, opens in
San Francisco. The performance pieces, including play parties, are
usually leather oriented and feature members of the Rainbow MC. It
closes on 6 October 1983.
1981, May: Marty Kiker is named the third International Mr. Leather at the contest at
Chicago.
1981, June 5: Morbidity & Mortality Weekly, announces the mysterious presence of
Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia in five gay men in Los Angeles.
1981, July 3: The New York Times publishes the first article on "the Gay Cancer", the
first public news of what was to become known as AIDS.
1981, July 10: A major fire on Folsom St. destroys homes (and art and photos and
whips, etc.) of Rex, Mark I. Chester, and many other leathermen.
1981, Aug. 28: Steve McEachern has a heart attack at the Catacombs while engaged in
a private scene with his lover. He dies and the Catacombs closes.
1981, Sept.: Chicago Conference of Clubs holds first Wild Onion run near Chicago.
1981, Oct.: German SM-lesbians meet and decide to create address distribution
centers in various cities as a form of infrastructure. This is the first
known attempt at organization among German SM-lesbians.
1981, Oct. 9-12: Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 10 under canvas at a new location in
Douglas MI on Columbus Day weekend. It is too cold for outdoor nudity!
Bill Kerr of New York City receives the first Caligula Award.
1981, Oct. 10: Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein opens on Broadway.
1981, Oct 30: The Catacombs #2 opens at 736 Larken in San Francisco.
1981, Dec: GMSMA holds its first Bizarre Bazaar at the Mineshaft in New York City.
1981. Dec.: The New York City Gay Men's Chorus performs at Carnegie Hall, the first
openly gay group to appear there.

1982
Time Event
1982: Formation of Conductors LLC, Nashville; Corpus Christi MC; County Men,
Detroit; dreizehn, in Boston; Gaucho MC, Tampa; Harbor Masters,
Portland, ME; Leathermasters Inc., LA; Rainbow MC in San Francisco;
Somandros, LA; Trident International Detroit; and Tower City Corps,
Cleveland, and Vancouver Activists in SM, VASM, in Vancouver, BC.
1982: Rainbow MC founded in San Francisco. Rainbow differs from most other
contemporary gay motorcycle clubs in two ways: most of its members
 were involved in the visual and/or performing arts and it's events were
usually art "happenings" But it's members also harkened back to the
outlaw biker gangs in appearance, forbidding fancy uniforms or washing
of overlays, which were frequently decorated with bodily secretions.
1982: The Danish SM-activist Maria Marcus' book on SM is translated into
German as Die furchtbare Wahrheit. Frauen und Masochismus.
1982: Release of the film Conan the Barbarian which opens with a shot of a
nearly naked Arnold Schwarzenegger, as Connan, nailed, crucifix style,
to a huge and gnarled tree. He tears himself free from the nails. The
movie is filled with other SM images.
1982: Publication of
The Rose Exterminator by William Carney, an essentially unsuccessful
sequel to The Real Thing
The Fledermaus Anthology, a collection of explicitly gay male SM short
stories by Tony DeBlase writing as Fledermaus by Larry Townsend
Against Sadomasochism: A Radical Feminist Analysis by R. E. Linden
in San Francisco.
A History of Erotic Literature by Patrick J. Kearney
The Enema as an Erotic Art and it's History by David Barton-Jay. A
coffee table book on enemas!
The Mack Anthology, featuring the fiction and superb erotic art of
Mack by Larry Townsend
1982, Feb. 13: The Catacombs #3 opens on Shotwell St in San Francisco.
1982, Feb. 25: Wisconsin becomes the first state in the union to have comprehensive
gay rights legislation.
1982, May: Luke Daniel, Mr. Drummer, is selected as the 4th International Mr.
Leather at the contest at Park West in Chicago.
1982, June: Luke Daniel of Los Angeles is named as the third Mr. Drummer.
1982, Aug.: Dr. Tom Waddel brings together thousands of gay men and
women for the first Gay Games. Originally called the Gay
Olympics the US Olympic Committee brings suit to protect their
name. Hundreds of events around the world are called
"Olympics" but only the Gay Olympics has been singled out for such
prohibitions.
1982, Sept. 10- Chicago Hellfire Club returns to September dates and holds Inferno 11
13: on two sites in Douglas and Saugatuck, MI. Ken Hocking of Sydney
Australia receives the Caligula Award.
1982, Oct.: Vancouver Activists in SM, a male SM group, is formed in Vancouver,
British Colombia.
1992, Oct. 25: Northern Ireland repeals its laws against sodomy.
1982, late: Mixed Gender SM play parties resume at the Shotwell Catacombs in San
Francisco.
 1983
Time Event
1983: Formation of Avatar, LA; Cowtown Leathermen, Ft. Worth; Dreizehn,
Boston; Gryphons MC, Dayton, OH; Leather and Lace, LA; Lords of
Leather, New Orleans; Manchester Super Chain, UK; and Tower City
Corps, Cleveland.
1983: Samois, the nation's first women's SM organization, disbands in San
Francisco.
1983: Publication of
The Correct Sadist by Terence Sellers.
The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, an explicitly sexual and SM filled
novel, by a major publisher, who admits that the author's name, A. N.
Roquelaure, is a pseudonym for a very well known female author,
much later revealed to be Ann Rice. This is the first volume of what
will become the Sleeping Beauty trilogy.
Sadomasochism, Studies in Dominance and Submission by American
sociologists Thomas A. Wienberg and G. W. Levi Kamel. The book
summarizes the historical research on SM and promotes the empirical
sociological viewpoint.
1983, May: Colt Thomas of Houston TX is named the fourth International Mr. Leather
at the contest at Park West in Chicago.
1983, June: John Garger is chosen 1983 Mr. Drummer at a contest held at the
Russian River in northern California. First runner up David Earl Lee, later
assumes the title.
1983, July 14: Massachusetts congressman Gerry Studds comes out as a gay man in a
speech to the House, following charges linking him with a male page.
1983, Aug. 17: An ad-hoc committee of GMSMA issues a report: "Proposed New
Statement of Identity and Purpose" using the phrase "safe, sane,
consensual."
1983, Sept. 9 - Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 12 in Douglas MI. Ron Bentley of
12: Midland, Texas, receives the Caligula Award.
1983, Sept.: Publication in London of the first issue of SMART, A journal of SM how-to
modeled after DungeonMaster. It lasts for three issues.
1983, Oct.: GMSMA switches its meeting site to the new New York City Lesbian &
Gay Community Services Center.

1984
Time Event
1984: Formation of Arizona Gay Rodeo Association; California Eagles, SF;
Copperstate Leathermen, Phoenix; Defenders of Mithra, Portland, OR;
Disciples of DeSade, Dallas; GLSM Hamburg; Golden State Gay Rodeo
Association; Grand Rapids Rivermen; The great Midwestern Society for
the Promotion and Proliferation of S&M; On Motor Club, Paris; The
Outcasts, SF; Pittsburgh MC; Severn Link MSC, Bristol, UK; SigMa, DC;
Tridents MC, Boston; Two Wheelers, Omaha; and Wasatch Leathermen
MC, Salt Lake City.
1984: The American medical philosopher Frederick Suppe shows that all
diagnosis included in the diagnostic groups of "paraphilias" (perversions)
can be substituted by other, non-sexual diagnosis. He concludes that the
current classification of sexual disorders by the American Psychiatric
Association in DMS-III is "merely the codification of social mores".
1984: An exhibit titled "Eldorado -- Homosexual Women and Men in Berlin 1850
- 1950, History, Everyday Life, and Culture" opens at the Schwules
Museum in Berlin. This is the first known museum exhibition centering on
homosexuality.
1984: Books Published:
Urban Aboriginals by Geoff Mains
Leather Blues - The adventures of Denny Sargent by Jack Fritscher
Corporal in Charge of Taking Care of Captain O'Malley, a collection of
short stories by Jack Fritscher
Beauty's Punishment by A. N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice), the second of
the Beauty trilogy
The Mineshaft a novel by Tim Barrus
The Raging Peace by Artemis Oakgrove, the first in the Throne Trilogy
of lesbian leatherish erotica
The Brig by Mason Powel, a novel which had been previously serialized
in Drummer
1984: Lady Thorn sponsors her first Bizarre Flea Market in San Francisco.
1984: San Francisco closes bath houses and sex clubs in an effort to limit the
spread of AIDS.
1984, Jan.: Staff writers at the Wall Street Journal were first allowed to use the word
"gay" instead of "homosexual".
1984, Apr. 21: "Farewell Catacombs, Fuck You World!" party held at the Catacombs as
its final event.
1984, May: Ron Moore of Denver becomes the 6th International Mr. Leather at the
contest at Park West in Chicago. He is the first black man to hold an
international leather title. (Died: Feb. 25, 1997)
1984, June: Sonny Cline of San Francisco becomes the 1984 Mr. Drummer at the
contest in San Francisco.
1984, June: GMSMA organizes its first Leather Pride Night in New York City.
1984, June 25: Michael Foucault dies at the age of 57 of AIDS in Paris, France.
1984, Sept. 7 - Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 13 in Douglas MI. David Lewis of
10: Dallas receives the Caligula Award.
1984, Sept. The first Folsom Street Fair is held in San Francisco.
1984, Oct 5-8: American Uniform Association 7th Annual Review is held in Denver.

1985
Time Event
1985: Formation of Hartford Colts; Krew de Cuir, SF; Men in Boots, Vancouver
BC; MSC Iceland; PEP, Phoenix; River City Outlaws, San Antonio; Seattle
Dungeon Guild; Texas Renegades, Houston; and Total Devotion and
Alliance Club of Atlanta.
1985: People Exchanging Power (PEP) an SM club open to all genders and
orientations is founded in Phoenix by Nancy Ava Miller, who goes on to
found several similar organizations across the country.
1985: The Tom of Finland foundation, a not for profit corporation formed to
preserve the art of Tom of Finland, and to promote erotic art and artists,
is founded in Los Angeles.
1985: The Defenders of Mithra begin sponsorship of the Oregon State Leather
Woman title.
1985: Books Published
Beauty's Release the third in the Beauty trilogy by A. N. Roquelaure
(Anne Rice)
Exit to Eden by Anne Rampling, which turns out to be another
pseudonym for Anne Rice
Slaves of the Empire by Aaron Travis in book form after being
serialized in Drummer
Physical Interrogation Techniques by Richard W. Krousher. A how-to
manual for interrogation & torture
Torture by Edward Peters
Torture in Brazil a secret study by the Archdiocese of Sao Paulo,
English edition in 1986
1985: Norman Breslow and colleagues become the first researchers to report
the existence of non-prostitute female sadomasochists. Their results,
which contradict one of the most cherished beliefs among Freudians,
behaviorists, and sociologists are not accepted by the research
community until the late 1990's
1985: The Fraser Report, Report of Special Commission on Pornography and
Prostitution is issued in Canada. It sets three tiers of "obscenity".
Sexually violent or "degrading" activities are deemed worse than
everything except child pornography.
1985: Leon Golub retrospective at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago.
Golub's subject matter is larger than life size canvases of instances of
torture, often based on actual cases.
1985: Artist Daniel Kelly retrospective at Corsh Gallery in Chicago. Kelly's art
blends religious, sexual and sm themes.
1985: Peter Thomas begins his lengthy service as Coordinator of the Mid
America Conference of Clubs.
1985, Jan.: The first Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather contest held in Washington DC.
Sponsored by Centaur MC.
1985, Apr 13: Val Martin, legendary porn star, community activist, 2nd
runner up at International Mr. Leather 1980, best known for
his role in Born To Raise Hell, dies from complications due to
AIDS. Roger Earl discovered and cast Val Martin in the lead
in this incredible S/M film. Born to Raise Hell brought Val
Martin international prominence in gay leather communities
around the world. Val was also a pivotal part of the Mark IV
Bathhouse raids in Los Angeles, CA when the LAPD freed the slaves in
1976.
1985, May 12: A pink granite memorial to the homosexual victims of Nazi concentration
camps is unveiled in Germany.
1985, May: Patrick Toner of San Francisco becomes the 7th International Mr. Leather
at the contest at the Park West in Chicago.
1985, June: Steve Reiswig of Seattle becomes the 6th Mr. Drummer at the contest in
San Francisco.
1985, June 29: The French National Assembly passes a bill prohibiting discrimination
against gay men and lesbians.
1985, July: Ringold Alley, a favorite nighttime cruising ground for leathermen, is the
site of the first Ringold Alley Fair, a charity fundraiser sponsored by Up
Your Alley Productions, a group in which IML 85 Patrick Toner plays a
very prominent role.
1985, Sept. 6 - Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 14 in Douglas MI. Harold Cox of
9: Wilkes Barre, PA, receives the Caligula Award.
1985, Nov.: The Mineshaft is closed by New York City officials for "health"
reasons. Subsequently, the Leather Archives & Museum
receives most of Wally Wallace’s papers from the mineshaft.
And later, the papers from the LURE, the LURE Dress Code
sign and the LURE Angels that once graced the ceiling of the Mineshaft.
1985, Nov. 11: GMSMA holds its first Leatherfest in New York City.
1985, Nov. 13: Nargret Roff, an out lesbian, is elected Mayor of Manchester England.
The first out gay or lesbian to be elected to mayoral office in Great
Britain.
 1986
Time Event
1986: Formation of Bournemouth LSMC, UK; Club Mud, Rio Nido, CA; Essex
Leather MSC, UK; Der Ledermeister, Syracuse NY; The National Leather
Association, Seattle; Portland Power and Trust, OR; and Utica Tri's NY.
1986, Jan 10: GLAAD, Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is established in New
York City.
1986: Portland Power and Trust, a woman to woman SM organization is formed
in Portland Oregon by Sallee Huber, Sashie Hyatt, and Judy Tallwing
McCarthy.
1986: Lee Willis begins The Studworks in Seattle and quickly becomes
recognized as the foremost artisan at creating studded leather work.
1986: Publication of
The Sexual Perspective, Homosexuality and Art in the last 100 years in
the West by Emmanuel Cooper, Second Edition 1994.
Sex Magick, a collection of poems by Ian Young in Toronto
Sexual Magic, a collection of SM photographs together with thoughts
about SM by the subjects of the photos, most of whom are members
of the SM organization Janus, self published by San Francisco
photographer Michael A. Rosen.
1986: The film 9 1/2 Weeks directed by Adrian Lyne, staring Kim Basinger and
Mickey Rourke opens in the USA.
1986, Apr. 15: Death of French writer Jean Genet who had spent most of his
adolescence and young adulthood in prison. A prolific writer his works
were filled with raw sexuality, often with SM overtones. Examples are his
play The Balcony and the novels A Thief's Journal, Our Lady of the
Flowers, and Querelle of Brest. (Birth: Dec. 19, 1910)
1986, May: Scott Tucker, of Philadelphia is selected as the 8th International Mr.
Leather at the contest at the Park West in Chicago. Jim Ed Thompson,
former editor of Gay Bondage and Action Male, is first runner up.
1986, June: Mike Murray of San Diego becomes the 7th Mr. Drummer at the contest
in San Francisco.
1986, June: The National Leather Association is formed in Seattle by Steve Maidhof
with the help of a few other leather men and women.
1986, June 30: The US Supreme Court upholds Georgia's sodomy laws in a 5-4 ruling on
the conviction of Michael Hardwick for activities that took place in the
privacy of his own bedroom.
1986, July 4: New Zealand passes a homosexual law reform bill extending basic rights
to gay men and lesbians.
1986, Aug. 22: Desmodus Inc. (Tony DeBlase & partner), publisher of DungeonMaster,
purchases Drummer, Mach, and Foreskin Quarterly magazines from
Alternate Publishing (John Embry). Desmodus relocates from Chicago to
 San Francisco.
1986, Sept. 5 - Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 15 at Douglas MI. John Enteman of
8: New York City receives the Caligula Award.
1986, Oct.: The first Living in Leather Conference is hosted in Seattle by the newly
formed National Leather Association.
1986, Nov.: GMSMA spearheads organizing a special Leather-S/M contingent for the
1987 March on Washington.
1986, Fall: Seattle Leather Woman title begins.
1986, Fall: In a literature survey from 1977 to 1984, Breslow and colleagues can
only find five empirical studies on sadomasochism. Of these, only one
study (Spengler 1977) gives enough data to be evaluated or replicated.
In their own study on male sadomasochists, Breslow and colleagues
point out that there is no data that would justify subdividing
sadomasochists into groups such as sadist and masochist based on role
preference.

1987
Time Event
1987: Formation of Boston Ducks; Diablo DV8's, Walnut Creek CA; Firedancers
LLC, Dallas; Griffins MC, DE; and Trident International LA.
1987: First International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA) Finals Rodeo.
1987: The British police conclude Operation Spanner with the arrests of several
gay men participating in a private party where consensual SM was going
on.
1987: Desmodus Inc. and Zeus Studios jointly publish a volume of still photos
from Chicago Hellfire Club's Inferno 15.
1987: Publication of
The Green Hotel by Gordon Hoban writing as Tom Hardy
Hell's Angels by Yves Lavigne
Slavery in the Arab World by Murray Gordon in France, first American
edition 1989
Capri, a periodical dedicated to gay history by Schwules Museum in
Berlin
1987: The sexologist Charles Moser and psychologist Eugene E. Levitt publish
the results of an empirical study on sadomasochists.
1987: The German SM-group Suendikat Hamburg is formed. By 1995, it will
have about 100 members, roughly half of them women. This is the first
known heterosexual SM group in Germany.
1987, Feb. 2: First Portland Leather Woman contest won by Judy Tallwing McCarthy.
1987, Feb 11: Death of D. Lyn Sterling, known as "The Leathermaker". He originated
many unique designs in leather clothing (and toys), including chaps with
the zippers on the outside! and was for many years Leathermaker to the
stars in Los Angeles.
1987, Mar. 21: Judy Tallwing McCarthy of Portland, OR, is named the first International
Ms. Leather at the contest in San Francisco.
1987, Mar. 24: The newly formed ACT UP holds its first demonstration in New York City.
1987, Mar. 25: Robert D. Reite begins SM Board in Los Angeles, one of the first telepone
buletin boards specifically catering to SM men. SM board is now
accessible by Direct dial, telnet, and the World Wide Web. it celebrated
it's 10th anniversary in 1997.
1987, May: David Rhodes begins publication of The Leather Journal in Los Angeles.
1987, May: The National Leather Association holds its first May Day conference in
Seattle. T. K. Cuellar is named the first Mr. National Leather Association
and Jan Brown of Vancouver BC is named the first Ms. National Leather
Association.
1987, May: Thomas Karasch of Hamburg, Germany, is named the 9th International
Mr. Leather at the contest at the Park West in Chicago.
1987, June: Mark Alexander of Los Angeles becomes the 8th Mr. Drummer at the
contest in San Francisco.
1987: Following the traffic of leathermen cruising, Up Your Alley moves it's San
Francisco leather charity street fair from Ringold Alley to Dore Alley,
across from the Powerhouse.
1987, Aug. 1: The first Mr. & Ms. Vancouver BC Leather Contest is held.
1987, Aug. 7: Over a hundred people protest a British law against same sex hand
holding and other public displays of affection by holding a "kiss-in" at
London's Picadilly Circus.
1987, Aug. 28- NLA's Living In Leather II is held in Seattle. Tony DeBlase of San
31: Francisco, and Susie Bright of Denver, are named NLA Man and Woman
of the year.
1987, Sept.: Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 16 in Douglas MI. Robin Tutt of Fire
Island Pines, NY, receives the Caligula Award.
1987, Oct. 10: A National Leather Conference is held in Washington DC on the day
before the march. Barry Douglas of GMSMA is the prime organizer, NLA
organizes the panels. Judy Tallwing McCarthy gives keynote address.
Thousands attend and the next day march, for the first time, behind a
banner using the phrase "Safe-Sane-Consensual".
1987, Oct. 11: Hundreds of thousands, including thousands of leather people of all
orientations, march and rally in Washington DC for the 1987 March on
Washington for Lesbian and Gay rights.
1987, Nov: Through his company, The Outbound Press, Bob Wingate publishes the
first issue of Bound & Gagged, Bob Wingate will continue to edit the
 magazine through Issue 77 (July, 2000).

1988
Time Event
1988: Formation of Atlanta S&M Solidarity (ASS); COMMAND, Baltimore;
Panthers L/L, Atlanta; Gay Male S/M Cooperative (GMSMC), Philadelphia;
New York Bondage Club; and Southbay Leather and Uniform Group
(SLUG), San Jose. Knights Templar, SF, disbands.
1988: Jaye Evans opens the Atlanta Eagle as the first definite leather bar in
that city.
1988: Establishment of the Human Sexuality Collection at Cornell University
Library. David B. Goodstein, longtime publisher of The Advocate, and
Bruce Voeller, early leader of the National Gay Task Force, are the
driving forces behind its creation. The Mariposa Education and Research
Foundation donated it's huge collection of papers, photographs, art,
films, etc. to form the core of the new Cornell collection.
1988: John Stout, a gay man living in West Hollywood, wins a legal battle with
his landlord over his right to fly a rainbow flag from his apartment
balcony.
1988: Publication of
The Lesbian SM Safety Manual edited by Pat Califia
The Tom of Finland Retrospective a coffee table book on Tom's art and
life
First Hand Events #1 in magazine format, featuring the International
Mr. Leather contest. #2, also published in 1988 covers the Gay Rodeo
circuit. No further issues were published
Ecclesia Militans, The Inquisition by Miroslav Hroch and Anna Skybova
in Germany. English edition in 1990
1988, Jan: Desmodus Inc. publishes the first issue of The Sandmutopia Guardian
and Dungeon Journal, a SM how-to publication similar to DungeonMaster
but written for all genders and sexual orientations. Carol Truscott is
editor.
1988, Feb.: Barry Douglas of New York City and Cookie Andrews-Hunt of Seattle are
named the Leather Journal man and woman of the year. These are the
Leather Journal's first such awards and the beginning of what will grow
into the Pantheon of Leather awards.
1988, Feb.: Lambda Delta Lambda at the University of California, Los Angeles,
becomes the first lesbian sorority to gain official recognition from a US
college or university.
1988, Feb. 10: The Gold Coast, Chicago's best known leather bar, closes after 28 years
of operation.
1988, Feb. 13: A conference of Leather-S/M men and women is held in Dallas, an
outgrowth of the Oct. '87 conference in Washington DC. It's purpose is to
organize a national organization. After two days of heated debate a
statement of purpose and some organizational guidelines are adopted,
and a steering committee is elected. The group begins functioning under
the name Safe Sane Consensual Adults, SSCA.
1988, Feb. 24: Lambda Delta Lambda, the first lesbian sorority in America is officially
recognized by UCLA. One month later, the first (admittedly) gay college
fraternity will be formed.
1988, March: Shan Carr of Portland, Oregon, is selected as the second International
Ms. Leather at the contest in San Francisco.
1988, May: NLA's May Day Conference in Seattle, Steve Maidhof and Cheri Mattise
are selected as Mr. and Ms. NLA.
1988, May: Dave Pallone, a 10 year veteran National League umpire is fired because
of his homosexuality.
1988, May: Michael Pereyra of San Diego becomes the 10th International Mr. Leather
at the contest at the Vic Theatre in Chicago.
1988, June 21: Art Agnos, Mayor of San Francisco, Declares Alan Selby Day to honor the
man often called the "Mayor of Folsom St."
1988, Aug.: GMSMA establishes the Hocutt-Ferguson fund to assist leather people
with AIDS.
1988, Sept. 24: The Mr. Drummer contest is switched from the June Gay Pride weekend
to coincide with the Folsom Street Fair in September. In advertising Tony
DeBlase begins calling it "San Francisco Leather Pride Weekend". Ron
Zehel of Columbus, OH becomes the 9th Mr. Drummer.
1988, Sept.: Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 17 in Douglas MI. Wally Wallace of
New York City, receives the Caligula Award.
1988, Oct. 8-10: NLA's Living in Leather III Conference is held in Seattle. Alan Selby and
Gayle Rubin, both of San Francisco, are named NLA man and woman of
the year.
1988, Oct. 10: The SSCA steering committee merges with the National Leather
Association, SSCA members are added to the NLA board of directors and
the NLA accepts the statement of purpose adopted at the Dallas
Conference. Work begins on bylaws.

1989
Time Event
1989: Formation of Affirmation Leathermen; Boston Unified Leather
Legion (BULL); Brotherhood of Pain, Houston; Knights on Iron
MC, San Diego; Leather United, Chicago; Menamore LLC,
Wilmington NC; Mike's Men, Boston; Omaha Players Club;
Oregon Activists of SM (ORGASM); Rangers, Inc., Cleveland;
Sacramento Leather Association; Seattle Men in Leather; Silver Dolphins
LLC, Corpus Christi; Trash, Vancouver BC; and Trusted Servants, SF.
1989: Formation of the NY Renegades by Tom Hom, Charlie Zurenko, and
Darrin Kimmel
1989: California Motor Club of San Francisco disbands after 26 years.
1989: The German SM-group "freieSMuenchen" is formed in Munich. By 1995 it
will have 50 members about 30% of them women.
1989: Stormy Leather opens at 1158 Howard in San Francisco. This is probably
the first leather shop owned by, and operated primarily for, women.
1989: Publication of
Gentle Warriors by Geoff Mains
Macho Sluts by Pat Califia
The Language of Sadomasochism, A Glossary and Linguistic Analysis
by Thomas E Murray and Thomas R. Murrell
1989: Fantasy 98, organized by Dustin Logan, brings a great many title holders
to Omaha Nebraska for a weekend of interaction that inspires the term
"sash bash" and raises over $9,000 for local charities.
1989, Feb.: The Leather Journal names Alan Selby man of the year and names Shan
Carr and Judy Tallwing McCarthy jointly Women of the year.
1989, March: Trash, a woman to woman SM organization is founded in Vancouver BC.
Disbands in 1990.
1989, March 9: Robert Mapplethorpe dies of AIDS in New York City.
1989, March: Susie Shepherd of Portland, OR, is named the third International Ms.
Leather at the contest in San Francisco.
1989, May 8: Fred Halsted, erotic film actor, director, producer, as well as leather
writer and magazine publisher, commits suicide in Los Angeles.
1989, May: NLA: Seattle holds May Day Conference, Guy Baldwin and Jan Lyon are
selected Mr. and Ms. NLA.
1989, May 28: Tony DeBlase presents his design for a leather pride flag to the audience
at International Mr. Leather, the first time the flag is presented to the
public.
1989, May 28: Guy Baldwin of Los Angeles becomes the 11th International Mr. Leather
at the contest at the Vic theatre in Chicago.
1989, June: The Leather Pride flag is carried by the leather contingent in the Portland
OR pride parade, it's first appearance at such an event. (A week
preceding pride parades in San Francisco and New York City, where it is
also flown).
1989, June: The Corcoran Gallery in Washington DC, cancels a scheduled Robert
Mapplethorpe exhibit because of pressure by anti-gay Senator Jesse
Helms (R-NC) and others.
1989, June: 20th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, GMSMA organizes a massive
leather contingent for the New York City parade.
1989, June 20: Death of bar owner, and guidebook publisher, Bob Dameron. Among the
Los Angeles and San Francisco bars he owned are the Hideaway, Febe's
and the SF Eagle. But he was also the originator of the bar guide that
helped us all find what we were looking for wherever we were.
1989, June 30: Laser artist Rockne Krebs projects the photographs of Robert
Mapplethorpe on the exterior walls of the Corcoran Gallery in Washington
DC. The exhibit of Mapplethorpe's work, scheduled to open on this day,
had been canceled due to political pressure from Jesse Helms and other
conservative members of Congress.
1989, July 26: US Senate passes the NEA funding bill with the "Helms Amendment."
This is probably the first time SM is mentioned in a US law.
1989, Sept.: Brian Dawson of Los Angeles becomes the tenth Mr. Drummer and Dieter
Edwards is named the first Drummerboy of the year at the contest in
San Francisco.
1989, Sept.: Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 19 in Douglas MI. Fred "Ollie" Stewart
receives the Caligula Award. Jim Ward is named the first recipient of the
J Paul Eaton award.
1989, Oct.: Cynthia Ann Slater, founder of the Society of Janus, dies of AIDS in San
Francisco.
1989, Oct. 1: Axel and Eigil Axgil, a male couple, become the first to marry under
Denmark's Same Sex Marriage registry.
1989, Oct. 7-9: NLA's Living in Leather IV conference is held in Portland, OR. Geoff Mains
and Cynthia Slater receive the NLA Lifetime Achievement Awards. Dr.
Nan Borrows gives the keynote address.
1989, Oct. 17: The Loma Parieta earthquake shakes the San Francisco Bay area
virtually destroying the buildings containing the Drummer offices, the
Lone Star Saloon and many other leather oriented businesses, as well as
the homes of many leather people.
1989, Nov. 4: NLA: Los Angeles sponsors Bondage as Art show at Leonardogavici Art
Gallery. Bondage themed paintings, drawings, collage, photography, and
inanimate sculpture are augmented by living bondage sculptures created
by numerous artists from around the country. Huge crowds attend,
including LAPD and Fire Departments who close down the show due to
overcrowding of the facility.
1989: Deaths: Bob Damron, bar owner and creator of the gay bar guide; Fred
Halsted, porn star, film producer, writer, and magazine publisher; Sashie
Hyatt, spouse of Judy Tallwing McCarthy and leatherdyke from Hell!
organizer of many lesbian SM organizations, and driving force behind
 many leather dyke titleholders; Geoff Mains, author of Urban Aboriginals
and Gentile Warriors.

1990
Time Event
1990: Formation of Bay Area Levi/Leather Society (BALLS), Corpus Christi;
Bluegrass Colts, Lexington; Northwest Bears, Seattle; Omikron,
Indianapolis; Tarheel Leather Club, Greensboro NC; Tri-State Gay Rodeo
Association; and United Leatherfolk of Connecticut. Barbary Coasters MC,
SF; Trash, BC; and Zodiacs, BC disband.
1990: Formation of the Betty Page Social Club, sponsor of Toronto's Fetish
nights.
1990: Bound by Desire was founded in Austin, Texas in 1991. It is still going
strong. A woman only club with members across the United States.
1990: The Finnish Government awards a $50,000 grant towards the
making of a documentary on the life and work of Tom of
Finland, to be entitled Daddy and the Muscle Academy. The
film gives voice to the life and creative impulse of the gay
erotic artist known across the gay world as 'Tom of Finland'.
Essentially an interview documentary with some very brief
'enactments' inspired by Tom's artwork, this is a long way from
fetish pornography but is thought-provoking nonetheless. Tom describes
his early life in the Finnish army, in mundane jobs and, matter-of-factly,
how he became inspired to put onto paper his exagerrated masculine
fantasies of men in leather, uniforms and workwear.
1990: QSM (Quality SM) founded by Karen Mendelsohn starts a series of
SM/fetish educational classes in San Francisco, that is still going strong
as this is published.
1990: The newly formed Tarheel Leather Club of Greensboro North Carolina,
takes on the formidable task of trying to unseat US Senator Jesse Helms
R-NC. Their "Beat Jesse" campaign gains nationwide support, including
that of IMsL Susie Sheperd with her t-shirt campaign.
1990: The US Census Bureau for the fist time includes a question on the census
form that can help identify same sex couples. 69,200 female couples and
88,200 male couples self-identify.
1990: Release of USSM 1, the first of a series of four videos co-produced by
Zeus and Drummer that depict real SM scenes with real SM players.
There will eventually be four titles in this series. By 1995 they will be
withdrawn from the US market due to persecution of the Los Angeles
police.
1990: The 16 defendants in England's Operation Spanner case are brought to
 trial and convicted of assault and battery, because the judge rules that
consent is not recognized, and even the bottoms who were consensually
"assaulted" are deemed guilty!
1990: Publication of:
Bad Boys & Tough Tattoos by Sam Steward
Some Dance to Remember by Jack Fritscher, a novel set in San
Francisco's gay leather scene
Lights out in the Reptile House a novel by Jim Shepard, a novel with
strong SM overtones
The Quest a short story collection by Ben George
Doc and Fluff a lesbian SM novel by Pat Califia
Mineshaft Nights by Leo Cardini, an accurate picture of this famous
place by one of its former employees
From Female to Male, The Life of Jack Bee Garland by Louis Sullivan
Encyclopedia of Homosexuality a two volume set edited by Wayne R.
Dynes
Coming Out Under Fire, The History of Gay Men and Women in World
War Two by Allan Berube
1990, Jan.: The German SM-group "gibS/Mir" is formed in Kiel. By 1995 it will have
about 20 members.
1990, Feb.: The Leather Journal names Dustin Logan, of Omaha Nebraska, and Jan
Lyon of Seattle, man and woman of the year. Tony DeBlase is named
business person of the year and GMSMA is named club of the year.
1990, Feb. 24: Death of Malcolm Forbes, American millionaire and publisher of
Forbes magazine. After his death it was revealed that Forbes,
who had been divorced in 1985, spent an increasing amount of
time in his later years in leather, riding his motorcycle and
visiting New York City's leather/SM bars and backrooms (born:
Aug. 18, 1919)
1990, Mar. 3: A fire destroys Touche, a prominent Chicago Leather Bar.
1990, March: New York City officials close safe-sex clubs in the wake of a club fire.
1990, March: Gabriel Antolovich of San Diego becomes the fourth International Ms.
Leather at the contest in San Francisco.
1990, May 10: Chuck Renslow awarded charter membership in the City of Chicago Gay
& Lesbian Hall of Fame.
1990, May: Mark Ryan of Boston is named the 12th International Mr. Leather at the
contest at the Vic Theatre in Chicago.
1989, May: Susie Shepherd, International Ms. Leather 1989, is the first woman to
appear on the cover of The Leather Journal #15. The decision is not
popular with magazine readers.
1990, June: In New York City GMSMA is invited to send a representative to a
community meeting to be held at the residence of the Mayor.
1990, Summer: Luke Owens' Master & Slave contest is held in Los Angeles and won by
Mark Bowers and Bob Farrell.
1990, Jul: With Issue 17 Bound & Gagged begins a regular column, “Video
Bondage,” on bondage scenes in mainstream movies and on TV, written
by "Roger Roper,".
1990, July 24: Congressman Bob Dornan reads his "psychopath" speech into the US
Congressional Record, saying, "There are no psychopathic dark recesses
of my mind that know how to handle sadism, masochism, bondage,
discipline, or torture disguised as some sort of sexual thrill..."
1990, Autumn: The German SM-group SMbH is formed in Hannover.
1990, Sept.: Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 19 in Douglas MI. William Robert
Birtles receives the Caligula Award and Brian Drake the J. Paul Eaton
award.
1990, Sept. 18: Clive Platman, Mr. Australia Drummer, presents Leather Pride
Flag designer Tony DeBlase with an Australian version of the
flag, incorporating the southern cross, from the Australian
national flag, onto the original Leather Pride Flag design.
1990, Sept. 22: Clive Platman of Melborne, Australia is named the 11th Mr. Drummer in
the first truly International Mr. Drummer contest in San Francisco. John
Siracusa is named Drummerboy of the year.
1990, Oct. 26- NLA's Living In Leather V conference is held in Portland, OR. Jim
29: Richards is reelected Male co-chair and Shannon Kenedy is elected
Female co-chair. The Rev. Troy Perry is keynote speaker and Chuck
Renslow and Pat Califia are presented with lifetime achievement awards.
The contest is switched to LIL from May Day and Howard Martin of
Seattle and Ruth Marks of San Francisco win the Mr. and Ms. NLA titles.
Jan Lyon presents the organization with a huge, spectacular, studded
leather banner created by Lee Willis of the Studworks.
1990, Nov. 6: Deborah Glick becomes the first out gay or lesbian elected to the New
York State Assembly.
1990, Dec. 5: Death of Robert Chesley, Author of the play Jerker, and many other
works.

1991
Time Event
1991: Formation of Baltimore Leather Association of the Deaf (BLADeaf); Chain
of Command, San Antonio; DAMES, Milwaukee; Key West Wreckers LLC;
Melbourne Leather Men; NLA: Houston; Ozbears Australia, Sydney;
Patrol Uniform Club, San Antonio; Stars MC, Albany NY; Tri-State
Wolfpack, Cincinnati; Three Rivers LC, Pittsburgh; and Unicorns of
Madison, WI.
1991: Melbourne Leather Men become the first club to incorporated the Leather
Pride Flag design elements into their club colors.
1991: C-Space, a leather/SM/fetish educational service, which conducts
lectures, demonstrations, etc. on various subjects, is organized in
Seattle.
1991: Actor Paul Reubens pleaded no contest to an indecent
exposure charge after he was arrested for allegedly
exposing himself in an adult cinema in Sarasota, Florida.
After that plea, Reubens's Pee-wee Herman series of
shows and films - aimed at children - came to an end. However he has
had supporting roles in a number of films since then, including Buffy the
Vampire Slayer and Blow.
1991: Publication of
Frisk by Dennis Cooper, a highly controversial novel full of violence
and terminal scenes
Leather Rouges and Rouges to Remember by Bill Lee (R. L. Warner)
Understanding the Male Hustler by Sam Steward
A Breviary of Torment poems by Thomas Cashet
Master's Counterpoints by Larry Townsend, the first in a series of gay
mystery novels with a leather theme
The Joy of Sexual Fantasy by Dr. Andrew Stanway
Leathermen Speak Out, An Anthology on Leathersex Edited by Jack
Ricardo
Zur Strafbarkeit sado-masochistischer Koerperverletzung by German
lawyer Valentin Sitzmann. His analysis of German federal law comes
to the conclusion that consensual sadomasochism is legal in Germany
as long as any injury is not excessive. In his opinion, Masochists
cannot be sued at all.
1991: The first American Leatherman contest names Jose Alberto Ucles as the
titleholder.
1991: The Outbound Press publishes Pledges & Paddles 1, the first of four
volumes devoted to hazings and initiations, all edited by Bob Wingate.
There will subsequently be three more volumes, Pledges & Paddles
2 (1993), Pledges & Paddles 3 (1996) and Pledges & Paddles 4 (2000).
1991, Feb. The Leather Journal holds its first Pantheon of Leather awards ceremony
in Los Angeles. Bill Costomiris and Susie Shepherd are named Man and
Woman of the Year. Lee Willis of the Studworks is named Business
Person of the year and Tarheel Leather Club is Club of the Year. New
awards this year include: Forbearer - Tom of Finland; Not for profit
Organization - The Robert Maplethorpe Foundation; Reader's Choice -
Susie Shepard; Publisher's Award - Bob Craig. Regional: Race Bannon,
Bill Costomiris, Jaye Evans, & George Nelson.
1991, March: Kay Hallanger of Bloomington, IN, is named the 5th International Ms.
Leather at the contest in San Francisco.
1991, Mar. 8: GMSMA celebrates its 10th Anniversary with a reception, conference,
banquet, and show. The printed program is rich in historical information
including a prototype of this timeline compiled by Gil Kessler and Thor
Stockman.
1991, May: D. Cannon of Palm Springs CA is named the 13th International Mr.
Leather at the Vic Theatre in Chicago.
1991, Summer: Luke Owen's Master & Slave contest in Los Angeles is won by Race
Bannon & Mike Pierce.
1991, Summer: The German SM-activist group "AG SM & Oeffentlichkeit" is formed as
part of the Suendikat Hamburg. Its aim is to improve the contact of
sadomasochists with the general public and spread information among
the German SM-subculture.
1991, July 7: Philip Rubin is named the first International Mr. Deaf Leather at the
contest in Dallas.
1991, Sept. 6- Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 20 in Douglas MI. Tony DeBlase
12: receives the Caligula Award and John Robbins the J Paul Eaton award.
This year Inferno is expanded to six days, divided into A and B sessions.
1991, Sept.20 - Woody Bebout of St. Louis is named the 12th Mr. Drummer at the contest
21: in San Francisco. Kevin Stedman of Orlando FL becomes the third
Drummerboy of the year.
1991, Sept. 24: Dom "Etienne" Orejudos dies of AIDS related causes in Boulder,
Colorado.
1991, Oct.: Leatherfolk, a collection of essays on gay and lesbian SM, edited by Mark
Thompson is published.
1991, Oct. 11: At the opening ceremonies of Living in Leather a Canadian version of the
Leather Pride Flag is presented. It ads to the basic design of the flag a
row of red maple leaves running horizontally through the white stripe. To
the best of my knowledge the design has never been used again.
1991, Oct. 11- NLA's Living in Leather VI conference is held in Chicago. Perry
13: Watkins delivers the keynote address and Steve Maidhof and
Jan Lyon are presented with Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Bill Miranda Saltzman and Laura Goodwin are named Mr. and
Ms. NLA at the contest.
1991: Nov: With Issue 25, Bound & Gagged converts from a digest-sized publication
to a full-size magazine. David Stein starts writing a regular safety
column in the magazine, “Bond+Aid,” which will continue through Issue
67 (November, 1997).
1991, Nov. 7: Tom of Finland dies of emphysema in Helsinki at the age of 71.
1991, Nov. 11: Steve Maidhof, founding daddy of the National Leather Association and
creator of the Living in Leather conferences, dies in San Francisco.
 1992
Time Event
1992: Formation of Cable Car Chapter of Knights of Malta, SF; Defenders
LLC/Washington; Long Island Ravens MC; and URSAMEN New Preston,
CT.
1992: The German SM-group Sadomasochistische Interessengemeinschaft e.V.
is formed in Berlin.
1992: The AG SM & Oeffentlichkeit becomes an independent group
1992: Publication of
Tales of the Dark Lord by John Preston
Zur Sozialgeschichte des Sadomasochismus by German Peter Bahnen
in which he explains his theory on the processes that enabled the
formation of sadomasochistic subcultures at this time in history.
Dream Master and other SM Stories by Larry Townsend
One for the Master, Two for the Fool by Larry Townsend
The Switch and other Stories by Torsten Barring
The Encyclopedia of Unusual Sex Practices by Brenda Love
Learning the Ropes, A Basic Guide to Safe and Fun S/M Lovemaking
by Race Bannon
Sir! More Sir!, The Joy of S&M by Master Jackson
SM 101, A Realistic Introduction by Jay Wiseman
Making History, The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Equal Rights 1945 -
1990 by Eric Marcus
The Homoerotic Photograph, Male Images from Durieu/Delacroix to
Mapplethorpe, by Allen Ellenzweig
Body Play magazine, first issue, edited and published by Fakir Musifar
1992: Canada lifts its ban on allowing lesbians and gays to serve in the
military.
1992: Jose Alberto Ucles is named to continue for another year as American
Leatherman.
1992: Bob Donaldson is named the second International Mr. Deaf Leather at
the contest in Baltimore, MD.
1992, Jan.: The German SM-group Main Pain is formed in Frankfurt am Main.
1992, Feb.: At The Leather Journal's Pantheon of Leather awards
ceremony in Los Angeles Jim Richards and Pat Califia are
named man and woman of the year. Other recipients are:
Business Person - R.J. Chaffin; Business - Mr. S Leather; Club
- Chicago Hellfire Club; Not for profit Organization - National
Leather Association; Reader's Choice - Clive Platman & Ruth
Marks; Forbearer - Gayle Rubin; Lifetime Achievement - Tom of Finland;
Publishers - Chuck Renslow; International - George Whiting; Regionals:
Southeast - M. P. Breslin; South Central - Philip Rubin; Rocky Mountain -
 Dino Rosie; West Coast - John Siracusa; Midwestern - Thom Dombowski;
Eastern - Peri Jude Radecic.
1992, Feb.: Luke Owens coupled his contest to the Pantheon of Leather weekend and
renamed it the International Master & Slave Contest. Winners this year
were K.T. Chase and Susie Shepard.
1992, Mar.: Blair of San Francisco is named the 6th International Ms. Leather at the
contest in San Francisco.
1992, Mar.: The German heterosexual SM-group SMart Rhein-Ruhr is founded in
Essen. By 1997, it will have 100 members and regional groups in seven
cities.
1992, March 30: Debra Chasnoff wins an Academy Award for the documentary film Deadly
Deception.
1992, Spring: The German SM-group Lustvolles Leiden is formed in Muenster.
1992, April: The first regular Munch takes place at "Kirk's" in Palo Alto CA after STella
posts the date on the Internet newsgroup alt.sex.bondage. Sporadic
Munches had taken place before then.
1992, May: The German heterosexual SM-group SMart Bremen-Oldenburg is founded
in Bremen and Oldenburg.
1992, May 12: Death of Bob Mizer, age 70, who from 1945 to 1990 was The
Athletic Model Guild and from 1951 to 1990, held total control
over it's publication Physique Pictorial. He created a 45 year
celebration of the male body beautiful, and along the way
invented gay wrestling, and discovered many prominent
artists, including Tom of Finland.
1992, May 19: Desmodus Inc., including Drummer, Mach, Tough Customers,
DungeonMaster, The Sandmutopia Guardian, and The Sandmutopia
Supply Company, is sold to a Dutch corporation headed by Martjin
Bakker, who is also the owner of RoB Amsterdam stores and galleries.
Tony DeBlase becomes Editor Emeritis.
1992, May 23: The first meeting of the Board of Directors of the Leather Archives and
Museum is held during the IML weekend in Chicago. LA&M is officially
founded.
1992, May 24: Lenny Broberg of San Francisco becomes the 14th International Mr.
Leather at the contest at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.
1992 May 17: Clubs across the continent host screening parties for the
comedy video Out For Laughs a collaboration of many gay
and lesbian talents spearheaded by stand up comic, and
International Ms. Leather 1988, Shan Carr.

1992 Sept. 5-7: PowerSurge, the “first International lesbian SM conference,” sponsored
by Outer Limits was held in Seattle, WA, because “Leatherwomen have
their own questions, answers and concerns that need to be addressed in
their own arena.” The weekend long event, which boasted between 300
 and 350 attendees included a variety of performances, facilitated
workshops, “play parties and an Amazon Feast,” and was, by all
published accounts, largely successful and fostered education and
community building.
1992, Sept. 6: Death, in San Francisco, of International Mr. Leather 1983, Colt Thomas.
(born: May 22, 1959)
1992, Sept. 9 - Chicago Hellfire Club holds Inferno 21 in Douglas MI. Robert Guenther
13: receives the Caligula Award and Ty Clements the J. Paul Eaton award.
1992, Sept.: 19 Emerson Briney of Omaha, is named the 13th Mr. Drummer. John
Hare of Los Angeles is named Drummerboy of the year at the contest in
San Francisco.
1992, Oct. 9: NLA organizes demonstrations at the British Consulate in Chicago
protesting treatment of the Operation Spanner defendants.
1992, Oct. 9-11: NLA's Living in Leather VII conference is held in Chicago. Pat Bond, a
founder of Eulenspiegel in New York City, gives the keynote address and
also receives the Lifetime Achievement award. Andy Anderson and K. T.
Chase are selected as Mr. and Ms. NLA.
1992, Nov.: Australia ends its ban on gays and lesbians serving in the military.
1992, Nov.: Publication of the first issue of Checkmate, by T. A. Feldwebel, former
editor of DungeonMaster, as an alternative to that title.
1992, Nov. 8: Representatives from the leather/SM communities meet with
representatives of the National Endowment of the Arts to discuss
attacks on freedom of expression. The meetings are organized by
Peri Jude Radecic of NGLTF.
1992, Nov. 9: The German Sadomasochist Wolfgang Boghardt holds public information
courses on SM at Volkschochschulen (adult education centers) in
Duisburg and Muelheim an der Ruhr. Media attention will force him to
stop the popular courses.

1993
Event
1993: Formation of Icon Detroit; Long Island Ravens; Journeyman of
Syracuse; South Texas Leather Men, Corpus Christi; Suncoast LLC, St.
Petersburg FL; Tartarus, St. Louis; and Trident International Windy
City, Chicago. Cycle MC and Wheels MC merge in NYC.
1993: The Outbound Press publishes Bondage Recruits, a special edition
of Bound & Gagged devoted to bondage in the military, edited by Bob
Wingate
1993: "The Magazine of a Sadomasochistic Club: The Tie that Binds" by Rick
Houlberg is published in the Journal of Homosexuality, Vol. 21 (1/2).
 This is the first know content analysis of such a publication.

1993: Books Published


 On the Safe Edge, A Manual for SM Play by Trevor Jacques with Dr.
Dale, Michael Hamilton, & Sniffer
 Different Loving - The World of Sexual Dominance and Submission

by Gloria Brame et al.
 SM: Sensuous Magic, A Guide for Adventurous Couples by Pat Califia
 The Arena by John Preston
 My Life as a Pornographer, & other indecent acts by John Preston
 Leatherwomen by Laura Antoniou
 Exposed, Big Shots, and Beast of Burden, three collections of short
stories by Aaron Travis
 Lewd Conduct a collection of short stories by John W. Rowberry

 Peter Thornwell by Torsten Barring

 Ties That Bind by Guy Baldwin, a compilation of his columns from

Drummer and other publications
 The Leather Contest Guide by Guy Baldwin

 Bob Flanagan: Supermasochist published by REsearch as Vol. 1 in

the People Series
 Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do, The Absurdity of Consensual
Crimes in a Free Society by Peter McWilliams
 Le Phallus, Sacred Symbol of Male Creative Power by Alain Danilou in
French. English edition 1995
1993: Mark Thompson's Leatherfolk is published in German as Lederlust --
Der SM-Kult.
1993: Los Angeles Police raid the San Diego home of Lee Baldwin, who
produced, directed, and starred in his own line of gay SM videos. Police
confiscate Ass Play, a video that includes several fisting scenes, and
several others. Baldwin is convicted and sentenced to 547 hours of
community service and fined $3000.
1993 average Sports Illustrated rejects an Adidas advertisement because it featured
a Canadian soccer : team wearing nothing but their athletic shoes,
despite the fact that thanks to artfully arranged hands, heads and
soccer balls, not one team member showed more flesh than the female
model does in SI's notorious annual swimsuit issue.
1993: Jeff Chiofolo is named American Leatherman.
1993: Chris Muller is named International Mr. Deaf leather.
1993: John Ferrari is named Mr. Vulcan Rubber.
1993, Feb. 14: The Lesbian Avengers erect a paper-mache sculpture of Alice B. Toklas
beside the statue of Gertrude Stein in Bryant Park in New York City
1993, Mar. 5: Tam von Hohenzohllern & Kit Terkel are selected as second
 International Master & Slave at contest in Orlando.
March, 1993: Larry Townsend starts writing a regular column for Bound &
Gagged which will continue with every issue until the magazine ceases
publication in 2005.
1993, Mar. 6: The Leather Journal's Pantheon of Leather awards ceremony is held in
Orlando. Woody Bebout and Kay Hallanger were named Man and
Woman of the Year. Other awards are: Business person - Kevin
Drewery; Business - The Hun/Bill Schmeling; Club - Outer Limits; Not
for Profit Organization - AIDS Emergency Fund of San Francisco;
Forbearer -Dom Orejudos; Lifetime Achievement - Chuck Renslow;
Publisher's - Wane Griffith; Reader's Choice - Joseph Bean & Woody
Bebout (tie) & Kay Hallanger; International - Andy Anderson;
Regionals: Southeast - Janet Blevens; South Central - Chuck Higgins;
Rocky Mountain - Pat Sanchez; West Coast - Race Bannon; Midwestern
- Bryan Smith; Eastern -Barry Douglas; Canadian - Bill Houghton.
1993, Mar.: Amy Marie Meek of Omaha becomes the 7th International Ms. Leather
at the contest in San Francisco.
1993, Apr. 24: The second "SM Leather Conference" is held in Washington DC during
the "March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Rights."
1993, Apr. 24: Jad Keres and other members of the American lesbian SM-group
Female Trouble Philadelphia launch a study on violence against lesbian
sadomasochists at the "SM Leather Conference" during the "March on
Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Rights."
1993, May: The German SM-group SMAGK is formed in Karslruhe. By 1995 it will
have about 15 members.
1993, May: National Leather Association opens international office in San Francisco
and hires first paid staff member.
1993, May 28: Leather Archives and Museum opens its first display of collected
materials during the International Mr. Leather weekend in Chicago.
1993, May 28: Publication of the first edition of this Leather History TimeLine edited by
Anthony F. DeBlase.
1993, May 29: Leather Archives and Museum holds it's first membership meeting in
Chicago during IML
1993, May 30: Henri Ten Have from the Netherlands is selected as the 15th
International Mr. Leather at the Arogon Ballroom in Chicago.
1993, May 30: David Morgan is selected as the first International Boot Black during
the IML contest in Chicago.
1993, June 23: Lorena Bobbitt, for whatever reason, used a kitchen knife to slice off
her sleeping husband's penis, which she tossed into a grassy field. It
was recovered and, through the miracles of modern surgery,
reattached. In their separate trials both John and Lorena Bobbitt were
acquitted.
1993, Aug.: The German AG SM & Oeffentlichkeit publishes the first edition of the
SM Adressbuch, a yearly collection of mostly heterosexual SM-
resources and addresses. More than 3,500 copies will have been sold
by August 1995.
1993, Aug. 12: Trident International Windy City founded by John Schultz, Rob Ridinger
and Ed Luisi.
1993, Sept. 8- Chicago Hellfire Club hosts Inferno 22 in Douglas MI. David Clare and
13: Stephen Shorle jointly receive the Caligula award and Anthony Kohut
the J. Paul Eaton award.
1993, Sept. 9: The first leather/sm/fetish munch in Oregon is held at the Cornelius
Pass Roadhouse in Hillsboro. 19 people attend including Patti Beadles
who, as Kris Asber, had posted the invitation for the munch to
alt.sex.bondage. Within the next two days she had founded the
pdx.abs mailing list and shortly thereafter the group started having
munches on a weekly basis at the Blue Moon saloon in Portland. As of
this printing they still do.
1993, Sept. 25: Graylin Thornton of Sacramento is selected as the 14th Mr. Drummer,
during the Leather Pride Week contest in San Francisco. Spot Gilea,
also from Northern California, was named Drummerboy of the Year.
1993, Oct. 1: Les Cuirassés de Québec is founded
1993, Oct. 8-10: NLA's Living In Leather VIII conference was held in Houston. Peri Jude
Radecic keynote speaker. Lifetime Achievement Awards to Fakir
Musafar and Dorothy Hajdys. Mark Frasier & Artemis Silver Owl both
from Dallas, are named Mr. & Ms NLA.
1993, Nov.: The German sociologist Thomas A. Wetzstein publishes the results of a
study on the German SM-subculture in Ssadomasochismus - Szenen
und Rituale. The findings support the concepts of Spengler and
Weinbert. About 38% of the respondents are women. The results are
not published in English and receive no notice outside of Germany.
1993, Dec. 31: Death of Samuel Moris Steward, 82. Instructor in SM to Chuck
Renslow, Alfred Kinsey, and many more; recognized writer under his
own name, and as Phil Andros. recognized artist under his own name,
and as Phil Sparrow, tattoo artist.

1994
Time Event
1994: Clubs formed: Bears LA (Los Angeles), Bears of San Francisco,
Bears SD (San Diego), Vancouver [BC] branch of Betty Page
Social Club, Black Eagle Leather Klub (Los Angeles), Black Jack
Bears (Las Vegas), Boston Rubber Club, Brothers in Leather,
 Chemnitzer Eagle (Germany), Club Les Cuirasses de Quebec (Quebec
City), Defenders LLC/San Francisco, Delta International, Enforcers RI
(Providence), Empowerment through Sensual Conduct and Attitudes
Power Exchange (Escape, Las Vegas), FIST (Houston), Females
Investigating Sexual Terrain (FIST, Baltimore) 4-L Club (SF), Houston
Area Bears, Inter-Bike (Copenhagen), Leather Club Thuringen
(Germany), Leather Scribes, Mates Provincetown, Mecs en Caoutchiuc
(Dammarie Les Lys, FR), Rogues MC (Roanoke, VA), SandMen (San
Diego), Silver State Leather Association (Reno), Steel City Centurions
(Birmingham AL), Tennessee Leather Tribe, Memphis: Toronto Deaf
Leather Association, ), and Trident Knights (Charleston SC).
1994: Mudmen (Houston) changes name to SludgeMaster.
1994: The pansexual German SM-group Offener Gespraechskreis SM is formed
in Berlin.
1994: The German SM-group SMile Freiburg is formed in Friburg.
1994: First Mr. Bear Ohio, Ms East Coast Leather, Idaho Leather Pride, Mr. New
Mexico Leather, Mr. New Mexico Leather Pride, Mr. Oklahoma Drummer,
Mr. Philadelphia Deaf Leather, Rocky Mountain Ms Leather, Ms San Diego
Leather Woman, and Western Canada Drummer contests.
1994: Brent Lacey (IML 1993 fist runner-up) receives Order of Australia from
Queen Elizabeth II for success of the Red Ribbon Project.
1994: Chicks in White Satin, a documentary film by Elaine Holliman about a
lesbian wedding ceremony is nominated for an Academy Award.
1994: First issues of serials: Black Leather...In Color, Fetish, In Uniform, Masta
Entertainment Complete Video Catalog, and Project X.
1994: Books Published
The Loving Dominant 1st edition by John Warren

Mapplethorpe, Assault with a Deadly Camera, A Pop Culture Memoir

by Jack Fritscher
Shaddowman by Torsten Barring

The Flesh Fables, a collection of short stories by Aaron Travis

The Slave Prince by Vince Gilman

A Caning For Sinngapore, by RT/Texas

Leathersex: A Guide for the Curious Outsider and the Serious Player
by Joseph Bean
Leatherwomen II by Laura Antoniou

Doing it for Daddy by Pat Califia

Public Sex by Pat Califia

Beneath the Skins, by Ivo Domingues Jr.

 Hustling: A Gentleman's Guide to the Fine Art of Homosexual
Prostitution by John Preston
Tales from the Dark Lord II by John Preston
The Kiss of the Whip, Explorations in SM by Jim Prezwalski
The Master's Manual, A Handbook of Erotic Dominance by Jack Rinella
Tom of Finland, His Life and Times by Valentine F. Hooven III
Animal Handlers by Jay Shaffer
That Day at the Quarry by Tom Shaw
Resource Book Three by SM Gays of London
Erotica Universalis by Giles Neret
Rituals by Kyle Stone
The Case of the Severed Head by Larry Townsend
Hazing: An Anthology of Hazing Tales by Bob Wingate
1994: Gayle Rubin completes her PhD in Anthropology at the University of
Michigan. Her dissertation is The Valley of the Kings: Leathermen in San
Francisco, 1960 - 1990.
1994: Business openings include: Clone Zone store on Earls Court, across from
the Coleherne, London's oldest leather bar; Gays and Lesbians of
Brooklyn and Everywhere community center; Mon Cheri's The Chamber,
Atlanta, GA; Our House Gallery, Amsterdam; and 7702 SM Club, West
Hollywood.
1994: Faultline, formerly Griff's Los Angeles, reopens.
1994: James McGlade buys The Leather Rack (DC) from Richard Cogan.
1994: In an interview published in The New Yorker Dominique Aury
admits that she is Pauline Reage, author of The Story of O. She
said she wrote the book as a love letter to the man she adored,
Jean Paulhan, a prominent French critic, after he said she couldn't
write an erotic book.
1994, early: The mailbox Slaves and Masters BBS is founded in Hamburg, Germany.
1994: The new Republic of South Africa constitution prohibits discrimination
based on sexual orientation.
1994: The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th
Edition is issued with considerably revised definitions of
Masochism and Sadism, which in essence say that it they are not
illnesses unless you are bothered by your interest in them and
they interfere with your normal functioning in other aspects of
your life.
1994: Thomas S. Weinberg publishes a summary of two decades of sociological
research on sadomasochism, describing it as "erotic, consensual, and
recreational."
1994: The American psychologist Eugene E. Levitt and colleagues confirm
Breslow's finding that nonprostitute female sadomasochists exist.
1994: The first Spanner/Mart fundraiser, organized by the 15 Association and
others, is held in San Francisco to raise money for the Operation
Spanner defense fund.
1994: A film version of Ann Rice's novel Exit to Eden is released. It is very SM
positive, but critics pan it. It is pretty silly, but so was the novel.
1994: Victor Magide is named American Leatherman and Sarah Humble is
named American Leatherwoman.
1994: Jose Granda is named International Mr. Deaf Leather.
1994: Ryan Johnson is named Mr. Vulcan Rubber 1994.
1994: Missouri high school teacher Rodney Wilson organizes teachers and
community leaders to educate the public about the history of lesbian,
gay and bisexual people. The National Gay and Lesbian History Month
each October grows out of this movement.
1994, Jan.: The Lure, a leather bar, opens in New York city just around the corner
from the former site of the Mineshaft. The consortium of owners are all
leathermen. It is instantly successful.
1994: – The Outbound publishes The Bound & Gagged Photo Album 1.

The Outbound Press publishes a trade paperback, Hazing, a complication

of stories on the subject from issues of Bound & Gagged andPledges &
Paddles specials. Bob Wingate edited.

The Outbound Press publishes “That Day at the Quarry,” an

autobiographical novel by Tom Shaw.
1994, Jan 19: Tennessee Leather Tribe founded in Memphis.
1994, Feb. 4: Sheila Kuehl becomes the first out gay or lesbian elected to the California
Assembly.
1994, Feb. 26: For the first time Gay and Lesbian Asian-Pacific organizations are
included in the San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade.
1994, March: Publication of Doomed Rabbit, Recipes from the Kitchens of Leather Folk
and Friends compiled by Aubrey Hart Sparks, and including recipes
contributed by leather people from all over North America, and from
some non-leather people including Hilly Clinton, is published as a
fundraiser in the "Hands off Washington" campaign.
1994, March: The American lesbian SM-group Female Trouble in
Philadelphia publishes the study "Violence against SM
Women within the Lesbian Community" (The "Jad Keres
Report"). Based on a 539 questionnaires completed by
lesbian sadomasochists, the study documents that 56% of
them were subjected to some form of violence from vanilla
lesbians because of their SM orientation. This is the only known study on
violence against sadomasochits, lesbian or otherwise.
1994, March 5: John Birch and Beau Lee James of Oak Brook IL are selected as the
 International Master and slave at this year's contest in Houston.
1994, March 6: The Leather Journal's Pantheon of Leather awards ceremony
is held in Houston. Joseph Bean and K.T. Chase are named
Man and Woman of the Year. Other awards are: Business
Person: Scott Rodriguez of the Cuff in Seattle WA; Business:
Mr. S Leathers, San Francisco; Club: Centaur MC, Washington DC; Club
sponsored event: Living in Leather VIII; Non-Profit Organization: Brother
Help Thyself, Washington DC; Forbearer: Dom "Etienne" Orejudos;
Lifetime Achievement: Tony DeBlase; Readers Choice: Lenny Broberg
and K. T. Chase; Publisher's: Brian Dawson; International: Don Bastian,
Calgary; Regionals: West Coast - Guy Baldwin; Rocky Mountain - Joe
Potter; South Central - Boots Adams; Midwest - Ed Tobin; Southeast -
Jose Alberto Ucles; Eastern - Alan Chiras; Canadian - Trevor Jacques.
1994, March 19: Anne Bergstedt of Seattle WA, is selected as the 8th International Ms
Leather at the contest in San Francisco. She later resigns and Cindy
Bookout, the first runner up, assumes the title.
1994, March 25- Omikron of Indianapolis holds its first major run: Omikron 500 -- Lap 1.
27: The Mr. Indiana Leather Contest was won by Lance Bray of Fort Wane.
1994, March 31: Tom of Finland exhibition opens at the Schwules Museum in Berlin for a
three month run. A Catalog of the exhibition is published: Tom of Finland
Exhibition 1994-95.
1994, May 27: The second edition of this Leather History Timeline is published.
1994, May: Bound & Gagged produces its first video, Bound & Gagged: The Video,
videographed and directed by James Bond.
1994, May 27- Leather Archives & Museum exhibits a portion of it's collection in Chicago
30: during International Mr. Leather 1994.
1994, May 29: 16th International Mr. Leather Contest. Jeff Tucker of San Jose is
selected at the contest at the Congress Theatre in Chicago.
1994, May 29: International Boot Black 1994, William Steele is named during the IML
contest in Chicago.
1994, June: Gay Games IV was held in New York during June 1994
to coincide with the Stonewall 25 celebration. Attending
Unity '94 were former Olympic competitors, celebrities,
politicians, and, in keeping with the continued growth of
the Gay Games, nearly 11,000 athletes and about 1,500 cultural
participants from 40 countries. Featuring 31 sports, Gay Games IV
exceeded the Olympics in numbers of athletic participants.
1994, June: Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots held in New
York City at the conclusion of Gay Games 1994. Hundreds of thousands
of gay men and women fill the city in celebration.
1994, June: A consortium of NYC area leather/SM clubs sponsors International SM-
Leather-Fetish Celebration. The largest conference of SM/leather/fetish
people yet!
1994, June: Becoming Visible, an exhibit centering on the Stonewall riots, but
extending well into the pre-stonewall era of gay and lesbian history in
New York City is featured at the New York Public Library. SUPERB!
1994, June: Publication of Long Road to Freedom, The Advocate History of the Gay
and Lesbian Movement edited by Mark Thompson.
1994, June: Joe Granda wins International Mr. Deaf Leather contest in New York City.
1994, June 23: The German government television station ARD shows a documentary on
the SM group Suendikat Hamburg. Though the end shows a female
sadomasochist who plans to get rid of her orientation, the tone of this
programs is mostly positive.
1994, July: Michael M. Schein is convicted of obscenity for producing and distributing
gay male videos, including Give That Man a Hand, depicting urination. He
is sentenced to 18 months federal detention.
1994, Sept.: Chicago Hellfire Club hosts Inferno 23 in Douglas Michigan. Tony Philbin
receives the Caligula award and Ralph Cheesborough the J Paul Eaton
award.
1994, Sept.: Leather Pride Week in San Francisco. Keith Hunt is named International
Mr. Drummer 1994/95, and Mark Colter is named International
Drummber Boy.
1994, Sept.: The first regular German radio program on sadomasochism by
sadomasochists, "Radio Schwazer Adler", is started in Hamburg. It will
broadcast over 30 programs by July 1997.
1994, Oct.: Living in Leather IX is held in Toronto ON. K. T. Chase becomes new
female Co-chair. Lifetime Achievement awards are presented to John
Preston and Nan Burrows. Titleholders selected are Mr. NLA Don Bastian
of Calgary and Ms NLA Mary Dante of Toronto.
1994, Dec. 10: Bear Dog Hoffman takes over Richard Bulger's ailing Brush Creek Media
(Bear and Power Play magazines) and quickly adds Terry LeGrande's
Parkwood Publications (International Leatherman, FQ, etc.) Brush Creek
soon revives Bunknhouse and Honbres Latinos magazines.
1994: Deaths: historian John F Boswell; Mr. Drummer 1993,
Emerson Briney; Mr. Sacramento Leather 1991, Randy
Gray; Great Lakes Drummer Boy 1993, David Hawn;
International Mr. Leather 1987, Thomas Karasch;
author John Preston; The first Mr. Leather New York,
Henry Romanowski; Leather Journal columnist Paul
"Papa Bear" Shem; San Francisco Eagle manager, Terry Thompson; Mr.
Indiana Leather 1992, Ed Tobin; and David Weinbaum of GMSMA.

1995
Time Event
1995: Clubs formed: Brew City Bears (Milwaukee), Coastal
Empire Sentinels (Savannah), The Dedicated and Safe
Club (Chicago), Dragon Leather Club (Columbus OH),
Firebirds, Milwaukee; Harbor City Bears (Sydney), International Dungeon
and Playroom Association, Knight Cruisers (Lexington) Leather Engineers
of Omaha, ONYX/Chicago, Pikes Peak Summit Masters (Colorado
Springs), Red Earth Bears (Oklahoma City), Seattle Kink Information
Network (SKIN), South Sound S&M Leatherfolk (Olympia WA), Sober,
Safe, Sane and Consensual Club of Chicago; The SOCIETY Connecticut
chapter, South Texas Lather Men (Corpus Christi), The Spanking Club
(Los Angeles), Texas Riders MC Corpus Christi Chapter, Trident
International Baltimore, Vulcan America Southern California (Los
Angeles) West Florida Growlers of Tampa, and Women's Welcoming
Committee (Seattle).
1995: Clubs disbanded: Black Angels (Koln), Cascade Bears (Portland, OR),
Lost Angels (DC), Ozbears Australia, and Vanguards MC (Philadelphia).
1995, early: The German SM-group aktiveS/Muenchen is formed in Munich by a
splinter group of freiesMuenchen.
1995: Cancellation of the Satyrs M/C Badger Flat Run is reported in The
Leather Journal. The club holds a smaller event - Camp Satyr at
Badger Flat - to continue the Badger Flat Run tradition.
1995: The Polish SM-Society is formed in Nowy Sacz, Poland. This is the first
known SM group in that country.
1995: C-Space, an SM instruction forum ceases operations in Seattle.
1995: The David Weinbaum Foundation is founded in New York City. The
purpose of the foundation it to make cash grants to organizations to be
used for specific projects benefiting the leather/SM/fetish community.
1995: The 15 Association creates a fund, named for deceased member Alexis
Sorel, in order to assist brothers in need.
1995: Northwest Bondage Club (Seattle) secures new meeting and play space
on Capitol Hill.
1995: First Ms Florida Leather, International Mr. Fantasy, Mr. Leather Europe,
and Ms New Mexico Leather contests.
1995: Books Published
The Bottoming Book by Dossie Easton and Catherine A. Lizst
Safe, Sane, Consensual and Fun by John Warren
Screw the Roses, Send me the Thorns by Philip Miller and Molly Devon
Thy Rod and Staff by Edward Anthony
Writing Below the Belt, Conversations with Erotic Authors by Michael
Rowe
Looking for Mr. Preston, A Celebration of the Writer's Life Edited by
Laura Antoniou
The Stonewall Experiment, A Gay Psychohistory by Ian Young
 The Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage, A reader's companion to the
writers and their works from antiquity to the present Edited by Claude
J. Summers
Out of the Past, Gay and Lesbian History from 1869 to the Present by
Neil Miller
Unspeakable, The Rise of the Gay and Lesbian Press in America by
Rodger Streitmatter
One-Handed Histories, The eroto-politics of gay male video
pornography by John R. Burger
The Hero, Manhood and Power by John Lash
Studies in Dominance and Submission by Thomas A. Weinberg, A
second, revised, edition
By Her Subdued Edited by Laura Antoniou
1995: Richard Kasak Books publishes a new edition of William Carney's
novel The Real Thing, originally published by Putnam's in 1968
and long out of print. Review by: Samuel R. Delany This brief,
elegant psychological novel is what might be imagined if Andre
Gide and Marguerite Yourcenar had decided to collaborate on the
ultimate S/M double-whammy. From a cool, cool beginning it rises to a
truly astonishing pitch of excitement. By the end it's equally astonishing
how much we know about these people, considering how artfully little
we've been told.
1995: Greg Lowe is named American Leatherman, Mon Cherie is named
American Leatherwoman, and Kevin McGraw is named American
Leatherboy.
1995: Jack Stice and tom Stice are named International Master and Slave.
1995: The Outbound Publishes a new trade paperback edition of Mason Powell’s
classic, The Brig, with a new foreword and afterword by the author;The
Bound & Gagged Photo Album 2, and Room Servitude, a bondage photo
story book with photos by Bob Wingate.
1995, Jan.: Publication of The Politics of Pain: Torturers and Their Masters edited by
Ronald D. Crelinsten and Alex P. Schmid.
1995, March 1: Firebirds founded in Milwaukee
1995, March 8: Hungary legalizes common law same sex marriage.
1995, March 25: The State of Mississippi ratifies the 13th Amendment to the Constitution
of the United States, making slavery illegal in the state.
1995, May: The Leather Archives and Museum mounts it's third exhibition during
International Mr. Leather weekend.
1995, May : International Mr Leather contest at the Congress Theatre in Chicago is
won by Larry Everett, Mr. Oklahoma Leather.
1995, May: Tim Cousins wins International Bootblack 1995 during IML contest in
Chicago.
1995, May 26: The Supreme Court of Canada ruled it is illegal to discriminate on the
basis of sexual orientation.
1995, Jun: Bound & Gagged produces A Night at the Lure, directed by Bob Wingate
1995, June 1: Effective date of NLA: San Diego's decision to withdraw from affiliation
with NLA: I. and rename itself Club X.
1995, June: Mexico's first March for Human Rights of Lesbians and Gays is held in
Tijuana.
1995, June 6: Craig Byrnes introduces his design for the "International Bear
Brotherhood Flag." A design based on the Leather Pride flag, with seven
fur-colored stripes and a paw-print in the upper left, is accepted.
1995, Mid: The German SM group SMarti.e.s. is formed in Hamburg.
1995, July 6: David Cowan of Indianapolis is selected as the fifth International Mr.
Deaf Leather at the contest in Montreal.
1995, July 20- pat baille wins International MS. Leather in Chicago.
23:
1995, July 30: The 15 Association, The Outcasts and the Society of Janus join forces to
host SpannerMart 2 in San Francisco, raising $7,248 for the Spanner
Defense Fund.
1995, July 31: Iran's parliament votes to ban the sale of seedless watermelons because
"the unnatural melons spread corruption, robbing the youths of moral
values, promoting homosexuality and asexuality"!
1995, Aug.: The Orange County Leather Assembly hosts its second annual "Meet a
Master" weekend, this year featuring Tony DeBlase.
1995, Aug, 18- Fantasy 1995 changes format and includes the first ever International
20: Mr. Fantasy contest, won by J. D. Buchart.
1995, Sept. 1 - Delta International hosts it's first SM run in Pennsylvania. The core
5: membership of the group is from Chicago Hellfire Club, and the Delta run
is very similar to Inferno, but in an incredibly better venue!
1995, Sept. 7 - Chicago Hellfire Club hosts Inferno 24 in Douglas Michigan. Michael
13: Horowitz receives the Caligula Award and Race Bannon the J Paul Eaton
award.
1995, Sept. 23: At the Mr. Drummer contest in San Francisco, David WW Walker is
named International Mr. Drummer. and Pup is named International
Drummer Boy.
1995, Oct. 6-8: NLA holds its tenth Living in Leather Conference in Portland OR. Mark
Frasier becomes male co-chair. Tony DeBlase and Woody Bebout are
Keynote speakers. Viola Johnson and Larry Townsend receive the
Lifetime Achievement awards. Mr. and Ms NLA are David Hoffenbacker
and Stacey.
1995, Nov 4: The Leather Archives and Museum moves to a storefront at 5007 N Clark
St. and opens its first permanent exhibition gallery. The first show
highlights items from the collection and features the original artwork of
 Dom Orejudos. The collection is made available to researchers.
1995, Nov.: The Spanking Club of Los Angeles is founded by Glenn Walker and five
other men.
1995, Nov. 5: Motor Sportclub Amsterdam and the European Council of
Motorcycle Clubs sponsored the 1996 Mr. Europe Leather and
Mr. Europe Drummer contests. Antonio Sanchez of Madrid
Spain won both titles and will represent Europe in both IML
and the Mr. Drummer finals in 1996.
1995, Nov. 15: Beyond the Edge Cafe, operated by Alena Gabosch and Denise Pedro,
opens in Seattle. It quickly becomes the meeting place for men and
women into the leather/sm/fetish scene. Many special interest and social
groups use it as a meeting space and it is the site of many scene related
art shows and performances. Closes, Jan. 1999.
1995: TLC, A year with a leather club is released. This documentary video
made by Randy Riddle covers a year of activities by the members of the
Tarheel Leather Club.
1995: Desmodus Inc. stops publishing DungeonMaster and The
Sandmutopia Guardian. Harold Cox and Bob Reite, the owners
of Checkmate purchase DungeonMaster and incorporate it into
their publication. Mitch Kessler and Gerrie Blum, a couple from
New York who have been involved in many aspects of the SM
community for many years, purchase The Sandmutopia
Guardian and resume publication of that title.
1995, Dec. 31: A New Years Eve SM Play Party is the first of many play parties in the
lower level of the Beyond the Edge Cafe in Seattle.

1996
Time Event
1996: Formation of Men of Rubber, Chicago; and Wisconsin Leathermen,
Milwaukee.
1996: Formation of Men of Discipline group in New York City moving to
Washington DC a year later.
1996: The National Leather Association of Canada (Vancouver), after years of
no contact with any other part of NLA, changes its name to VantaSM.
1996: South Africa adopts a new constitution which bans discrimination based
on sexual orientation, the first instance of such laws being incorporated
into a constitution.
1996: The German activist Matthias Grimme publishes the SM-Handbuch. This
is the first SM safety book written in German.
1996: Books published in English
 Leathersex Q & A by Joseph Bean
The Second Coming - A Leatherdyke Reader, edited by Pat Califia and
Robin Sweeney
My Private Life - Real Experiences of a Dominant Woman by Mistress
Nan
Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex, and the Fight for Women's
Rights, by Nadine Strossen
Ritual Sex, by Tristan Taormino and David Aaron Clark
The Gay Almanac, compiled by the National Museum and Archive of
Lesbian and Gay History
Who's A Pretty Boy Then?, One Hundred and Fifty Years of Gay Life in
Pictures by James Gardiner
The Only Reason I Mention This, A Collection of the Best of The
Wearin' O' The Hides Columns by Daddy Bob
Hard to Imagine, Gay Male Eroticism In Photography and Film From
Their Beginnings to Stonewall by Thomas Waugh
Valentine's Shanghaied by Valentine Hooven
1996: Daniel Sonnenfeld is named International Mr. Deaf Leather and Cool Cat
is named the first International Ms Deaf Leather.
1996: Morgana and michael, from Denver, are named International Master and
slave 1996.
1996: Kevin Watson selected as International Mr. Fantasy 1996.
1996: The James C. Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center in the San Francisco public
library opens as the first separate lesbian and gay collection in a US
public library.
1996, Jan.: Astride Indricane and Birgita Bohvinger, a lesbian couple, are legally
united under new laws allowing same sex marriages in Latvia.
1996, Jan: In Issue 50 of Bound & Gagged, Patrick Califia starts writing a regular
advice column called “On the Ropes,” which will continue until the
magazine ceases publication in 2005.
1996, Jan.: Performance Artist Bob "Supermasochist" Flanagan dies at age 42 of
cystic fibrosis.
1996, Jan.: New York's White Columns mounted a show of bright color
photographs of duo John Lovett and Alessandro
Codagnone with their in-laws: Lovett's parents are all
about American suburbia, Codagnone's live in a
respectable home outside Milan, Italy. The parents smile, the boys are
smiling too -- and draped in leather and bondage gear. "We're a couple,
just as they're a couple, and yet who is normal or abnormal?" says
Codagonone.
1996, Feb.: The Salt Lake City school board votes to ban all nonacademic clubs in
order to quash the student's Gay-Straight Alliance.
1996, Feb: Beasts & Beauties, The Erotic art of Olaf is published
1996, Feb. 10: The Leather Journal holds it's first Mr. and Ms Olympus Leather during
the Pantheon Of Leather weekend. Ron Hendon and Daddy Flo are
named to the titles.
1996, Feb. 11: Pantheon of Leather IV is held in New Orleans. Woody Bebout and Sarah
Humble are Man and Woman of the year. Cindy Bookout and Frank
Nowicki receive the Reader's Choice awards. Lifetime Achievement to
Don Thompson. Forbearer to Judy Tallwing-McCarthy, Publisher's award
to Walter Klinger and Gerald LeGault, Club of the Year to The 15
Association; Club Event of the Year - 25th Anniversary /ECMC Weekend,
Motor Sport Amsterdam, NonProfit Organization of the year Countdown
on Spanner National Effort, Business of the Year to Gauntlet, Inc.,
Business person of the year to Jim McGlade and Chuck Renslow,
International to Dom Bastian and Mary Dante; Regional awards are:
Southeast: Bill Costomiris and Jack Stice, South Central: Dean Walradt,
Rocky Mountain: Greg Lowe, West Coast: Jeff Henness, Midwest: Jan
Hall, Canadian: Paris Elizabeth Sea. Local Community Service to Aubrey
Hart Sparks.
1996, April: Companions on a Journy hold the first gay conference in Sri Lanka.
1996, May: The Alternate Sources Guide by Trevor Jacques is published.
1996, May 8: Death of Alan Oversby, a.k.a. Mr. Sebastian, Britain's master piercer.
1996, May 9: The Canadian House of Commons passes landmark legislation banning
discrimination against homosexuals.
1996, May 9: The US Postal Service announced that it operated a mail order
pornography company for nearly two years as part of an undercover
investigation aimed at people who purchased illicit materials depicting
children in sex acts.
1996, May 24: Denmark provides protection from employment discrimination for
lesbians, gay men and bisexuals.
1996, May 24- International Mr. Leather weekend in Chicago. The Contest at the
27: Congress Theatre is won by Joe Gallagher of New York City
1996, May 26: Todd Nelson is named International Boot Black at the IML contest in
Chicago.
1996, June - New York's Whitney Museum of American Art features a
Aug.: show including three of Pal Cadmus' most controversial
(at least in the 1930's when they were painted) works:
"The Fleet's In!", "Sailors and Floosies", and "Shore
Leave", all of which feature ripe male sailor bodies interacting with
prostitutes, and each other.
1996, June 4: Iceland becomes the fourth country to create a domestic partnership
registry for same sex couples. Denmark was first in 1989, followed by
Norway and Sweden.
1996, Jun: Bound & Gagged produces Tops & Robbers, directed by Bob Wingate,
and simultaneously publishes a photo story book of the video, with
 photos by Bob Wingate.
1996, June 22: Beyond the Edge Cafe in Seattle hosts the first in it's series of Fetish
Nights.
1996, July: SMart Bremen-Oldenburg becomes the second German SM group to be
awarded the legal status as an eingetragener Verein (e.V.).
1996, July: At the Republican National Convention there are four openly lesbian, gay
or bisexual delegates. Later, at the Democratic convention there are 142.
1996, Aug.: Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe (of Arizona) is forced out
of the closet after he votes to allow states to ban same sex
marriage. He won re-election that year. In 2000, he became
the first openly gay person to address the Republican National
Convention, although his speech did not address gay rights.
He has been lukewarm in his support of same-sex marriage,
voted in support of the Defense of Marriage Act, and strongly supports
the availability of universal civil unions. Kolbe supports abortion rights
and is a strong proponent of guest worker programs for immigrants. All
of these stances have caused some resentment in the Republican Party.
Kolbe was challenged by conservative Randy Graf in the 2004 primary
and won renomination.
1996, Sept 6: Karl Watkins is found dead in his cell after being convicted of gross
indecency at Wolverhampton Crown Court (England) His crime?
Outraging public decency by trying to make love to pavements and, in
one case, an underpass. Despite psychiatric help he hadn't been able to
shake off his strange fixation.
1996, Sept.: Chicago Hellfire Club hosts Inferno 25 in Douglas Michigan. Peter Fiske
receives the Caligula award and Jon Baumgartner the J. Paul Eaton
award.
1996, Sept.: San Francisco Leather Pride Week.
1996, Sept: International Mr. Drummer Contest is won by Kyle Brandon, Mike
DeNisco is named International Drummer Boy.
1996, Oct.: Jean Beland and Joey Zocher, two lesbians, are elected Homecoming
King and Queen by the student body at University of Wisconsin, Stevens
Point.
1996, Oct. 3-6: Living In Leather XI is held in Portland OR. Jan Hall becomes female co-
chair. Lifetime Achievement Awards are presented to Bob Flanagan and
Sheree Rose, and to Jo Arnone. The International Mr. and Ms NLA titles
are terminated, though Stacey is designated to continue as an
Ambassador of NLA until further notice.
1996, Oct. 10: The Austrian SM-group Eat Me, Beat Me, is founded in Vienna based on
the model of American Munches.
1996, Oct. 18 - Leather University's Dungeon 101, held in Ft. Lauderdale FL, brings two
20: days of SM instruction by a naturally recruited faculty. Small class sizes
allow hands-on laboratory participation. And nightly homework
 assignments are given.
1996, Nov.: The German lesbian SM group SMacht! -- "Autonomes Netzwerk
lesbischer und bisexueller Frauen" is founded. This is the first known
lesbian SM group in Germany.
1996, Nov.: Matthew Bourne's new production of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake opens in
London. Rewritten to feature an all male cast of swans and a prince who
falls in love with the with the Swan King, who is dressed in black leather,
the production is a hit in London and later in Los Angeles. It opens on
Broadway in Nov. 1998.
1996, Nov.: Euro Bear magazine is launched in Cologne, Germany
1996, Nov. 12: Death in New York City of leather community activist Barry
Douglas. He served four years as Chairman of GMSMA, was on
the steering committee for the 1987 March on Washington, co
chaired the National Leather Conference held at that event,
Served on the executive committee for the 1993 March On
Washington and on the board of the International Stonewall 25
commemoration in 1994. In 1988 he was the first person to be honored
as "Man of the Year" by The Leather Journal. (born 1949)
1996, Nov. 18: Death of Phillip Miller, coauthor with Molly Devon of Screw the Roses,
Send Me the Thorns.
1996, Dec. 14: Marriage in Portland OR of Sharon Contreas and Lori Michelle Buckwalter.
Buckwalter, still legally a male at the time of the ceremony, is in the last
stages of gender change, which will be completed shortly after the
ceremony. Then two legally recognized women will be partners in a
legally recognized marriage.
1996, Dec. 16: Mach #34 is published by Brush Creek Media. The magazine originated
as "Drummer's Big Brother" at Alternate Publications, becomes
International Leatherman's adopted brother after Desmodus Inc. sells
the title to the Bear family of magazines.

1997
Time Event
1997 July 18 - Genelle Moore of Lincoln NB is named International Ms. Leather. Her late
20: brother Ron Moore was International Mr. Leather in 1984.
1997: Paul Thomas Anderson's movie Boogie Nights is released to critical
acclaim. The story line is set in the porno movie industry in Southern
California in the 1970's and '80's.
1997: The Outbound Press Publishes The Bound & Gagged Bedside Companion,
edited by Bob Wingate.
1997: A theme restaurant, La Nouvelle Justine, opens in Manhattan.
The theme is SM, Along with the French cuisine, the staff of
Top identified waitpersons and bottom identified supporting
staff, both male and female, appropriately attired in leather
and paraphanalia, will provide spankings, boot licking and other
services. Prices are on the menu! Most guests sit at the tables,
some eat out of a bowl on the floor.
1997: Tom Trading, Inc. begins marketing a line of designer clothing for men
based upon the clothing worn by men in the art of Tom of Finland.
1997: The US Supreme Court rules that the Communications Decency Act,
which sought to censor cyberspace, is unconstitutional interference of
free speech.
1997: US Television news programs shock the nation by broadcasting clips
from home videos made in 1991 and 1993 showing US Marines
enthusiastically pounding the sharp metal backs of awards pins into the
bloodied chests of young paratroopers. Apparently the hazing ritual has
been going on for years. Military officials expressed "shock" and
"dismay".
1997: Pat Boone, pop singing star of the 1950's and 60's
tarnished his squeaky clean Christian image by
appearing on the American Music Awards telecast
wearing a leather vest, dog collar, studded wristbands
and flashing his 62 year old bare chest with temporary
tattoos. Trinity Broadcast Network quickly canceled
Boone's weekly gospel music show. On ABC's Good Morning America
Boone later said, "God is into leather. The first clothes he made for
anybody on this planet, he made them out of leather."
1997: Books Published
Between The Cracks, The Daedalus Anthology of Kinky Verse edited by
Gavin Geoffrey Dillard
Bound To Be Free, The SM Experience by Charles Moser and JJ
Madeson
Of men, ropes and remembrance, stories from Bound & Gagged
magazine by Larry Townsend
Master of Masters by Larry Townsend
The Leatherman's Handbook Silver Jubilee Edition by Larry Townsend
Rainbow County and other stories by Jack Fritscher
HorseMen, Leathersex Short Fiction edited by Joseph Bean
'Rasslers, 'Ranglers & Rough Guys, The Erotic Art of Matt edited by
Joseph W. Bean
No Other Tribute: Erotic Tales of Women in Submission by Laura
Antoniou
Some Women Edited by Laura Antoniou
1997: Jim Raymond is named American Leatherman, Leslie Anderson is named
 American Leatherwoman, and Max Steiner is named American
Leatherboy.
1997: Patrick Richardson is named International Mr. Deaf Leather and Cool Cat
is selected to continue as a second year with the title of International Ms
Deaf Lather.
1997: Ariq Robinson named International Mr. Fantasy 1997.
1997: Rich Villagarcia is named Mr. Vulcan Rubber 1997, The third man to hold
this title, the first since 1994, and apparently, the last to hold it.
1997, Jan.: Margo Frasier begins her term as Sheriff of Travis County, Texas. She is
the first out lesbian to be elected sheriff in the US.
1997, Jan.: New York S/M Activists formed by Leonard Dworkin and Susan Wright.
1997, Jan: Mike Seimer is named Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather '97
1997, Feb: The European Court of Human Rights upholds the original ruling in the
British "Spanner" case.
1997, Feb: The Black Guard of Minneapolis hosts their 20th Black Frost run.
1997, Feb.: Mylez Edward and Dauphine Sowell are named Mr. and Ms Olympus
Leather at the contest in New Orleans.
1997, Feb.: The Pantheon of Leather Awards are held in New Orleans,
winners are: Man and Woman of the Year to Mark Frazier and
pat baillie; Reader's Choice Awards to Jack Stice and David WW
Walker (tie) and to Sarah Humble; Lifetime Achievement to
Frank Puckett; Publisher's award to Jay Allen and Gary
Chichester; Forebearer Award to Tony DeBlase; Club of the
Year to Sandia Leather; Non Profit Organization of the Year to the
Leather Archives & Museum; Club event of the Year 25th Anniv of The
Eulenspiegel Society; Business of the Year to Leather Rack, DC; Business
Person of the Year to Audrey Joseph; International Award to George
Cameron. Regional Awards: Southeast to Darryl Flick; Rocky Mountain to
Daniel Sonnenfeld; Midwest to Cara Hanes; Northeast to Michael
Horowitz; Mid-Atlantic to Suzette Danick and Joe Morris; Canadian
Regional to Trevor Jacques. The Local Community Service award to Wes
Randall.
1997, April 7: Death of Jack Stice, International Master 1995. and leather activist in
Atlanta, the southeast, and the nation.
1997, April 19: The first annual Leather Leadership Conference is held in New York City.
1997, May: The Internet SM group Datenschlag and the AG SM& Oeffen-tlichkeit
produce the first map of heterosexual SM groups in Germany. At this
time there are 53 known groups in 45 cities.
1997, May: David Cronenberg's film Crash is awarded a Special Jury
Prize at the Cannes Film Festival "for originality, daring and
audacity". Based upon J. G. Ballard's 1973 novel the film
centers on a group of people who are erotically attracted to car crashes.
1997, May: Gene Harrawood from Bloomington IL is named Mr. Bear Pride 1997 in
Chicago.
1997, May 12: The Internet newsgroup soc.subculture.bondage-bdsm is formed.
1997, May: Details magazine's "1997 College Sex Survey" reports that 27% of the
college men they asked had done bondage with a partner, 23% more
had fantasized about it. 26% of the women had done bondage with a
partner and 25% more had fantasized about it. This is more than 50% of
all college students who have at least fantasized about bondage! The
same questions about SM got identical percentages from men and
women 6% had done it, 11% more had fantasized
1997, May 23 - The International Mr. Leather Contest in Chicago names Kevin Cwayna
26: as IML 1997.
1997, May 25: Driller is named as International Boot Black during the IML contest in
Chicago.
1997, June: The American film parody, Preaching to the Perverted, opens in the USA.
1997, June: Mid America Conference names Rob Ridinger of Trident Windy City to the
newly created post of MAC Historian.
1997, June: German art publisher Taschen publishes a three volume boxed set of the
complete run of Bob Mizer's Physique Pictorial. (Note: this is a complete
run of issues still extant, there are no surviving copies of a few.}
1997, June 4: A full page ad is place in several American
newspapers by the Family Research Council,
Concerned Women for America, American Family
Association, Southern Baptist Convention, Focus
on the Family and Coral Ridge Ministries,
condemning American Airlines for pro-homosexual business practices
such as fair treatment of its gay and lesbian employees and its
sponsorship of national and community based gay and AIDS service
organizations.
1997, June 28: Master Roger and slave bill are named International Master and Slave
1997 at the contest in Denver, CO.
1997, July 4: The Eulenspiegel Society's Equestrian Club is founded.
1997, 4th of July Kyle Brandon, International Mr. Drummer 1996-97 hosts A Gathering of
weekend: Eagles at a private estate in Philadelphia. An all expense paid party for
the country's "Leather A List" served as the setting at which $1000
checks were passed out to seven worthy recipients from around the
country. The Leather Archives and Museum was one of the recipients.
1997, July 26: Joseph W. Bean arrives in Chicago to become the first Executive Director
of The Leather Archives & Museum.
1997, Aug 16- The Orange County Leather Assembly hosts its fourth annual "Meet a
17: Master" Weekend, this year featuring Guy Baldwin, M.S.
1997, Sept.: Atons of Minneapolis celebrate their 25th Anniversary.
1997, Sept. 4 - Chicago Hellfire Club hosts Inferno 26 in Douglas Michigan. Mel Austin
10: receives the Caligula award and Tom Pscheit the J. Paul Eaton award.
1997, Sept.: Leather Pride week in San Francisco.
1997, Sept. 25 - Jeffery Adler of Miami FL is named International Mr. Drummer and also
29: receives the "Golden Whip Award" (bestowed by the constants) the first
time any man has received both of these titles. dan hughes is named
International Drummerboy.
1997, Oct. 3-5: Leather University's Dungeon 201, again brings instructors from all over
North America to offer both basic and advanced courses to leather men
and women in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
1997, Oct.: Living in Leather XII is held in Portland. Under bylaws revisions Mark
Frasier becomes President and Jan Hall becomes vice president and
president elect.
1997, Oct. 17- The Tom of Finland Foundation's Erotic Art Fair,
19: featuring hundreds of pieces of erotic are in all media
by numerous artists from around the world. Los
Angeles, CA.
1997, Oct. 24 - Amsterdam Leather Pride Celebration.
Nov. 2:
1997, Oct. 27: The first version of Time Line of Sadomasochism is created by the
Internet group Datenschlag in Germany. (Selected items indicated by ""
are included in the current Leather History Timeline.)
1997, Oct. 31: Mr. Drummer Europe contest.
1997, Nov.: Formation of The Red Chair, a pansexual group created to promote Safe
Sane and Consensual BDSM in north central Alabama.
1997, Nov. 8: Mr. International Rubber 1998, Christoff Lehner, selected at a contest at
the Cellblock in Chicago.
1997, Nov: The Outbound Press takes Bound & Gagged online and begins accepting
internet subscriptions.
1997, Nov. 9: Mr. World Rubber 1998, Ketith Waltrip, selected at a contest at Man's
Country and sponsored by International Mr. Leather.
1997, Nov. 14: Mr. International Rubber 1999, Thomas Smith, selected at a contest at
the Cellblock in Chicago.
1997, Nov. 14 - Black Rose X, the tenth anniversary celebration of Black Rose is held in
16: Washington DC.
1997, Dec.: The US Supreme Court hears Joseph Oncale's sexual
harassment case against Sundowner Offshore Services,
Inc. Oncale was harassed by his supervisor and other
workers on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Lower courts
had ruled that sexual harassment laws required the
predators and victim to be of different genders. In 1998 the Supreme
Court rules in Oncale's favor, extending sexual harassment law to same
 sex encounters.
1997, Dec. 25: Death of erotic artist Olaf Odegaard (born Dec 15, 1938)
1997, Dec. 27: Newsweek includes an article entitled "Lick Me, Flog Me, Buy Me!" on the
mainstreaming of SM.

1998
Time Event
1998: Two professors at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon,
receive a $5000. grant from the state organ of the National
Endowment for the Humanities to study "Mainstreaming and
Identity Definition within a Sadomasochistic Subculture."
1998: Martin Hall is named American Leatherman, Mercea is named American
Leatherwoman, and Terry Sapp is named American Leatherboy.
1998: The World's first gay rights organization, The Scientific Humanitarian
Committee, founded by Magnus Hirschfeld in 1987 and disbanded under
Nazi pressure in 1933, is re-launched as an association of autonomous
regional groups.
1998: Publication of
Confessions of a Naked Piano Player by Torsten Barring
Juice, Electricity for Pleasure and Pain, by Uncle Abdul
Completely Queer, The Gay and Lesbian Encyclopedia by Steve Hogan
and Lee Hudson
Czar, a novel of Ivan the Terrible by Larry Townsend
A Contagious Evil, The Mind of a Serial Killer by Larry Townsend
Leatherwomen III: The Clash of the Cultures Edited by Laura Antoniou
The Catalyst by Laura Antoniou
1998, Jan. 8: Avatar of Los Angeles, one of the continent's oldest SM clubs, celebrates
their 15th anniversary.
1998, Jan 12: NLA: New Orleans Officially accepted as the newest chapter of NLA:
International.
1998, Jan. 15- Leather Weekend & Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather contest in Washington DC,
19: sponsored by Centaur M.C. Tony Mills of Miami Beach FL is named Mr,
Mid-Atlantic Leather 1998.
1998, Feb. 13- Pantheon Of Leather Awards VII in New Orleans. Man and Woman of the
15: Year: Joseph Bean and Jill Carter; Lifetime Achievement: Vern Stewart;
Reader's Choice Tom Stice and Jill Carter; Forbearer: Chuck Renslow;
Club: Black Rose; Non Profit Organization: David Weinbaun Foundation;
Club event: Black Rose X; Business: Play House Studios and Gallery;
Business person: Philip Turner; International Award: Jacques Happe of
Amsterdam; Couple of the year (first year for this award): Jill Carter,
 Viola Johnson and Queen Cougar. Regional Awards: Southeast: Tom
Stice; South Central: Michelle Buckle; Rock Mountain: Leslie Anderson;
Northwest: Spencer Bergstedt; Western: Peter Fiske; Midwest: R. J.
Chaffin; Northeast: Susan Wright; Mid-Atlantic: Jack McGeorge;
Canadian George Cameron and Jay Wagoner. Local Community Service
Award: Billy Lane. Publisher's Awards: Lance Brittain, Shelley Hagan and
Kay Hallanger, and the San Francisco Eagle.
1998, Feb. 14: The Interclub Fund holds the 32nd Annual Motorcycle Awards in
San Francisco. The Golden Gate Guards and its members walk
away with 22 honors, the Constantines received four awards
and the California Eagles MC won three. A lifetime achievement
honor is bestowed upon James Connor of the old Warlocks MC.
The Community Service Award goes to Marcus Hernandez.
1998, Feb. 15: Charles Garrett from Orlando and Katherine from Norcrss GA are sashed
as Mr. and Ms Olympus Leather during the Pantheon of Leather Weekend
in New Orleans.
1998, Feb. 24: Off Center, a web-based radio talk show on leather /SM/fetish and
related communities debuts with host Race Bannon interviewing Joseph
Bean, Executive Director of the Leather Archives & Museum.
1998, Mar.: The Leather Journal, issue # 96, appears as a tabloid newspaper,
changing from it's previous magazine image. Commencing with this issue
it will have free distribution in leather bars and other businesses but will
still be available by subscription.
1998, Mar. 12: An exhibit, "Queer & Kinky Danger: Artists Relating to Leather/SM/Kink"
opens at the Gay & Lesbian Historical Society of Northern California" in
San Francisco. It runs through May.
1998, April 7: George Michael, British singer noted for songs such as "I Want
Your Sex" and "Freedom," is arrested for performing a "lewd act"
in Will Rogers Memorial Park in Beverly Hills. Four days later he
appears on CNN to come out as gay and say that he is currently in
a relationship with a man.
1998, April 17 - Leather Leadership Conference II is held in New York City.
19:
1998, April 18: Black Rose of the Washington DC area Publishes The Black Rose Guide to
Hosting a Leather Event in time to be available at the Leather Leadership
Conference II.
1998, April 21: The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom sponsors the first Leather
Lobby Day, meeting with a number of Congress members' Legislative
Assistants to discuss discrimination and hate crimes involving sexual-
minority practices.
1998, April 24 - American Brotherhood Weekend is held in Washington DC. American
26: Leatherman '98 is Martin Hall from Rhode Island, American
Leatherwoman '98 is Mercea from Chicago and American Leatherboy '98
is Terry Sapp from Baltimore.
1998, April 26: Death at age 90 of Dominique Aury, who as Pauline Reage, authored The
Story of O.
1998, April 17- Indulgence '98, a new men only SM event, modeled after the Inferno,
20: Delta and Boot Camp events, is held in Ft. Lauderdale FL, sponsored by
the Ft. Lauderdale Leather Guild, Inc.
1998, May 23: The Mr. Ebony in Leather Contest is held at the Leatherneck bar in
Chicago. Andre Macial is named the winner.
1998, May 23: Annual Meeting of the Leather Archives and Museum membership is held
in Chicago. The person occupying the post of executive director of LA&M
is made an ex officio member of the LA&M board of directors and Joseph
Bean moves from his elected seat on the board to this new one. Chuck
Renslow and Tony DeBlase are reelected to the board and Phil "Fluffy"
Swenson is elected to fill the open seat. Hilton Flax is elected to fill the
remaining portion of the three year term to which Joseph Bean had been
elected.
1998, May 24: The 20th International Mr. Leather Contest held at the
Congress Theatre in Chicago. Tony Mills, Mr. Mid-Atlantic
Leather becomes the 20th man to hold the IML title. A record
55 men compete, including Billy Lane, Mr. Seattle Leather,
the first FtM transsexual to compete (he placed 10th).
1998, May 24: The first public performance of One Common Heartbeat is presented by
composer Gary Aldrich, backed by soloists Joe Ricci and Kevin Tyrrell and
the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus during the International Mr. Leather show
in Chicago. The Leather Anthem had been written by Aldrich at the
request of Chuck Renslow, executive producer of International Mr.
Leather.
1998, May 24: The first public presentation of the video documentary In God we Trust,
In Leather we Lust is shown at the International Mr. Leather contest in
Chicago. The video was created by Yves J. Menou and Cyrl Zajac of The
Underground Fire Tribe.
1998, May 24: The International Bootblack Competition is held during the International
Mr. Leather weekend in Chicago. Matthew Duncan who boot blacks at the
DC Eagle and is sponsored by Centaur MC wins.
1998, June 5: Death, in New York City, of Leonard Dworkin, a longtime activist
in the leather/SM community. He was a founder of NY SM
Activists; one of the motive forces behind the Leather
Leadership Conferences, Creator of the NLA Friends on line and
many others of similar interest, a long time board member of
The Eulenspiegel Society and editor of that organization's publication,
Prometheus.
1998, June 11: Selection of the cover man for the 1999 South of Market Bare Chest
Calendar. This year, sponsored for the first time, by Miller Brewing
Company
1998, June 12: The first issue of Young Deviants, A newsletter aiming to broaden the
 Horizons of the inexperienced is published online by
[email protected]. The quarterly electronic newsletter is intended to
provide basic safety and other information for young people interested in
leather and SM.
1998, June 12 - The third annual Southeast Leatherfest is held in Atlanta, GA
14:
1998, July 9: Handing a resounding victory to the Defendants and a huge rebuke to
the Plaintiff in the Scanlon v. Gay Male S/M Activists lawsuit, New York
City District Court Judge Constance Baker Motley issues a decision
dismissing all claims against the three individual GMSMA board members
named in the suit and most of the claims against GMSMA, and only
awarded Scanlon $500 - the absolute bare minimum possible - each for
two incidents of copyright infringement.
1998, July 14: Chicagoland Discussion Group, a long running pansexual leather/SM
organization holds its last meeting.
1998, July 17 - Megan DeJarlais of Philadelphia is selected International Ms Leather 1998
19: at the contest in Atlanta.
1998, July 31 - Thunder in the Mountains, a pansexual SM conference featuring a large
Aug. 2: roster of well known presenters from all over North America is held in
Denver. The nightly Play parties are great fun too. The Leather Archives
and Museum's Traveling exhibit makes its first appearance.
1989, Aug 9: "Kink, A Women's Perspective" opens at the Leather Archives and
Museum in Chicago. This first special exhibit in the Museum's gallery
space features contributions of women to the art and literature of kink.
The exhibit runs through Sept. 30.
1998, Aug. 20: The Lesbian and Gay Rights Chapter of the American Civil
Liberties Union hosts a symposium entitled Leather and the
Law in Los Angeles.
1998, Aug. 21 - Ohio Leather Coalition holds the First Annual LeatherFest, Cleveland.
23:
1998, Sept. 4 - Satyr MC hold their 37th Run to Badger Flats.
7:
1998, Sept. 10 - Chicago Hellfire Club hosts Inferno 27 in Douglas Michigan. Michael
17: Blackburn receives the Caligula award and J. Weichert the J. Paul Eaton
award.
1998, Sept. 26: The Mr. Drummer finals is held in San Francisco. Herve Bernard from
Paris, France, Mr. Europe Drummer, is elected as the 20th International
Mr. Drummer. Ryan Goldner, Mid-Atlantic Drummerboy from Philadelphia
is selected as Drummerboy of the year.
1998, Sept. 30: The Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago hosts a party to mark the
closing of it's first special exhibit, and of its exhibition space, which will
be converted to work space to facilitate handling its ever increasing
collection of leather memorabilia. Traveling exhibits will represent the
 LA&M at events around the country and the former exhibition space in
Chicago will be used for cataloging, conservation and research of the
collection.
1998, Oct. 2-4: Leather University's Dungeon 301 is held in Ft. Lauderdale FL. This series
continues with even more female and bi and heterosexual participation.
1998, Oct. 6: In Laramie Wyoming, Matthew Shepard, a 21 year old gay
man, and a student at the University of Wyoming, is lured from
a bar by two men, viciously beaten, burned and left tied to a
fence in freezing weather. He dies a few days later. The incident
focuses national attention on Gay bashing and on hate crimes
legislation.
1998, Oct. 9 - The National Leather Association: International holds Living in Leather
11: XIII in Dallas Texas. Jan Hall becomes President and Spencer Bergsted,
Vice President and President Elect.
1998, Oct. 16: A Maryland court voids a decades old law criminalizing same-partner oral
sex. The law, which dated back to 1916, made it a felony for lesbians
and gay men to engage in oral sex and attached penalties of up to $1000
or 10 years in prison.
1998, Oct. 16 - Black Rose of Washington DC holds BR '98. BR10, celebrating the club's
18: 10th anniversary last year was such a success it will become an annual
event!
1998, Oct. 28 - Rubber Ball fetish party in London attracts over 3500 guests from around
Nov. 2: the world.
1998, Oct. 28: World premier of Razorblade Smile, at Prince Charles Cinema in London.
The film is Jake West's homage to fetish vampires
1998, Nov. 14: Mr. International Rubber 1999, Thomas Smith, selected at a contest at
the Cellblock in Chicago. This was the first year for a single title to
represent the rubber fetish. Previously, there had been two different
contest held, Mr. International Rubber and Mr. World Rubber.
1998: Nov The Outbound Press publishes The Bound & Gagged Photo Album 3
1998, Nov. 23: The Georgia Supreme Court, in a 6 to 1 decision, rules that
the Georgia Sodomy Law is unconstitutional on the grounds
of the "right of privacy". This is the same law that was
upheld by the US Supreme court in June 1986!
1998, Nov. 26: Former President of Zimbabwe, Canaan Banana, is convicted of sodomy
and sexual assault against 11 male aides. He claims that charges against
him are fabricated by supporters of vehemently anti-gay Zimbabwe
President Robert Mugabe.
1998, Nov. 29: Norbert Lindner, the mayor of Quellendorf, Germany, is removed from
office via voter referendum because of his plans to undergo gender
reassignment surgery.
1998, Dec.: The legislature of the Australian state of Tasmania votes to ban
discrimination based upon sexual orientation, along with 19 other
 grounds, including pregnancy and breast feeding.
1998, Dec.: In India the Supreme Court orders the government to provide
bodyguards to the two female leads and the director of the film Fire, a
lesbian themed work that has inflamed the zealots from the right-wing
Shiv Sena part. More than a dozen cinemas across the nation have been
ransacked, and all those involved in the making of the film have been
threatened. "This film poisons our women. It makes them curious about
something immoral." said a Shiv Sena spokeswoman.
1998, Dec. 1: Two gay men "marry" each other at Notary Office
Number 46 in Bogota Colombia, the same place where
heterosexual marriages take place. Luis Antonio Arias
Bolivar and Isauro Rincon Angarita sign a joint-
ownership-of-property contract stating that they are gay,
love each other and desire economic union. The document was created
by gay lawyer and activist German Humberto Rincon. The two men,
wearing black and beige tuxedos respectively, watch as Notary Judge
Rosa Falla Laiseca reads the document. Then they sign it, as do the
numerous guests/witnesses. When the Judge signs it becomes official,
Photos are taken and all leave for the reception.
1998, Dec. 9: The National Assembly of France passes a partnership registration
measure that grants unmarried couples spousal rights in areas such as
inheritance, housing, taxation, workplace benefits, social security and
social welfare programs.
1998, Dec. 11: Police raid the gay bar, Tare, in Mexicali, Mexico, beating and jailing 14
patrons.
1998, Dec. 15: In Canada, Mark Tewksbury, who won three Olympic swimming
medals and set seven world records, comes out as gay. He had
recently lost a six figure contract as a motivational speaker
because he was "too openly gay." So he decided he needed to
open the closet door all the way. Tewksbury became a
prominent advocate for gay rights and gay causes in Canada
and the world. On May 16, 2003, Tewksbury joined the board of
directors for the 2006 World Outgames in Montreal and was named co-
president.
1998, Dec. 16: The Supreme Court of the province of British Colombia rules that the
school board of the Vancouver suburb of Surrey erred in banning books
about gay relationships from kindergarten and first-grade classrooms.

1999
Time Event
1999: The Men Of Discipline: DC formally displayed and presented
the original Leather pride flag during the 1999 Capitol Pride
Festival in Washington, DC and at the Baltimore Gay Pride
Parade to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the flag.
1999, Jan.: Members of the former NLA: Portland chapter continue to meet and,
after last month's rescinding of their NLA chapter charter, rename their
group Portland Leather Alliance.
1999, Jan: Bound & Gagged produces Objects of Desire, directed by Randy Mann.
1999, Jan.: Beyond the Edge Cafe, Seattle's premier gathering site for the kinky
community, closes its doors.
1999, Jan. 15- Portland Uniform Weekend VII and included two dinners, a chance to
17: attend the infamous Clippers party, special bar nights and buffet
brunches, a tour of a historic Air Park, and a Military Collector's Show.
1999, Jan.: Dean Ross of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is selected as Mr. Mid-Atlantic
Leather. The Centaur MC's Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend this year, for
the first time, includes a bootblack competition which is won by a very
popular woman, Tracy.
1999, Jan. 7: BAD (Women Bound And Determined Women) held its first meeting in
Albany, NY. BAD Women is open to women of all orientations and is
designed for those interested in Leather/SM/Fetish.
1999, Feb. 12: Louisiana's sodomy law is removed by a 3-0 ruling of the
state court of appeals. In February, the state's Fourth Circuit
Court of Appeal reversed the conviction of a man found
guilty of having oral sex with a woman. That case has been
appealed to the state Supreme Court.
1999, Feb. 6: The California Eagles MC celebrated their 15th anniversary party at
Jelly's Cafe, in San Francisco, CA.
1999, Feb. 14: Lords of Leather Ball, Bal Masque XVI was held on Valentines Day.
1999, May: Kevin Shancady, a well-known and respected Leatherman from Denver,
CO was on the May 4 ballot seeking a non partisan position on the
Denver City Council (District 10). Kevin did not win.
1999, May: Boudoir Noir, Canada's main Leather/SM/Fetish magazine was back in
circulation. Founder Robert Dante of Toronto announced that a co-
publication agreement with Bill Majors, video producer and president of
Los Angeles-based Bon Vue Enterprises and B&D Pleasures had been
reached.
1999, Apr. 9-11: Beat Me in St. Louis, a educational pansexual event for the entire BDSM
community, it was produced by St. Louis Leather and Lace.
1999, Apr. 16- The National Leather Association: Houston chapter held Spring Iniquity
18: VIII. The weekend featured cocktail parties, food, fun, people events, a
Sunday brunch with an awards ceremony.
1999, Apr. 22: The Mayor of Folsom Street, Alan Selby, became a US citizen on
Thursday, April 22 in San Francisco, CA and quite a to-do it was.
Alan founded the Mr. S Leather store.

1999, Apr. 23- At the NOW Lesbian Summit in Washington DC, April 23-25
25: the S/M Policy Reform Project opened the dialogue on the
anti-SM policy contained within NOW's (National Organization
of Women) Delineation of Lesbian Rights Issues, 1980. The
outreach was extremely successful, with the S/M Policy
Reform Project gaining supporters on the local, state and regional levels
of NOW.
1999, May: The first weekend in May a group of 40-45 members of the
Leather/SM/Fetish community gathered in Dallas for a unique
educational weekend produced by Dean Walradt named boys Training
Camp.
1999, May. 15: Avatar Club Los Angeles held its annual Exploratorium at the LASFS Hall
in North Hollywood.
1999, Jun. 3: The Ballet of the Dolls by the Atons of Minneapolis gave a special
performance of Swan Lake...The Sequel for the Leather Community at
the Loring Playhouse.
1999, Jun. 11- The Warriors Motorcycle Club of Los Angeles and CCMC of San Diego, CA
13: hosted their 10th Annual Joint Run, Cowboys and Indians at Camp
Wasewagon in the San Bernardino National Forest.
1999, Jun. 19: The 16th annual Leather Pride Night was held on
Saturday, June 19. The auction raised $20,000 to be split
among Empire State Pride Agenda, The Gender Identity
Project at the Center, The National Coalition for Sexual
Freedom and, for the 16th year, Heritage of Pride. Proceeds from the
LPN raffle, a total of $2,500, will be donated to the Lesbian Herstory
Archives.
1999, Jul. 2-4: The Tarheel Leather Club of Greensboro, NC hosted Stars and Stripes in
Leather IX: Nine Lives at a private camp ground near Greensboro. The
SECC (South East Conference of Clubs) hosted its quarterly meeting
during the weekend.
1999, Jul. 9-11: The New York Renegades held their annual summer run at a rustic
retreat in the Delaware Valley, PA.
1999, Jul. 24: The Chicago Hellfire Club's infamous SM University resumed classes at
the Leatherneck bar in Chicago's Loop.
1999, Aug. 6-8: The Teddy Bear Leather Club of Virginia (TBLC) hosted Campout '99: A
Greek and Roman festival in Richmond, VA.
1999, Aug. 20- The Rogues Leather/Levi Club of Roanoke, VA held Tournament II:
22: Southern Nites Under the Star.
1999, Sep.: The Society of Janus celebrated its 25th anniversary with events
 designed to entertain and educate members and guests, with all
proceeds being donated to community charities.
1999, Oct. 1-3: Knights d' Orleans celebrated their historic 25th Anniversary.
1999, Oct. 8-10: The Louisiana Power Exchange Association hosted Bayou Bash '99.
1999, Oct. 29: officers of the San Diego Police Department's Vice Unit entered the play
party that Club X was holding and then issued citations to approximately
six individuals. These six attendees were cited for lewd behavior and/or
nudity in a public space. These citations were all classified as
misdemeanors. The case became known as the San Diego Six.
1999, Nov. 10- The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) hosted Creating
14: Change in Oakland, CA the weekend of November 10-14. There was a
Leather Caucus for participants to discuss current SM activism and
participation in the next year's Creating Change Conference. The New
York S/M Activists sponsored a workshop titled Second Coming Out, with
Randy Brown and Susan Wright.
1999, Dec.: Joseph Bean's Centurion Awards, designed to coincide with the
grand opening of the Leather Archives and Museum's new
building, were announced ahead of time. They were: Man of the
Century Chuck Renslow, Woman of the Century Cynthia Slater;
general honors to Pat Daley, Larry Townsend, Geoff Mains, Mack
McKinnon, Pat Califia, The Eulenspiegel Society, Gay Male S/M Activists
(GMS/MA), Chicago Hellfire Club, Tom of Finland and Tony DeBlase.
1999, Dec.: Lance Brittain and Andre English raised roughly $1,400 for the Leather
Archives and Museum and Gay and Lesbian Historical Society of Northern
California in November. They also raised $144 for the ICF (Inter Club
Fund) through a beer bust. In addition, they received a large number of
memorabilia for the GLHS and Leather Archives.
1999, Dec. 12: Three Washington, DC area clubs, SigMa, Defenders and Potomac MC,
held their Fifth Annual Toy and Gift Drive on December 12 at the DC
Eagle and collected 10 bicycles, eight tricycles and dozens of toys for
children with HIV from GrandMa House and kids from families affected
by AIDS. $1,515.26 in cash was collected with $1,000 given to Joseph
House, a hospice for people with AIDS in Adams Morgan. The rest was
split between GrandMa House and Building Futures.
1999, Jun. 20: GMS/MA presented its third and most successful Folsom
Street East Leather/SM/Fetish block party. The event
attracted more than 12,000 men and women raised nearly $15,000 to
benefit the New York City Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project and the
New York City Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center.

2000
Time Event
2000: The Spike closes after 20 years in New York.
2000: Release of The Loving Dominant 2nd edition by John Warren
2000: International Ms. Leather (IMsL) Held its contest in Canada this year.
2000, Jan. 13- The Centaur Motorcycle Club of Washington, DC celebrated their 35th
16: Anniversary, 25th Anniversary of Leather Cocktails and the 15th
Anniversary of the Mr. Mid Atlantic Leather Contest.
2000, Jan. 16: The Roman Eagles became the newest Leather club in Europe when held
their first meeting in Rome, Italy.
2000, Feb.: Mark Frazier announces the beginning of his SM Video Project. The
documentary film, eventually titled Out of the Darkness- The Reality of
SM, premiered in February 2001.
2000, Feb. 1: A jury in San Diego, CA unanimously acquitted Crickett
Watkins, the first of The San Diego Six charged with
committing a Lewd Act in Public. The city attorney of San
Diego drops all charges against the remaining five plaintiffs
in the Club X play party raid. The board of Club X San Diego
accepted the recommendation by its LeatherFest executive staff that
LeatherFest XI be postponed 2001. The new date would be Labor Day
Weekend of 2001 and it was held in Palm Springs, CA.
2000, Feb. 17- The Leather Archives and Museum opened its doors on Friday, February
20: 20 in cold Chicago weather. The dream of Leather Archives founder
Chuck Renslow has finally been realized as over 200 Leatherfolk were in
the Windy City for the ribbon cutting, the Centurion Awards and tours of
what they helped raise over $200,000 to get started.
2000, Feb.: The 15 Association of San Francisco celebrated its 20th Anniversary on
the last weekend of February. The club was recognized by San Francisco
Mayor Willie Brown for its long history of community service.
2000, Mar.: Menamore held Lion's Pride XI. The special guest was To Love, To Obey,
To Serve and Damphir author Viola Johnson. Over $5,000 was raised for
the Leather Archives and Museum.
2000, Mar.: The New York Eagle closed its doors in the Meat Packing District after 30
years..
2000, Mar: Mystic Rose Books releases The Academy: Tales of the Marketplace (The
Marketplace Series, 4) Laura Antoniou (Author), Cecilia Tan (Author),
Michael Hernandez (Author), David Stein (Author), M. Christian (Author),
Karen Taylor (Editor)
2000, Mar.: The Kansas City Pioneers celebrated their 25th Anniversary
with their Silverado 2000 run at the Downtown Marriott
Hotel in Kansas City, MO. As part of the weekend, the first Conference of
Conference took place with member clubs of the Mid-America Conference
of Clubs, American Motorcycle Conference of Clubs, Texas Conference of
Clubs, Southeast Conference of Clubs and the Houston Conference of
Clubs. Also, Northwind held Rubbout X in Vancouver, Canada This has
 become one of the major stops for rubber/latex players each year. The
Shipmates held their 26th Anniversary.
2000, Mar. 11: The members of Spearhead in Toronto, Canada celebrated their 30th
Anniversary at the Royal Canadian Curling Club founded in 1970,
Spearhead is the oldest Leather/Denim affiliation in Canada.
2000, Mar. 31- The fourth Leather Leadership Conference is held in Washington, D.C.
Apr. 2
2000, May. 13: Representatives from 31 groups and organizations gathered at the
Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago for Illinois Leather Summit
2000, a one-day conference that focused on legal issues of concern to
the Leather community, specifically concentrating on Illinois laws. The
Summit was the result of months of work by kink-friendly attorneys,
legal consultants and dedicated volunteers who spent endless hours
researching Illinois state, county and municipal statutes.
2000, May, IML: Mike Taylor, Mr. Heartland Leather 2000, is named IML 2000. First
runner-up is Scott Bloom, Mr. Pistons Leather, sponsored by Pistons LLC,
Long Beach, California. Second runner up is Bob “ Puppy “ Pedder, Mr.
Boston Leather 2000, sponsored by CRC Associates, Boston.
2000, Jul. 8: Two police officers in Attleboro, Massachusetts, break into a
warehouse looking for stolen guitars, interrupting a private play
party. The resulting arrests and publicity quickly become known
as the "Paddleboro case," one of the recent court cases
involving SM. They seized partygoers’ Palm Pilots, which
contained personal contact information. One of the arrestees
was charged with “possession of an item of self-abuse”—the sort of thing
that you apparently know when you see it—and another was charged
with “possession of a dangerous weapon,” which turned out to be a large
kitchen spoon.
2000, Jul: Sean Van Sant becomes editor of Bound & Gagged, with Bob
Wingate continuing as publisher and editor-in-chief.
2000, Jul. 21-23: Atons of Minneapolis host Gopher XIV, The Legend of Paul Bunyan.
2000, Jul. 21: Tony DeBlase, creator of the Leather Pride Flag, past publisher of
Drummer Magazine, founder of the Leather Archives & Museum, author
and Leather community activist, died peacefully in Portland, Oregon, on
July 21 after an extended illness, largely involving liver failure.
(Birthdate: April 3, 1942)
2000, Aug.: Motor Sport Amsterdam celebrated its 30th Anniversary by hosting the
ECMC and Leatherfolk from all over the world during the first weekend of
August. And The Rochester Rams celebrated 25th anniversary with a
summer run at a campground near Seneca Lake.
2000, Sep. 3: The Southeast Men of ONYX, a newly formed extension of ONYX from
Chicago, presented a Leather/SM/BD 101 seminar as part of the Black
Gay Pride celebration in Atlanta, GA.
2000, Sep. 29- The first Great Lakes Leather Conference is held in Louisville, Kentucky.
Oct. 1:
2000, Oct: Mystic Rose Books releases The Marketplace (The Marketplace Series, 1)
by Laura Antoniou writing as Sara Adamson
2000, Oct. 13- The Tom of Finland Foundation hosts its sixth Erotic Art Weekend in Los
15: Angeles.
2000, Nov.: The Leather Archives and Museum, National Coalition For
Sexual Freedom (NCSF) and The Leather Leadership
Conference (LLC) hosted a reception and weekend outreach effort at the
13th annual NGLTF Creating Change at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in
downtown Atlanta, GA. This was the first time such a collective of
SM/Leather/Fetish national organizations were represented at the world's
largest GLBT conference. 750 Leatherfolk made a highly-visible
presence.
2000, Nov. 10- GMS/MA (Gay Male S/M Activists) of New York, NY has been around 20
11: full years. The club with over 500 members worldwide celebrated its
20th Anniversary during its Leatherfest.
2000, Nov. 17: Christopher Posler has been hired as assistant director of the Leather
Archives and Museum.
2000, Nov. 27: Scott Rodriguez, co-owner of The Cuff Complex died on
November 27. Scott was a Seattle Men in Leather member, the
founder and president of the Washington State Mr. Leather
Organization and was named the 1999 GSBA Business Man of
the Year. Scott served as a judge for the International Mr.
Drummer Contest, American Brotherhood Contest and numerous local
and regional contests. He was recipient of the Pantheon of Leather
Business Person of the Year Award in 1994 and Northwest Regional
Award in 1997. He served on the boards of Generic Leather Productions
(GLP), and NLA, Seattle Chapter.
2000, Dec. 12: NLA Florida presents a proposed pledge of allegiance to the Leather Pride
flag at its holiday party in Fort Lauderdale. The pledge reads: “ I pledge
allegiance to the Leather Pride flag, and the union of Leather people for
which it stands, with safety, sanity and consent for all .”

2001
Time Event
2001: Boudoir Noir ceases publication after eight years.
2001: Celebrating 10 Years: American Brotherhood Weekend,
ABLE Productions, Washington, DC; Defenders: Denver
LLC, Denver, CO; Edge Bar, San Francisco, CA; Key West
Wreckers, Key West, FL; Leather Archives and Museum, Chicago, IL;
 Leather Walk by AIDS Emergency Fund, San Francisco, CA; Mr. and Ms
Alameda County Leather Contest by Alameda County Leather Corps,
Hayward, CA; Rubbout X by Northwind, Vancouver, Canada' Texas
Leather Pride X by NLA: Austin, Austin, TX; Uniform Leather Ball by
Phoenix Uniform Club, San Francisco, CA.
2001: Celebrating 15 Years: Golden Gate Guards, San Francisco, CA;
International Ms Leather Contest, Omaha, NE; Utica Tri's Motorcycle
Club, Utica, NY.
2001: Celebrating 20 Years:Cuffs bar, Los Angeles, CA; Defenders NY, New
York, NY; Lesbian Sex Mafia (LSM), New York, NY; North West Rainbow
Alliance of the Deaf, Seattle, WA.
2001: Celebrating 30 Years: DC Eagle, Washington, DC; The Eulenspiegel
Society (TES), New York, NY; Tribe, Detroit, MI; Unicorn Motorcycle
Club, Cleveland, OH; 25th Anniversaries.
2001, Jan.: After a storied history of 27 years, the SFGDI Club voted to disband in
January. A huge crowd turned up at the Eagle on January 20th to wish
them well.
2001, Jan: Mystic Rose Books releases The Slave (The Marketplace Series, 2) by
Laura Antoniou writing as Sara Adamson
2001, Feb. 13: Out of The Darkness - The Reality of SM, a video containing interviews
with leading psychotherapists, PHDs, MDs, CSWs and activists who share
information and studies in an effort to distinguish SM from abuse
debuted in Dallas, TX. The video was created and produced by Mark
Frazier in conjunction with the National Leather Association:
International.
2001, Feb. 17: San Francisco held the 35th Annual Motorcycle Awards presented by the
Inter Club Fund at the California Club there was a three way tie for Man
of the Year: Tom Galante of the GDI, Cam Solari and Philip Turner. Two
special presentations were to Cam Solari, Lifetime Achievement Award,
and Gary Kenyon, The Frank Benoit Award.
2001, Feb. 25: Richard A. "Dick" McHugh, a fixture in Washington's gay
community and owner of the DC Eagle tavern on New York
Avenue from 1987 to 2000, died of lymphoma at his home
in Washington. Mr. McHugh used the bar for benefits that
raised funds for a variety of charities, including Brother, Help
Thyself and Food for Friends. McHugh helped many gay organizations get
off the ground, including the Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association. He
also supported the Centaur Motorcycle Club, the DC Bear Club and the
DC Boys of Leather.
2001, Mar. 2-4: SPLF Productions held its inaugural annual event, South Plains Leather
Fest at the Radisson Hotel - Dallas in Dallas, TX which offer over 35
workshops and more than 20 vendors.
2001, Apr. 2: Death of the leather poet John Eric Larsen, creator of Songs to My
Master.
2001, May: Stefan Mueller, Bavarian Mr. Leather 2001, becomes IML 2001, the
second German to hold this title. The first runner-up is Darrell Moyers,
Mr. DC Eagle 2001, and the second runner-up Houston Davenport, Mr.
San Francisco Leather 2001, sponsored by the Powerhouse Bar and
Stompers Boots.
2001: May: Bound & Gagged produces Boynapped!, directed by Bob Wingate.
2001, May: Glenn Hughes, the Leatherman singer for the Village People passed away
due to AIDs.
2001, Apr. 6-8: The fifth Leather Leadership Conference is held in Chicago.
2001, Jun.: Throughout the month of June, In The Life, a gay/lesbian news magazine
broadcast its first report on SM/Leather/Fetish on PBS television stations
across the country.
2001, Jun. 20: Brush Creek Media's publishing offices in San Francisco and The Bear
Store, their retail operation were closed in late June by the Internal
Revenue Service for nonpayment of certain taxes owed. Several days
later Brush Creek was back open and operating.
2001, Jul. 1: Mystic Rose Books releases The Trainer (The Marketplace Series, 3) by
Laura Antoniou writing as Sara Adamson
2001, Jul. 5-8: Living in Leather XVI is held in Chicago.
2001, Aug.: A new Pride Foundation community based scholarship was
established for students in the Pacific Northwest entering the
fields of sex education, sex therapy, research or something that
furthers the understanding of human sexuality, especially
alternative sexuality. The scholarship will be named the Tony
DeBlase Scholarship Foundation and was created by Aubrey Hart Sparks.
2001, Aug. 7: In Washington, DC on August 7, gearing up to expand its lobbying and
education programs, The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF)
opened a Dupont Circle office in Washington, DC in August. AJ Altheimer,
an NCSF staff member from Chicago, relocated to serve as NCSF's office
manager.
2001, Aug. 10: The Hearts Foundation, a nonprofit organization in Chicago, IL that holds
several fundraising events annually, donated $7,000 to Chicago's Leather
Archives and Museum, the largest single donation ever made to the
Museum. The huge donation was from proceeds raised at a first-ever IML
(International Mr. Leather) -sanctioned tea dance produced by the
Foundation.
2001, Aug. 24- The Leather Archives and Museum celebrated its 10th Anniversary with
26: three days of parties with more than a sprinkling of Leather history-
related events the weekend of August 24-26 in Chicago, IL.
2001, Sep.: Passing of Boy Jarret Christiansen. He was the founder of the Great
Lakes Brotherhood of Boys and the fonder of the Boy Gatherings. Jarret
was born June 8, 1970, and was an associate member of the DC Boys of
Leather.
2001, Sep.: Only three days after the terrorists' attacks, San Francisco's Leather
community rallied at Club Townsend to raise over $10,000 to contribute
to the Red Cross and benefit those in New York and Washington, DC who
were in need.
2001, Sep. 12: The world of Japanese Rope Artists was saddened with the news
of the passing of Osada Eikichi. Osada Sensei was one of the most
famous Nawa Sensei's in Japan. He was born on March 15, 1925
in Tochigi Prefecture. He was the founder of the Osada Seminar, a
private membership SM organization in Japan. He was well known
as an architect of the Japanese SM scene, and is regarded as the founder
of the SM/Rope Art show in Japan. Indeed he was recognized as the
Grand Master of Rope Art in Japan.
2001, Oct. 20: Northbound Leather of Toronto, Canada sponsored North America's
largest fetish party, Ultra. Thousands participated with a huge fashion
show, play parties and more.
2001, Nov. 10: The new owners of the Eagle's Nest in New York City had their grand
reopening at 554 West 28th Street in Manhattan. The Eagle features two
large floors, both with bars and pool tables. The previous location was
closed on March 5, 2000 after being operated as a Levi/Leather bar since
1970.
2001, Nov. 25: Old guard Leatherman Jim Babin died at the age of 83. He was a charter
member of Delta International, as well as a member of Chicago Hellfire
Club, The 15 Association, Houston's Brotherhood of Pain and several
other BDSM groups. Jim was survived by his slaveboy caspian.
2001, Dec: Bound & Gagged produces Masters & Slaves 1: Opposite
Attractions and Masters & Slaves 2: Ties that Bind, directed by Bob
Wingate.
2001, Dec. 11: On December 11, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom
(NCSF) and Barbara Nitke, an acclaimed New York City artist
who operates her own web site, www.BarbaraNitke.com, filed a court
challenge that aimed to overturn the last remaining Internet censorship
provision of the flawed Communications Decency Act. In papers filed in
Federal District Court in New York City, the NCSF and Nitke claimed that
the CDAs remaining obscenity provision is so broad and vague that it
violates free speech and inhibits the discussion of sexual issues on the
Internet among adults.

2002
Time Event
2002, Jan. 25-27 The book, Chainmale: 3SM--A Unique View of Leather Culture by Don
Bastian was published. This fast-paced account of one man's experience
with his own sexuality, and eventual involvement in a loving and
 successful threeway kink relationship, is uninhibited and honest. Flowing
craftily between coming of age memories, thoughts, and philosophies,
and personal scene-related experiences. Mr. Bastian's autobiographical
tale of how his 3SM family came to be is engaging and intelligent. Hot
yet informative, Chainmale is sure to be an instant classic!
2002, Jan. 25-27 CLAW (Cleveland Leather Annual Weekend), was a huge
success with $5,000 being raised for the LGBT Service
Center of Cleveland and the Leather Archives and Museum.
Mr. Cleveland Leather Dennis McMahon hosted CLAW with the assistance
of Mr. West Michigan Leather Robert Miller.
2002, Feb. 15-17 Pantheon of Leather is moved to Chicago from New Orleans due to
security concerns and a conflict with the Super Bowl.
2002, Feb. 22 The bidding was fast and furious as The LA Boys of Leather held its first
Boy/Boi Auction at Gauntlet II in Los Angeles, CA on February 22.
$1,600 was raised for the Lupus Foundation and the LA Leather
Coalition.
2002, Feb. 22-24 The 15 Association celebrated its 22nd Anniversary with a formal dinner
at the Officers Club at Fort Mason and two hot dungeon parties the
weekend of February 22-24 in San Francisco. Dave Rhodes and Peter
Fiske presented the club the award they won for Small Event, Boot Camp
XII, the weekend before at Pantheon of Leather in Chicago.
2002, Mar.: The Leather Archives and Museum entered a new era at the beginning of
March when Rick Storer took over as executive director. Storer has lived
in Chicago for 12 years and has worked as a volunteer for International
Mr. Leather and the Leather Archives and Museum and was actively
involved with Masters and Slaves Together.
2002, Apr. 7: Guy Baldwin delivers a powerful speech at the sixth Leather
Leadership Conference in Manhattan Beach , California,
rejecting the philosophy of inclusion and emphasizing Old
Guard values and self-responsibility as guides to developing
as a leatherperson. The speech causes widespread debate.
"What strikes me most about those who question me closely
about the Old Guard is how passionately they seem to be
searching for something which they believe will somehow satisfy a
deeply felt need....a longing for something they sense has been lost to
us. When I question people closely about what this need is ... it almost
always can be reduced to a few key words: sexiness, cohesion, intimacy,
trust, reliability, integrity, accountability, and perhaps most importantly,
a sense of family."
2002, Apr. 26: St. Louis Leather and Lace held Beat Me In St. Louis VI in St. Louis, MO
the weekend of April 26-28 with noted Leatherman and author of The
Master's Manual Jack Rinella author of The Loving Dominant John
Warren topping the bill.
2002, May: Stephen Weber, Mr. Texas Leather 2002, , sponsored by the Dallas
 Eagle, becomes International Mr. Leather 2002. First runner-up is Borisz
Mos, Mr. Leather Holland 2002, and second runner-up is Herb Kaylor, Mr.
DC Eagle 2002.
2002, May 2: Tony Brown, one of the original Spanner defendants, passed away at
10:10 AM, 15 days before his 67th birthday. Brown, along with Colin
Laskey (deceased) and Roland Jaggard, were three of the 12 men
prosecuted in 1989 for adult consensual sadomasochist sex and whose
case resulted in the infamous Spanner Judgement (Regina vs Brown et
al) which changed British law such that many consenting acts of BDSM
between adults in Britain are now deemed assault under British Law.
Tony was an active member of the European ECMC movement and an
officer of the Midlands MSC Leather Men's Club. Tony received a
Centurion award from the Leather Archives, of which they were
extremely proud.
2002, May 12: ONE Institute and Archives, the oldest gay organization in the United
State threw a benefit party while celebrating its 50th Anniversary. ONE
Institute and Archives, founded in 1952, has accumulated the largest
known collection of gay historical materials.
2002, May 28: Stephen Scott was born May 5,1963 in Stamford, CT and died from a
drug overdose in the morning of May 28, 2002 in Chicago. Stephen was
the first Mr. South Plains Leather in 2001 and the first Mr. Sooner State
Leather in 2000, was a Leatherman for over 12 years and served as male
cochair of the National Leather Association (NLA) Oklahoma City chapter.
Stephen was one of the founders of Tribal Fire. Stephen helped raise
thousands of dollars for the Winds House-OKC, the Walt Whitman
School-Dallas and the Leather Literary Project through various
fundraising endeavors. Stephen was elected to the board of directors of
the Leather Archives and Museum and served as director of Outreach
and Development. He lived in Oklahoma City with his partner of six years
Gregory Gray.
2002, May 31: A committee of 13 local men and Ms St. Louis Leather Pride
2002 organized a Leather 101 Weekend at JJ's Clubhouse
and Bar in St. Louis the weekend of May 31 - June 2. The
weekend offered classes geared for the curious, the
beginner, and to re-energize the Master. The special guest
was Leather Archives and Museum director Rick Storer.
2002, Jun. 6: The first pansexual Southern California Leather Gathering took place at
Frank G. Bonelli Regional County Park in San Dimas and exposed the
Inland Empire area to Leather, BDSM, Fetish, Motorcycle and Bear
groups.
2002, Jun. 15: San Francisco Drummerboy 2001 Jack Garcia and Mr. Edge Leather 2002
Scott Brogan founded the San Francisco Boys of Leather. The formation
meeting was at Daddy's.
2002, Jul. 19-21: Atons of Minneapolis celebrate 30 years of existence at Gopher XV,
including a spectacular outdoor sunset ceremony with a ring of torches
 set to light the parade of colors and a large XXX symbol set afire. The
Mid America Conference of Clubs also met at this event.
2002, Jul. 27: Russ Cosgrove of Calgary, Alberta becomes the first woman living
outside the United States to win the title of International Ms. Leather at
the contest in Omaha, Nebraska.
2002, Aug. 3-11: A proclamation is issued by Mayor Vera Katz of Portland, Oregon,
designating this week as “ Leather Pride Week “ and recognizing the local
leather community for its contribution to the city’s diversity The move
was immediately attacked by the Concerned Women of America.
Portland was the second city in the United States to issue such a
proclamation, San Francisco having been first.
2002, Aug. 23- MC Faucon celebrated their 25th Anniversary: Migration 2002 in
25: Montreal, Canada. Also, The Rochester Rams held Rams Run XXVII:
Truckstop at a private campground.
2002, Sep. 5-11: The Chicago Hellfire Club held Inferno XXXI in rural Western
Michigan. The run was held in two sessions which were sold
out with 225 men attending each. The following weekend
Delta International held a similar men's BDSM run in rural
Eastern Pennsylvania with around 300 attending. A good
number of men attended Inferno and Delta.
2002, Sep. 13- The Corn Haulers LL celebrated their 26th Anniversary with Corn Ball
15: 2002 in scenic downtown Des Moines, IA. The theme was A Dr. Seuss
Fantasy Weekend.... Would You? Could You?
2002, Oct.: Orange Coast Leather Assembly celebrates its tenth anniversary.
2002, Oct. 18- The Third Annual New York SM Film Festival took place October 8-13 and
13: featured a program of films and videos that explored various aspects of
sadomasochism, bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, role
play and fetishes. Presented by TES, the festival also included demos, a
brunch, a special fundraising gala and an SM play party.
2002, Oct. 11- VASM (Vancouver Activists in SM) celebrated their 20th Anniversary in
13: Vancouver, British Columbia.
2002, Nov. 3: Touche' celebrated its 25th Anniversary in Chicago recently with a week
of events. Highlights of the weekend included a Camaraderie and
Cabaret party and show at the Leather Archives and Museum featuring
the Men of Chicago Beef Dancers in the club room and Big Band music
by Bopology.
2002, Nov. 8-10: Women at Amsterdam Leather Pride 2002 drew about 175
Leatherwomen to Amsterdam, NL.
2002, Dec.: The Chicago Leather Club (CLC) was formed in Chicago. CLC's primary
goals were to support good causes for those less fortunate and to
support the Leather community. Among the causes CLC supports are
Toys for Tots, the Chicago Hellfire Club's McAdory fund and the Leather
Archives and Museum.
2002, Dec. 9: International Ms Leather 2001 Joni Perrie was elected to the
board of directors of the Leather Archives and Museum on
December 9. Three members of the board were reelected.
Melinda Chateauvert of Washington, DC, Lawrence Fox of Fort
Lauderdale, FL and Robert Guenther of Baltimore, MD were
elected to serve additional terms.
2002: The Leather Archives and Museum released a CD containing erotic art
images and kinky history articles. The artwork contained on the CD
became available to the Leather/Fetish/BDSM community to use on web
sites, newsletters, event programs and other mediums.

2003
Time Event
2003: LA&M Highlights: The Leather Archives and Museum received a check in
the amount of $5,679.56 from the Leather Literary Project. The Second
Annual CLAW (Cleveland Leather Annual Weekend) took place in
Cleveland and was a huge success with over $15,000 raised for charity
The primary beneficiaries were the LGBT Center in Cleveland and the
Leather Archives and Museum. Pantheon of Leather Community Service
Awards Show at the Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago, IL. Mr.
Ebony Leather Contest Cain Berlinger producer presented Chuck Renslow
of the Leather and Archives and Museum a check for $1,000 from funds
raised during the Mr. Ebony Leather 2003 Contest held during IML in
May. Mr. Drummer 2000 Daniel J. Rabone teamed up with Gay Coffees,
to offer Grind, Wet and Enjoy, a fundraising campaign throughout North
America to benefit the Leather Archives and Museum and the Gay Mens
Domestic Violence Project. International Ms Leather 2003 Tammie Nelson
and Midwest Ursine Indiana editor John Schmitt have started the Protect
our Past and Future Fund.
2003: New on the Scene: Black BEAT (Black Expressions, Alternative
Tastes), Washington, DC; Black Gloves White Magic by Brough,
Louisville, KY Calamus Communities, Phoenix, AZ; Cavaliers
Motorcycle Club, New Orleans, LA; Community Forum on Asians
and Leathersex, kinky GAM and the Pacific Islander Wellness
Center, San Francisco, CA; Folsom Fair North Productions,
Folsom Fair North, Toronto, Canada; Instigator Magazine, Los Angeles,
CA; Las Vegas League of Gentlemen, Las Vegas, NV; Latin Leather Club,
San Francisco, CA; Leather Girl Network, San Diego, CA;
LeatherPost.com, Redwood City, CA; New York, New Jersey, Connecticut
Jewish BDSM Match; Mama's Leatherman Contest, San Francisco, CA;
Midwest Bound Magazine, Wichita, KS; Minnesota Storm Patrol,
Minneapolis, MN; National Leather Association: Kentucky, Lexington, KY;
Palm Springs boys of Leather, Palm Springs, CA; Together in Leather,
 North Carolina; Women's Educational Board (WEB), Central Texas; West
Coast Pup and Trainer Contest, Los Angeles, CA
2003: The publisher of O, an adult fetish magazine lost a lawsuit that claimed
that television star and self-improvement guru Oprah Winfrey's
publication, also named O was tarnishing his trademark, a New York
court ruled in February German publisher Brockmeyer's magazine have
rarely appeared in the United States since 1995.
2003, Jan.: The Georgia Supreme Court struck down a 170 year-old law that made it
a crime for unmarried people to have sex. The January ruling came in
the case of a 16 year-old boy discovered having sex with his girlfriend in
the bedroom of her home. The young woman's mother made the
discovery. "Our opinion simply affirms that ... the government may not
reach into the bedroom of a private residence and criminalize the
private, noncommercial, consensual sexual acts of two persons legally
capable of consenting to those acts, Chief Justice Norman Fletcher
wrote.</font
2003, Jan. 27: Richard Chatterton, beloved member of the Leather tribe and respected
leader of the San Diego community, died early in the morning at age 34.
2003, Feb. 8: Icon Detroit marks its tenth anniversary.
2003, Feb. 12: James "Jim" Kane died on Wednesday, February 12, 2003
from complications of strokes, at the age of 75. Jim was a
founding member and officer of the Rocky Mountaineers
Motorcycle Club. Following the reorganization of the Janus
Society in San Francisco, Jim became a board member there,
and also a regularly contributing faculty member for Janus educational
programs. Cynthia Slater, the founder of the Janus Society, became Jim
Kane's tenant in an apartment building he owned with his slave, Ike
Barnes. Photos of Jim's basement dungeon appeared in a Drummer
Magazine photo-essay called, Dungeons of San Francisco. Most of Jim's
personal collection is now housed at the LA&M.
2003, Feb. 22: The Warriors Motorcycle Club celebrated their 34th Anniversary in North
Hollywood
2003, Mar.: The spring meeting of the Mid America Conference of Clubs (MACC) is
held at the Conductors run in Nashville, Tennessee.
2003, Mar: Mystic Rose Books releases The Reunion (The Marketplace Series, 5) by
Laura Antoniou
2003, Mar. 13: American Leatherboy 2001, Bryan "Pup" Mullikin departed this life at his
home in Chicago. He was 33 years old. Bryan died of an accidental drug
overdose. He served as president of the DC Boys of Leather for two
years.
2003, Mar. 22: The Sanctuary of the Dark Angel closes in Atlanta. Doug Harris hosted A
final gathering of friends and family at the home at The Sanctuary Of
The Dark Angel on Saturday, March 22. Attendees were asked to bring a
brief statement or small memento of their time at the Sanctuary over the
 last 10 years which were acknowledged and placed inside a sealed
repository for a future time.
2003, Apr.: The Lure, a bar which made a major positive impact on the Leather
community in New York and nation wide, closed in early April. Much of
the Lure's papers and some artifacts including the negative of the
famous poster by Rex, and the "Lure Angels" which were also in the
Mineshaft were donated to the LA&M
2003, Apr. 5: Minnesota Storm forms in the Twin Cities.
2003, Apr. 25- The Trident International holds its thirtieth anniversary celebration at
27: the run hosted by Trident City of Angels in Los Angeles. A meeting of
the chapters house of delegates is also conducted.
2003, May. 25- John Pendal, Mr. Hoist 2003, is named International Mr.
27: Leather 2003, becoming the first Englishman to hold the title.
The first runner-up is Donald Dotson, Mr. Suncoast Eagle
2003, and the second runner-up is Stephen Blackwell, Mr.
Los Angeles Leather 2003. John donated his grand prize, a
25th Anniversary Harley Davidson motorcycle to the LA&M to
raffel off to raise funds for the museum and the Spanner Trust. David
Kloss, IML 1979 won the bike in 2006.
2003, Jun. 21: The Los Angeles Leather community gathered together and participated
in Los Angeles gay and lesbian pride festivities the weekend of June 21-
22. The LA Leather Coalition, with the help of the Christopher Street
West committee, produced a successful Second Annual Erotic City Expo
on Saturday and Sunday and nine Leather community units marched
together in the pride parade on Sunday.
2003, Jun. 27- San Francisco's Gay and Lesbian Pride Weekend drew over
29: 500,000 to its two-day festival and Sunday parade the weekend
of June 27-29. There was a big Leather visibility including the
Leather Contingent which was the largest in the parade, the
Phoenix Uniform Club's Leather Uniform Ball on Friday night, The
15 Association play party on Saturday night, the Dyke March which had
Leather visibility on Saturday around dusk, Folsom Fringe hosted by
smOdyssey in San Jose, the Fifth Annual Pride Brunch organized by Mr.
San Francisco Leather 1996 Gary Virginia and Empress Donna Sachet
and a Leather Alley section in the pride festival.
2003, Jul. 6: Susan Kaplan, 56, passed away. Kaplan was an active member of
Congregation Or Chadash. Sue did volunteer work for over 10 years with
Leather United, Dedicated and Safe, CDG, and organizations, including
International Mr. Leather, for which she served as transportation co-
coordinator for the last three years. A volunteer for the Chicagoland
AIDS Walk in the early years, Sue was instrumental in galvanizing the
Leather community's assistance for the event.
2003, Jul. 11: Leathermen Remi Collette and David Kloss , the first IML, are legally
married at the Toronto City Hall under a new ruling that the Canadian
 government must allow same-sex weddings.
2003, Jul. 25-27: Trident Windy City holds its first run, Neptune 1: Pirates on the High
Seas, in Chicago.
2003, Jul. 27: Death of Greg Ammell, founding member of the Stallions and co-owner
of Laws Leather in Cleveland.
2003, Aug. 10: Oregon Leather Pride Week ran from Friday, August 1 through Sunday,
August 10 in Portland, OR and featured the Fourth Annual Leather,
Feathers and Fur Fetish Ball, Uniform and Buzz Cuts Party, a concert by
Mark Weigle and Maria Webster, Leather Family Barbecue, Leather and
Lace Show and the Mr. and Ms Oregon State Leather Contest.
2003, Aug. 22- The weekend of August 22-24 was a special one at Saratoga Springs
24: Resort in Lake County as 244 Leather/Levi men and women gathered
together for Leather Levi Weekend III. Leather Levi Weekend was
established to encourage those interested in any of the facets that make
up the greater Leather community by proving them a weekend where
they could sample a bit of everything, and to do so at their own pace in a
safe and Leather-positive atmosphere.

2003, Sep. 26- Les Cuirassés de Québec celebrated its milestone 10th Anniversary.
28:
2003, Nov. 1: The autumn meeting of the MACC is held at Gateway MC’s 30th
anniversary run “ Show Me 30: It’s A Wonderful Life “ in St.Louis. Two
new clubs, Minnesota Storm Patrol and the Chicago Leather Club, are
admitted , bringing the total membership to 30
2003, Dec. 15: Veteran Texas leatherman Dean Walradt dies at the age of 52
2003, Dec.: Writer Robert Davolt's collection Painfully Obvious is published
by Daedalus. In "Painfully Obvious," Davolt gathers 40 essays
and runs the topical gamut from why leather matters to how to
be a better citizen while still wearing cowhide. While Davolt's
credentials are obvious (he turned the lights out at the
legendary Drummer Magazine), it is his knowledge of history
and literature outside the leather world that make this a better
than average read. In fact, one of the best columns of the book is Davolt
articulating his thoughts on the demise of Drummer, with thoughtfulness
and nary a trace of bitterness. Tim Brough

2004
Time Event
2004: Rocky Mountaineers of Denver turn 35
2004, Feb.: My Vicious Valentine featured Guy Baldwin at their pansexual weekend
February 13-15 in Chicago, IL with the theme, We Can Do It.
2004, Feb.: The anthology Speaking For Our Lives is published by Haworth Press,
containing works by Joseph Bean and John Eric Larsen as representatives
of leather rhetoric and poetry.
2004, Feb. 12: Alan Selby of Mr. S Leather celebrates his 75th birthday in San Francisco.
2004, Feb. 13- Pantheon of Leather XIV is held in Chicago.
15:
2004, Feb. 14: Avatar Club Los Angeles celebrated its 21st Anniversary.
2004, Feb. 27: Bay State Marauders, a new Leather social club in Boston held their
kickoff party at the Boston Ramrod.
2004, Mar. 13- The Saber Motorcycle Club, South Florida's oldest Levi/Leather club for
14: men celebrated its 22nd Anniversary with a festive weekend.
2004, Mar. 14: The first annual "Blessing of the Bikes" is held in New Orleans, sponsored
by the Metropolitan Community Church of Greater New Orleans and the
Cavaliers Motorcycle Club.
2004, Mar. 20: Spearhead Toronto celebrate its 34th Anniversary with a
dinner at the Ramada Hotel and Suites. Also the Seattle Men
in Leather presented its Man of the Year Award to Seattle
Leather Daddy 2004 Jim Drew.

2004, Mar.: The Phoenix boys of Leather hosted their first Spring Break: Western boy
Run in sunny Phoenix, AZ featuring pool parties, games, a sleep-over,
demos, vendors and the Phoenix boys of Leather Taking it to the Edge
workshop series.
2004, Apr. 2-4: Tribe MC hosts its 33rd Do-A Fool run in Detroit, themed as a parody on
Grease. The same weekend, the eighth Leather Leadership Conference is
held in New Orleans.
2004, Apr. 3: Spring meeting of the Mid America Conference of Clubs held in Detroit.
2004, Apr. 10: A Leather Day of Caring II is held.
2004, Apr. 16- The KC Pioneers presented Trails End XXIX: Under the Big Top was held
18: at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, MO.
Demonstrations and workshops were presented by KC Leather
University, featuring special guest Jack Rinella.
2004, Apr. 22- The Arizona Power Exchange (APEX) and Butchmann's Academy held
24: their first all-female weekend in Phoenix, AZ.
2004, Apr. 29: The Leather Network conducted boys Training Camp VI in Dallas, TX at
Inquisition Dallas. NLA: Dallas honored key note speaker and guest
faculty member Judy Tallwing-McCarthy with 75 in attendance.
2004, Apr: The Cell Block, Chicago's popular leather bar, closes for repairs. Also,
Bears LA celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a business casual dress
Casino Night at a private residence in Alta Dena, CA.
2004, Apr. 30: CLAW (Cleveland Leather Annual Weekend) is held, including an
International Leather Family Dinner.
2004, May 15: The Arizona Power Exchange (APEX) hosted Kink Karnival in Phoenix, AZ.
Also, the Threshold Society based in Los Angeles, presented Breath Play:
The Safe and Erotic Approach, A Hands-On Learning Experience by Ms
Cynthia.
2004, May 22: The Washington, DC chapter of the Defenders Leather Levi
Club held its second annual Leather Flea Market at Titan Bar in
Washington, DC. Founded in 1991, The Defenders LLC is a
fellowship of concerned Christians associated with
Dignity/Washington and the leather/Levi community. The club
is pledged to help gays and lesbians reconcile their spirituality with their
sexual orientation under the motto, ''Deum cognoscere, hominem
amare,'' or, ''To know God is to love man.'' The same weekend the
Rochester Rams hosted their Can-Am Weekend which was limited to 60
for a weekend of debauchery, fun and games.
2004, May: International Mr. Leather 2004, Jason Hendrix was announced the
winner. The LA&M raffled off John Pendal's prize from 2003, a 25th
anniversary Harly Davidson Motorcycle. The monies raised benefited the
LA&M and the Spanner Trust in the UK. That same weekend, Shibaricon
held its pansexual annual exhibition and conference focusing on
education and information exchange of rope bondage during Memorial
Day weekend in Chicago, IL. Shibaricon was hosted by Fetish Diva Midori
and was organized by Mortis and a team of bondage enthusiasts under
his BDSM-Chicago organization.
2004, Jun.: The meeting of the Trident International is held in Orlando, Florida,
hosted by Trident Central Florida.
2004, Jun. 2: The Renegaydes of Augusta, GA held their first run at the Parliament
House the weekend of June 2-4 and attracted several Leather/Levi clubs
from across the South.
2004, Jun. 7: The final business meeting of LASH (Leather And Sister Hood) of San
Diego after five years of existence.
2004, Jun. 20: Gay Male S/M Activists' hold the Eighth Annual Folsom
Street East block party in New York City. An estimated
8,000 people celebrated the occasion of its new location on West 28th
Street in Chelsea with dozens of community groups and vendors, as well
as entertainment. The event raised tens of thousands of dollars for
several different charities, including the New York City Gay and Lesbian
Anti-Violence Project.
2004, Jun. 25: The Leather Network held Master's Retreat VII in Houston, TX the
weekend of June 25-27 which was produced by Master Roy of Houston,
an alumnus of five previous Retreats. Lynda Blakeslee, Ms Twisted, of
Austin was the keynote speaker. Also, The Phoenix Uniform Club of San
Francisco, CA held its 27th Annual Uniforms Leather Ball in the Green
Room of the War Memorial Building.
2004, Jul 4.: The Los Angeles boys of Leather hosted Stars and Stripes II over Fourth
 of July weekend in Los Angeles. The Rocky Mountaineers Motorcycle Club
of Colorado held their 30th Golden Fleece Run: Jason Returns to 69, July
2-5 that featured a visit from the Cycle Sluts.
2004, Jul. 9: Bears LA and the Southern California Bear Alliance hosted a great
Bearquake 4-Ever at the Wilshire Grand Hotel in downtown Los Angeles
the weekend of July 9-11 with about 250 attending most of the events.
2004, Jul. 24: The Bay Area Cigar Buddies held a benefit at the Eagle Tavern that
raised $256 for the AIDS Emergency Fund in San Francisco. This was the
club's first afternoon event, called the Saturday Afternoon Cigar Social.
2004, Jul. 25: The Rocky Mountaineer Motorcycle Club held their 19th Annual Cruise
Against AIDS and raised $9,247 for the Colorado AIDS Project. There
were 39 bikes on the ride.
2004, Jul. 30: The Journeymen of Syracuse, NY held Motorcycle and Leather Weekend
at Hillside Campgrounds July 30 - August 1 with 50 attendees.
2004, Aug.: The autumn meeting of the Mid America Conference is held on a farm in
rural Wisconsin.
2004, Aug. 5: The Pacific Coast MC held their annual Black Mountain pioneer style run
in the mountains east of Los Angeles the weekend of August 5-8 with the
usual club cocktail parties, events and the traditional Sunset Party at
Cocktail Rocks.
2004, Aug.: NELA (New England Leather Alliance) Fetish Fair Fleamarket
moved from the Park Plaza hotel to the Sheraton Boston.
Political fallout from a negative Boston Globe column, which
criticized the Park Plaza for hosting the event last year, made
one of the co-owners of that property, The Donald Saunders
Company, inhospitable to NELA. However, the other part of the
ownership and management of the Park Plaza Hotel, the national chain
known as Starwood (which includes Sheraton and Westin), loved NELA,
valued the business NELA generated and wanted the Flea to remain their
client. They offered their premier convention property, the Sheraton
Boston, as the new location for both the August and December Fleas.
2004, Aug. 19: The San Diego boys of Leather were the official hosts for the 2005
Western boy Run to be held August 19-21
2004, Aug. 20- The Black BEAT (Black Expressions Alternative Tastes) BDSM conference
22: took place in Hanover, MD.
2004, Aug. 27- The Rochester Rams hosted Hell Weekend, their 29th Annual run in
29: Rochester, NY.
2004, Aug.:
2004, Sep. 3: The Seattle Men in Leather hosted Equinox V: Back to Basics over Labor
Day Weekend, September 3-6 at a camp on the slopes of Washington's
picturesque Mt. Rainier about 90 minutes from Seattle.
2004, Sep. 10: The Corn Haulers LL Club of Des Moines, IA held Cornball 2004 the
weekend of September 10-12 which featured all of the usual
 Levi/Leather club mischief.
2004, Sep.: The Chicago Hellfire Club's Inferno has two Sessions and the first always
starts the Thursday after Labor Day at a private location in western
Michigan. Possibly for the first time, there was no rain all week and the
run sold out, meaning that approximately 350 men got to experience
Inferno XXXIII. Also, Delta 2004, the run's 10th Anniversary, was held
about an hour outside Philadelphia and was well attended.
2004, Sep. 24: smOdyssey hosted their Fifth Annual national conference in
conjunction with the Folsom Street Fair, smOdyssey
Unleashed: Folsom Fringe 04, the weekend of September 24-
26 in San Jose, CA. Activities included two dungeon parties,
more than 25 classes, luxury coaches to and from the Folsom
Street Fair on Sunday and a wind down Sunday night social.
2004, Sep.: During Las Vegas Bike Fest in September, a yearly event held since 1995
drawing over 150,000 bikers to the City of Las Vegas, the Desert
Brotherhood Motorcycle Club was chosen by the Travel Channel to be
featured in an hour-long documentary about motorcycling. During the
taping, interviews were conducted with the members, motorcycle rides
were taken with the film crew, and cameras followed the members as
they enjoyed and participated in the different events at Bike Fest
throughout the five day event.
2004, Oct.: October started in Provincetown, MA with Mates Leather Weekend
featuring a uniform ball, Leather market and swap meet, demonstrations
by Winter Encampment, a Leather T Dance at The Boatslip, a First Mate
Contest, Sunday cookout and Heavy Metal party to close the weekend
that drew hundreds.
2004, Oct. 2: OCLA produced Draggin' A Title Around, a fundraiser for the Long Beach
AIDS Food Bank and the Center of Orange County, at Pistons in Long
Beach
2004, Oct.: Portland Uniform Weekend XII, sponsored by Andy Mangels and IN
UNIFORM On-line, was held in Portland, OR and included two dinners,
haircuts by the men of Clippers, bar and club nights, buffet brunches and
a guided uniform shopping tour.
2004, Oct. 9: VASM celebrated their 22nd Anniversary in Vancouver, BC the weekend
of October 9-10 with events including a men's only dungeon, the
Anniversary dinner and a Sunday brunch.
2004, Oct. 15: Gateway MC hosted Show Me XXXI: Meet Me in St. Louis the weekend of
October 15-17. The run weekend was a reminiscence of the 1904 World's
Fair.
2004, Nov. 5-7: Black Rose hosted BR XVII, its annual pansexual extravaganza of
programs and play, socializing and shopping in New Carrollton, MD. The
entire event - programs, play, and vending was under one roof.
2004, Nov.: Corps Of Men Making A Noticeable Difference Motorcycle Club
(COMMAND) celebrated their 16th Anniversary in Baltimore, MD
with events taking place at the Baltimore Eagle, Spike, Leon's,
and the Phoenix. Also, The Santa Clara County Leather
Association's yearly Leather community weekend, Leather Boot
Camp Community Fair, was held in San Jose, CA. Events included a meet
and greet at Renegades, a vendor fair, demos and classes at the Billy
deFrank LGBT Center, a show/contest at the King of Clubs, and a Sunday
morning brunch.
2004, Nov. 11: "It just gets better and better!" was a frequently heard statement in
Palm Springs on the weekend of November 11-14 as Palm Springs
Leather Pride Weekend hosted by the Palm Springs Leather Order of the
Desert saw a quantum increase in registrations and attendance for a
weekend of parties, dinners and the Mr. Palm Springs Leather Contest.
That same weekend The Gateway City hosted the 17th Annual Creating
Change Conference and HiBearNation. Creating Change was sponsored
by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and annually gathers 2,500
activists and community leaders from all over the United States.
HiBearNation is a the premier St. Louis Show Me Bears event that
historically draws 500 bears and bear lovers.
2004, Nov: Robert Davolt becomes editor of Bound & Gagged.
2004, Nov. 20: The Castaways MC celebrated their 25th Anniversary with a
dinner celebration at South Woods of Cudahy in Milwaukee,
WI, followed by a beer bust at the Harbor Room. Also, at
the Most Holy Redeemer Community Room in the Castro,
the Golden Gate Guards celebrated their 18th Anniversary and inducted
their new officers. And A new Leather club, the Appalachian Leathermen
of NJ based in New Jersey and will serve the New Jersey Leather
community.
2004, Nov. 27: The Satyrs Motorcycle Club of Los Angeles, the longest
running gay organization in the world celebrated its
milestone 50th Anniversary at the Hollywood Palladium
on Saturday night, November 27 with 330 in
attendance. The highlight of the evening was the
screening of Original Pride, a documentary produced
and directed by Scott Bloom who would later be inducted as club
president. The film was impressive and will eventually appear on cable
television for all the world to see. The audience seemed to like the
encounter with the Hell's Angels and Satyr John Laird's bike challenge
with two of them. It led to forming a bond with the legendary and
notorious bike club.
2004, Nov. 30: Mystic Rose Books releases The Catalyst And Other Works by Laura
Antoniou
2004, Dec.3-5: The Southwest Training Academy presented by Master Jim, Slave Marsha
and guests of South West Leather Conference was held in Phoenix, AZ.
2004, Dec. 5: The Atons of Minneapolis held their Holiday Fundraiser at the
Bolt Underground in Minneapolis, MN to benefit the Aliveness
Project and Open Arms of Minnesota. The Atons of Minneapolis
, founded in 1972, is one of the nation's oldest active gay
men's Leather / Levi social fraternity. We are dedicated to promoting a
positive image of our lifestyle through our various social activities.
2004, Dec. 11: MSDB hosted its Fifth Annual Bizarre Bazaar at Trikkx in St. Paul, MN.
2004, Dec.: Hooker and Boys Production whipped out another year of their tinsel
town antics with the Sixth Annual production of The 12 Days of
Christmas at Baltimore's Club Hippo and raised $47,887. Also, THOR, a
new men's BDSM club in Buena Park, CA saw about 15 men attend the
first meeting in December.
2004, Dec: Bound & Gagged produces its last video, Hardhat Master, directed by
Bob Wingate.
2004, Dec. 31: The Spirit of Tri-Cen was alive and well in the City of Brotherly Love. The
Philadelphians celebrated their 30th Anniversary during Tri-Cen XXX
December 31 - January 2. The weekend included a formal banquet,
cocktail parties, brunches a visit to the world-famous Mummer's Parade
on Broad Street.
 2005
Time Event
2005, : The Lexington Lyons L/L Club of Lexington, KY published a cookbook, A
Matter Of Taste: Feasts from the Lyons Den.
2005, : After almost four years of being a productive member of the business
community in Allentown, PA, through its Bureau of Planning and Zoning,
the City of Allentown forced the closing of Leather Masters II, a
Leather/BDSM/Fetish shop.
2005, : Fetish Diva Midori released a new book in August
entitled Wild Side Sex: The Book of Kink
Educational, Sensual, and Entertaining Essays.
Midori is an educator and writer on s/m, fetish and
human sexuality. She has traveled the world
presenting to universities, the s/m community, media and the
greater society, and lives in San Francisco. Also, Alex
Wisniowski introduced his second documentary, "My Leather Jacket II:
More Stories from the Road".
2005, : Attorney General Alberto Gonzales announced that his office will
specifically target beastiality, urination, defecation, as well as sadistic
and masochistic behavior, in pursuing new obscenity prosecutions. The
Department of Justice began recruiting in late July for a new anti-
obscenity squad to pursue obscenity prosecutions, and the FBI
announced in September that it was forming an anti-obscenity task force
to crack down on pornography.
2005, : After being in the same location on 7th Street for some 14 years, Mr. S
relocated two blocks away to a 28,000 square foot retail and
manufacturing space. The building would house both Mr. S and Madame
S under one roof.
2005, Jan.: The Vancouver Men in Leather celebrated their First Anniversary and
AGM at the end of January.
2005, Jan. 1: Bob Gunther died due to emphysema on January 1. He was the founder
and owner of the Sling bar on Western Avenue in Hollywood, CA. He
served as president of Avatar Club Los Angeles, president of Somandros,
and was on the Christopher Street West board for several years.
2005, Jan. 5: The death at 2:34 p.m. on Wednesday, January 5, of John
Klamik - better known as "Sean", the artist. An artist and
activist, John succumbed to pneumonia at West Anaheim
Medical Center in Anaheim, California following a series of
strokes and a diagnosis of lung cancer, listed as the official
cause of death. John was born on July 22, 1935 in Chicago,
Illinois, where he studied at the world-famous Art Institute.
He moved to California in the mid '60s, settling in West Hollywood,
 which, next to Chicago, was his favorite city in the world.
2005, Jan. 6: Billy Collison passed away on January 6 and was connected to so many
in so many ways including Centaur MC, Academy of Washington,
Theatrical Drag Entertainment Organization, Atlantic States Rodeo
Association, Regional Rodeo Organization and Brother, Help Thyself. Billy
held the title of Mr. BHT one year, won during one of these events by
raising money and performing. Billy came on the BHT Board of Directors
as the representative of Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association. Billy had
been a Rodeo Director and Assistant Rodeo Director, both major jobs.
When he was appointed to BHT, he served as a director, vice president
and other positions.
2005, Jan. 21: Jimmy Lee Murray lost his battle with the virus on the night of January
21, 2005. He worked for six years as the Chicago House and Social
Service Agency facilities manager. He was recognized by the Gay
Chicago Magazine Awards as Employee of the Year. Jimmy was the first
Mr. Ebony in Leather and was an early International Mr. Cheeks and
Chaps titleholder, and was Mr. North Atlantic Leather 2000.
2005, Jan. 30: The 501 Eagle in Indianapolis caught fire. The fire was found to have
started on the second floor in the office area due to a faulty paper
shredder.
2005, Feb. 11: A new group, known as PerverCity, presented Bondage and Bonbons at
the Center for Sex and Culture in San Francisco, CA.
2005, Feb. 4-6: LIFE Detroit held its first Detroit Area Rough and Kinkfest (DARK)
Weekend.
2005, Feb. 20: With a fiery flash and a puff of smoke culminating seven
years of intense fundraising, the Leather Archives &
Museum loudly took ownership of their permanent home
on Sunday, February 20. A capacity crowd filling the
Etienne Auditorium watched as LA&M President and
Founder Chuck Renslow set afire the paid-off mortgage.

2005, Feb. 25- The 15 Association of San Francisco celebrated its 25th Anniversary.
27:
2005, Mar.: The Philadelphians MC commemorated their 30th Anniversary with a
weekend-long celebration that drew Leatherfolk from across the Mid
Atlantic region to the City of Brotherly Love. During their entire 30-year
history, the Philadelphians MC have been avid fundraisers and staunch
supporters of a variety of local charities.
2005, Mar. 7: Jeffrey L. Bays (Daddy Jeff) was killed in a traffic accident in Las Vegas,
NV. Jeff was survived by his partner, Stan Harrell. Jeff was Mr. Drummer
Texas 1997-1998.
2005, Mar. 11: New York artist Albert Crudo had two of his paintings vandalized at an
Upper West Side cafe, La Fenice 2012 Broadway, NYC. The painting,
entitled "The Nature of the Beast: Parts I, II, III" has been causing quite
 a stir among patrons since its installation in early December.
2005, Apr. 8-9: The first Mr. Midwest Leather Contest was held at One Flite Up in
Dubuque, IA.
2005, Apr. 22- The Regiment of the Black and Tans, a Los Angeles uniform club
24: currently celebrating its 30th year, held its annual Spring Maneuvers at
various locations around the Los Angeles area.
2005, Apr. 29- The Fourth Annual CLAW (Cleveland Leather Awareness
May 1: Weekend) held April 29 - May 1, with proceeds benefiting
the Leather Archives & Museum and other charities.

2005, Apr. 29- Dynamic Diversions, a BDSM event for women only sponsored by
30: American Leather Woman 2001 Phyllis Darcy and her partner Piper
Fairbanks, made its debut in Denver, CO.
2005, May: Bob Wingate edits the final issue, No. 106, of Bound & Gagged, which
suspends publication in June, 2005.
2005, May. 7: The Leather Archives and Museum opened the Uniforms Gallery, which
exhibited uniforms along with media and artifacts related to uniforms.
2005, May. 8: The Tom of Finland Foundation, based in Los Angeles,
CA, held its spring Tom's Bar in the Faultline parking lot
in celebration of the birthday of the man whose
illustrations played a major role in shaping the image of a Leatherman,
Tom of Finland. The Foundation was celebrating its 20th year.
2005, May. 9: Mark Richard Isenberg, a founding member of Leatherpost.com died on
May 9, 2005 due to complications from a heart attack.
2005, May. 13: Palpable Testosterone was an introduction to the homoerotic work of
Chicago artist Etienne. The exhibit opened Friday, May 13 at the 1926
Exhibition Studies Space in Chicago, IL.
2005, May. 20- The Tom of Finland Foundation presented its Fifth Annual New York
22: Erotic Art Fair at the LGBT Center in Manhattan. More than 40 artists
from the United States and Europe displayed and sold their works.
2005, May IML: Attendees of the 27th annual International Mr. Leather (IML) weekend
raised $40,000 for the Leather Archives and Museum.
2005, May: Mr. Chicago Leather 2005 Jeff Willoughby established the Leather Quilt
Project in the Spring of 2005.
2005, May. 16: Robert Davolt died of cancer on Monday night, May 16 at Davies
Hospital in San Francisco, CA. Davolt was best known as editor
of Drummer Magazine, his book Painfully Obvious: An Irreverent
& Unauthorized Manual for Leather/SM, recent editor of Bound &
Gagged Magazine, Board member of the Leather Archives &
Museum, holding the San Francisco Leather Daddy XIX title in 2003, and
wrote numerous columns and articles for a variety of publications. He
was born in Renton, WA on June 27, 1958. At 17, he joined the United
States Navy, stationed on small ships patrolling the South Pacific and
 Indian Oceans. While in Wisconsin, Robert won the Wisconsin Leather
Daddy title in 1995 and competed at International Mr. Leather. Robert
was survived by his loving partner of seven years, Joe Granese of San
Francisco.
2005, Jun. 25: Bound & Gagged magazine suspended publication immediately after
Issue 106 in June 2005.
2005, Jun.: As of June 23, the U.S.C. Title 18, Section 2257 adult material record
keeping and labeling law was expanded to include the Internet. These
regulations updated the record keeping requirements of the Child
Protection and Obscenity Enforcement Act of 1988. Barbara Nitke and
the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom filed a notice of appeal to the
U.S. Supreme Court of the District Court's decision in the
Communications Decency Act (CDA) challenge. Their appeal contended
the District Court applied an incorrect legal standard for determining
whether protected material was improperly banned under the CDA. The
District Court also committed legal error in finding that many local
communities do not have predetermined standards of obscenity that can
be verified and then ruling the plaintiffs failed to prove what those
standards were.
2005, Jun. 27: A fire struck the Iron Eagles home bar, the 540
Eagle, in Canton, OH, and it was a total loss. Lost
in the fire was the complete seven-year history of
The Iron Eagles - the club's colors, their many
trophies and awards, and archives, along with the
Colors presented to both The Iron Eagles and The 540 Eagle
from other Clubs.
2005, Jul.: The Rochester Rams held their 30th Anniversary, Run XXX.
2005, Jul. 1: The National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF) and the Free Speech
Coalition (FSC) announced that they formed a partnership. Also, the
renowned Gauntlet II Leather bar, in the Silver Lake district of Los
Angeles, CA changed hands.
2005, Jul. 1: Hudson, curator and owner of Feature Inc., a gallery influential in the
early recognition of artist Tom of Finland, has donated two pivotal
drawings by the artist to the Permanent Collection of the Art Institute of
Chicago.
2005, Jul. 21: The 15th Annual International Deaf Leather Contest was held in
conjunction with the International Deaf Bear Contest at the Grand Hyatt
Washington in Washington, DC.
2005, Jul. 22: The Harbor Room in Milwaukee, WI celebrated its Fifth Anniversary.
2005, Aug. 5-7: Rodeo Riders Chicago celebrated their 30th Anniversary with The Antique
Rodeo Run in Chicago, IL.
2005, Aug. 14: Pistons bar in Long Beach, CA celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a low-
key buffet and door prize giveaway.
2005, Aug. 18- The Knights of Leather of Minneapolis, MN celebrated their milestone
19: 20th Anniversary with a beer bust at the Minneapolis Eagle on Thursday
night, August 18 and a fantasy and demo night at the Bolt Underground
on Friday night, August 19.
2005, Sep. 1: Frank Blondale and Dan Majewski bought the Cell Block in Chicago, IL
from founder Roger Hickey and took over operations.
2005, Sep. 3: The Chicago Leather Club held its first Back To School
Dash. The sold out one-day run featured presentations from
community educators on diabetes in the scene, building
dungeon furniture and Leather history. The Back To School
Dash also included a lunch barbeque at Touche' and a
homemade pasta bar dinner at Man's Country. The evening
was topped off with an erotic hypnotist and an open bar at the Chicago
Eagle. All funds raised were donated to the Leather Archives & Museum.

2005, Sep. 15- The LA&M Film Series resumed with SandMutopia University, Rope that
16: Works being shown in the Etienne Auditorium at the Leather Archives
and Museum in Chicago, IL.
2005, Oct.: A new organization named the San Francisco girls of Leather (SFgoL)
was open to Leather girls, people whose primary self-identity was a girl.
SFgoL defines the term Leather girl as openly as possible.
2005, Oct. 14: THOR (Trust, Honor, Order, Respect) of Orange County, CA held their
first Top auction at Pistons in Long Beach.
2005, Nov. 8: Jay Borne, owner of Second Skin Leather and a great contributor to the
New Orleans/Southeast Leather community, died Tuesday, November 8
at his home. He fell from his roof while doing repairs in Louisiana. Jay
Borne was 51 years old.
2005, Nov. 10: The New York boys of Leather is formed by five founding members.
2005, Nov. 9: David Barker, longtime Hayward resident, passed away on Wednesday
morning, November 9. He had been battling AIDS for 23 years and
recently cancer. David was one of the original members of the Alameda
County Leather Corps and was President of ACLC twice, in 2000 and
2004.
2005, Nov. 11: Oakland, CA, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
presented its first annual Leather Leadership Award
posthumously to Dr. Tony DeBlase, co-founder of the
Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago and creator of
the Leather Pride Flag. The award, presented in Oakland at the Task
Force's 18th Annual Creating Change Conference, was accepted by
DeBlase's partner of 24 years, Dr. Andrew Charles.
2005, Nov. 14: The Chicago Hellfire Club, a brotherhood of men who share interests in
gay male BDSM, voted at their Monday, November 14 meeting to
support a group of charities that support the gay, Leather/SM/Fetish
communities with donations totaling over $6,000 for the Leather
Archives and Museum, the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom,
 Lambda GLBT Community Services, the 15 Association of San Francisco's
Sorrell Fund, GMS/MA's Hocutt-Ferguson Fund, and the Chicago MAFIA's
Windhorse Fund.
2005, Nov. 18- The DC Eagle in Washington, DC celebrated its 35th Anniversary.
24:
2005, Nov. 26: Mr. Triangle Denver Contest celebrated its 10th Anniversary.
2005, Dec. 2: In a daring daylight raid, thieves got away with a major piece of art from
The Barracks Bar in Palm Springs, CA on Friday, December 2. The piece
of erotic art, interpreted by local artist William "Taurus" Webster from an
original by Stephan, was secured by screws to the outside wall of the bar
inside a locked patio area. The thieves removed part of the patio's
wooden fencing to gain access to the area. The crime happened between
8:30 AM when the bar's cleaning man finished his work and 1 PM when
the day barman arrived.
2005, Dec. 3: Nancy Alperin and Kendra Keller claimed they were fired after
they refused to expose their bosoms to the primate, and after
reporting sanitary problems at Koko's home in Woodside, an
upscale town south of San Francisco. The pair claimed they
were threatened that if they "did not indulge Koko's nipple
fetish, their employment with the Gorilla Foundation would
suffer," the lawsuit alleged.
2005, Dec. 10: The Ottawa Knights hosted its 25th Annual Toys for Tots Fundraiser at
Centertown Pub in Ottawa, Canada. 940 toys were collected and $2,220
in cash donations were received for the Children's Aid Society of Lanark
County and were distributed to the children and their families in the
Perth, Smith Falls Region.
2005, Dec. 12: Folsom Street Events announced the selection of Demetri Moshoyannis
as executive director.
2005, Dec. 28: United States District Court Judge Walker D. Miller issued a long-awaited
ruling December 28th, 2005 on the Free Speech Coalition's motion for a
preliminary injunction in Free Speech Coalition v. Gonzales, the trade
association's challenge to U.S.C. 18 2257, the federal labeling and record
keeping regulations.

2006
Time Event
2006, : 45 Years: Satyrs Motorcycle Club, Badger Flat Run, Los Angeles, CA.
30 Years: Corn Haulers LL, Cornball '06: XXX Wedding, Des Moines, IA.
20 Years: International Ms Leather, Omaha, NE.
15 Years: Three Rivers Leather Club, Pittsburgh, PA; Leather Archives
and Museum, Chicago, IL.
10 Years: Leathermen's Discussion Group, San Francisco, CA; Mr. and
 Ms Oregon State Leather, Portland, OR; Mates Leather Weekend,
Provincetown, MA; Mr. International Rubber, Chicago, IL.
5 Years: San Diego League of Gentlemen, San Diego, CA; CLAW
(Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend), Cleveland, OH; Southern
California Leather Gathering, Whittier, CA; Great Lakes Leather Alliance
Weekend, Indianapolis, IN.

2006, : Ringold Alley closed in late Spring after serving San Diego's Leather
community for about five years.
2006, : MC Faucon, Montréal, Canada disbanded.
2006, : Mr. Eagle NYC Robert Valin has launched the NYC Leather
Invasion Group composed of diehard leather people who are
attempting to revive the "old days of leather" interaction.

2006, : Leather Sins, a pansexual BDSM group in the Chicago Area completes its
adoption of the Museum Store at the Leather Archives & Museum.
2006, : Passing of Jan Lyon. Jan was a founding member of the National Leather
Association in Seattle where she lived in 1986.
2006, Jan. 26: Wally Sherwood, a Leatherman whose efforts at fundraising befitted the
Leather communities of San Francisco, CA and New Orleans, LA over the
last 30 plus years, died from renal failure in the early morning of January
26 in Dallas, TX.
2006, Jan. 28: The U.S. Justice Department subpoenaed Google to
compel the Internet search engine to turn over records on
millions of its users' search queries. NCSF believes that
Internet users have the right to an expectation of privacy in their web
use, and supports Google's refusal to comply with the subpoena.
2006, Feb.: First Anniversary celebrated by MAsT: Central NJ. MAsT is a community-
inclusive support group for those who identify as owner/master/mistress
or property/slave.
2006, Feb. 4: The Arts and Entertainment Center saw a representation of the entire
San Diego GLBT Community as the first San Diego Leather Community
Awards was held.
2006, Feb. 10: Race Bannon and the National Coalition of Sexual Freedom (NCSF)
announced the transfer of management of Kink Aware Professionals to
NCSF. The Kink Aware Professionals program was founded and had been
managed by Race Bannon for many years.
2006, Feb. 10: NCSF releases an Action Alert regarding TV's "Dr. Phil" and his latest
hour-long special, where polyfidelity issues are discussed and "Dr. Phil"
tells the couple, and the viewing audience, that polyfidelity is nothing but
"cheating".
2006, Mar.: The US Supreme Court refused to hear the Barbara Nitke case against
Alberto Gonzales and his Communications Decency Act.
2006, Mar. 15: The new reality show, Top Chef, airing on the Bravo Channel
featured the Mr. S Leather and Madame S store in San
Francisco, CA for its one-hour second show in the series. This
show was filmed in the store in November.

2006, Apr. 5-7 : International Ms. Leather returns to its birthplace, San Francisco, CA
under the direction of Glenda Ryder.
2006, Apr. 7: At the 10th annual Leather Leadership Conference, held in New York City
April 7-9, 2006, Matt J donated the banner used for the leather, fetish
and sm contingent of the 1993 March on Washington. “We found it when
we were cleaning out the Leather Pride Night storage container” Matt
commented. The banner is in excellent shape and has been well-
preserved during LPN’s custody. The banner measures 20’ x 4’, and will
be displayed in the LA&M lobby after processing.
2006, Apr. 7-9: Nearly 350 people attended the 10th Annual Leather Leadership
Conference in New York City, where the first conference was held in
1997. In attendance at the Hotel New Yorker in midtown Manhattan were
elected leaders and active members of dozens of SM/Leather/Fetish
groups, as well as individual community members, from 26 US states,
Washington DC, three Canadian provinces and Germany.
2006, Apr. 20: The passing of International Mr. Leather Judge Emeritus
Thom Dombkowski on Thursday morning, April 20 at his
home in Chicago, IL. Thomas Raymond Dombkowski was
born in Rochester, N.Y., June 28, 1950, to Bernard and
Helene, now deceased. He received his Bachelor’s degree
from Notre Dame and a law degree from DePaul University.
Thom left a career with the Internal Revenue Service to devote himself
to the needs of people living with AIDS.
2006, Apr. 22: Charlie Matula and business partner Vince Quattrocchi, along with bar
manager Hunter Fox, announced that the Los Angeles Leather bar
Gauntlet II would become the Eagle LA.
2006, May: Ray Castro has been the official portrait artist for some of the Leather
world's most prestigious contests including International Ms Leather,
International Master and slave, International Leather Sir and Leatherboy,
Ms World Leather and Mr. Leatherman Toronto. Titleholders for these
events have all received portraits of startling vision and passion that
captured their unique qualities as champions in Ray Castro's own style.
In celebration of this, the Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago, IL
hosted a special exhibition of Ray Castro's works during International Mr.
Leather Weekend in May.
2006, May IML: One of Chuck Renslow’s dreams came true… Who
would have guessed that a small contest, held in the
Gold Coast would have exploded into the largest
leather event in the world and that the contest would
be held at one of the premier theatres in the US, the
Chicago Theatre.
2006, May 12- The Bellingham Leather Men celebrated its First Anniversary the
13: weekend of May 12-13 at Warehouse Studios.
2006, May 17: The Leather Archives and Museum celebrated its 15th Anniversary at
International Mr. Leather 2006 at the Palmer House Hilton.
2006, May: The Chuck Renslow President’s Award is presented to CLAW Directors
Dennis McMahon and Robert Miller for their continued support of the
Leather Archives & Museum. Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend has
donated over $10,000.00 to the LA&M since its inception.
2006, Jun. 16: Tennessee Raptors was formed in Nashville. Espousing Old Guard or
Traditional Leather values, the group had its first bar night on June 16 at
their home bar, The Chute Complex.
2006, Jun.: In San Diego, CA Pleasures and Treasures opened at the end of June.
This was only a couple of months after Ringold Alley closed. Pleasures is
owned by Bill Freyer of Red Hankies of San Diego fame.
2006, Jun.: Alex Werner develops a new Road Show exhibit for the Leather Archives
& Museum called "Women of Leather". It makes its debut at
International Ms. Leather in July.
2006, Jun. 26: Ramon (Ray Ray) Thomas passed away late in the afternoon
of June 26th after a very brief illness in Palm Springs, CA. He
was 50 years old. Memorial services were held at the Leather
Archives & Museum. Ray Ray's involvement with IML goes all
the way back to the very first weekend in 1979. In past years,
he worked as our Food and Beverage Coordinator and, most
recently, as the Co-Coordinator in charge of the Day
Pass/Wristband Registration area. He was a longtime member of the
Chicago Leather community and a member of what has come to be
called "The Chicago Leather Family." He was very active with the "12
Step Recovery" community, and helped many newly sober Leather folk
to understand they could have a life in Leather and Recovery. Ray Ray
and his partner John moved to Palm Springs early in 2005 to begin a
new life out in the desert.
2006, Jul. 28: A Taste of Cine Kink - Chicago, presented by the Leather Archives and
Museum, showcased feature films and videos from the best of Cine Kink
NYC, the really alternative film festival, with topics that include SM,
Leather and Fetish, swinging, non-monogamy and polyamory, and
gender bending.
2006, Jul. 29: The Leathermen's Discussion Group celebrated its 10th Anniversary at
San Francisco's Gay and Lesbian Center.
2006, Aug. 30: Kink Blamed for Hurricane Katrina: Southern Decadence, a world-famous
LGBT event, was slated to start August 31st. According to an evangelical
Christian group that regularly demonstrates at LGBT events, "Hurricane
Katrina has put an end to the annual celebration of sin."
2006, Sep.: The Leather Archives & Museum publishes a special edition of the
Leather Times to commemorate its 15-year anniversary. This full color
issue contained a timeline of the LA&M along with photos from opening
day on Clark Street, the ribbon cutting at 6418 N Greenview and
memories from staff and volunteers.
2006, Sep. 1-4: The Satyrs Motorcycle Club's Badger Flat Run took place September 1-4
near Huntington Lake northeast of Fresno, CA. This was Badger's 45th
year.
2006, Sep. 8-10: The Corn Haulers LL of Des Moines, IA reached a milestone with Cornball
'06: XXX Wedding at the Hotel Fort Des Moines, IA. The weekend will
also see the 2006 fall MACC Conference.
2006, Sep. 15: The San Diego Leatherboys held their founders meeting
and first bar night at the San Diego Eagle.

2006, Sep. 17: The 15th Annual Leather Walk saw over $21,000 raised for the AIDS
Emergency Fund and the Breast Cancer Emergency Fund.
2006, Sep. 20: Closing of the Triangle Bar in Denver, CO.
2006, Sep. 22- The Chicago Leather Club held their 2006 Mini Run in Chicago, IL, which
23: benefited the Leather Archives & Museum.
2006, Sep. 25: The Denver Triangle closed its doors for good on or about September 25.
The Triangle had served the Leather community for over 30 years and
was the oldest gay bar in Colorado.
2006, Nov. 1: The Free Speech Coalition announces its selection of Diane C. Duke as its
new Executive Director.
2006, Nov. 27: Andrew Charles passed away on Monday, November 27, 2006 after a
long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 67. He is survived by his
partner of five years, Thom Butts, and his mother, Carol Goettel in
Chicago.

2007
Time Event
2007, Jan. 23: The Windy City Boys Troop celebrated five years recently with a private
dinner at T's Restaurant in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago.
2007, Jan. 24: The Chicago Leather Kennel Club has signed its charter, making it a fully
functional leather organization in Chicago.
2007, Feb. 3: Bondage Video Company Too Much Even For San Francisco... Kink, which
distributes its videos on X-rated Web sites with names such as Hogtied
and Men in Pain, bought the old State Armory in the Mission District for
$14.5 million, saying the vacant building's dark Moorish architecture
would make a perfect backdrop for fetish films.
2007, Mar.: Alden Spafford was killed in a motorcycle accident on a freeway in the
East Bay.
2007, Mar. 21: Mr. Marcus Hernandez, columnist for the Bay Area Reporter, celebrates
his 75th birthday.
2007, Mar. 23- 25th Anniversary of the Mr. and Ms. Washington State Leather Contest
25: at the Cuff Bar in Seattle.
2007, Mar. 25: The LA&M hosts its first wedding today, between Joseph
and Leslie and ordained by Mistress Joanne C. Gaddy.

2007, Apr. 10: The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) announces
that Kink.com has become its newest Corporate Sponsor.
2007, May 22: Release date of the DVD, Mr. Leather, a documentary by Jason Garrett
about the contestants vying for the Mr. L.A. Leather 2003 title.
2007, May 30: $50,000 was raised for the Leather Archives & Museum during
International Mr. Leather 2007, held over Memorial Day Weekend in
Chicago. Over $29,000 was raised through daypass admissions to the
infamous IML Leather Market. The remaining $21,000 was raised
through a fetish gear auction, individual contributions and other
fundraisers. The museum will use these funds to support its core mission
of preserving and providing access to leather and fetish culture and
history. The Leather Archives & Museum thanks the organizers and
attendees of International Mr. Leather 2007 for their generous support of
the institution.
2007, Jun. 5: MidTangent Productions (MTP) presents their third
annual production of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: A
QUEER TALE. This wild adaptation, written and directed
by Tony Lewis, is an adrenaline-fueled and modernized
twist to the Bard’s crazed classic. It is thought-
provoking, fun and even a bit heartbreaking. This year MTP decided it
was time to start giving back to the LGBT community that has supported
us these past few years. The show’s themes of sexuality, personal rights
and forbidden desire made the Leather Archives & Museum a natural fit.
2007, Jun. 11: Sen. Larry Craig of Idaho was arrested by a plainclothes police officer
investigating complaints of lewd conduct in a men's restroom at the
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, according to a report just
issued by Roll Call.
2007, Jun. 16: The Leather Archives & Museum auctioned off a 1998
convertible Toyota RAV4 automobile to raise funds for the
organization. The RAV4 was donated to the museum by a
local Chicago man for fundraising purposes. The LA&M
received $6,500.00 for the automobile.
2007, Jun. 21- A display on the Leather Archives & Museum’s Teri Rose Memorial Library
27: won second place at the Diversity Fair at the American Library
Association’s 2007 Annual Conference. This prize came with a $200 gift
certificate from DEMCO, a library/archives supplier and the Diversity Fair
sponsor.
2007, Jul. 1: 10th Annual Butch Revue at the Hole in San Diego. This event is
produced by former Ms. World, Annie Romano.
2007, Jul. 1: In Orlando, Florida, Full Moon Saloon owner Bob Graves announced,
rather abruptly, that his 18-year-old bar would close on Saturday July 1.
2007, Jul. 8: Castro Lions 20th annual Leather & Whatever Auction at the Eagle
Tavern. Over $37,000 will be distributed to worthy charities.
2007, Jul. 20: Police have arrested a San Francisco man on murder charges stemming
from what authorities believe was a sadomasochistic bondage session
that ended in the victim's death. Terry D. Frazier, 40, was arrested
Wednesday in the July 11th death of former community activist Joe
Konopka, 65.
2007, Jul. 21: AIDS Emergency Fund 25th anniversary gala at the Marriott
Hotel in San Francisco. This is a quarter century of AIDS
activism.

2007, Jul. 22: Fifth Folsom Fair North flourishes thanks to perfect weather. The fifth
edition of the annual leather fair, FFN drew record crowds to a fenced-off
area of Allan Gardens on Jul 22 in Canada.
2007, Jul. 29: San Francisco Leather Daddy contest celebrates 25-year anniversary.
2007, Aug. 16- The organization for people of color, Black Beat, holds an event in
19: Baltimore, Maryland. Viola Johnson receives the Lifetime Achievement
Award.
2007, Aug. 27: NCSF celebrates 10 years of advocacy.
2007, Aug. 27: An S&M dungeon run by an Allston-Brighton, MA. couple allegedly
trawling the Web for johns was busted by police as part of a citywide
crackdown on Internet prostitution postings.
2007, Sep. 14: The Eagle Tavern in San Francisco celebrates its 10th anniversary.
2007, Sep. 26: The Miller Brewing Company, a sponsor of Folsom
Street Fair in San Francisco, has asked to have its logo
removed from an advertising poster that has offended
some Christians. However, Folsom Street Events, the
non-profit organization putting on the 24th annual
Folsom Street Fair put out a press release that
 indicated the design is the first in a series that draws from well-known
paintings, album covers, movie posters or other iconic images.
2007, Oct.: Touche Leather Bar in Chicago turns 30. Also, Galleria Domain II in
Chicago celebrates its five-year anniversary.
2007, Oct.: A special THANKS! to The Society of Janus in San Francisco for the
donation of over 700 books and magazines to the Leather Archives &
Museum collections.
2007, Oct. 12: The Catholic League, Concerned Women for America and Americans for
Truth have called for a boycott of Miller Brewing Company because they
are one of the sponsors of Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. "Miller is
sponsoring an incredibly outrageous and palpably anti-Christian event,"
said Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League.
2007, Oct. 18- "Hoedown," the 10th anniversary of Mr. Kentucky Leather in Louisville,
21: KY.
2007, Oct. 20: CellBlock/Detroit Eagle manager Dan Majewski passes away from a
massive heart attack.
2007, Oct. 23: United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit issued its decision in
the case of Connection Distributing Company v Keisler striking down
2257 as unconstitutional on its face.
2007, Nov. 2-4: Mr. Leather Ottawa contest in Ottawa - their 15th edition by the Ottawa
Knights.
2007, Nov. 9-11: 25th Anniversary of the Mr. and Ms. Philadelphia Leather contest
sponsored by the Bike Stop.
2007, Nov. 13: Peter LaBarbera of American’s For Truth tries to
stir up trouble for the International Mr. Rubber
Contest by posting his usual blatherings on his
website mentioning the LA&M and the Center on
Halsted… “Rubber-men were treated to the
lecture, “A brief history of kink in America,” at the Center on
Halsted in Chicago on November 10. History is important to the “fetish
community”: this particular presentation was made by the Leather
Archives & Museum, a Chicago “museum” that caters to
sadomasochists”. With a link in his story that points to the LA&M
website. Unfortunately, www.leatherarchives.org only received 8 hits
from the link.
2007, Nov. 23: Bound South and the Leather Masked Ball raises over $8,000.00 for the
Leather Archives & Museum.
2007, Nov. 23- The LA&M Road Show makes its first debut in Canada for the Mr. Toronto
25: Leatherman Competition. This is the first time the LA&M has exhibited in
Canada, showing off its new Canadian Pride exhibit.
2007, Nov. 29: CineKink is back in Chicago. This special showcase featured films and
videos culled from the best of CineKink NYC, "the really alternative film
festival," with topics that include S/M, leather and fetish, swinging, non-
monogamy and polyamory, and gender bending. The films were shown
 at the Leather Archives & Museum in the Etienne Auditorium.
2007, Dec. 1: The new owners and producers of ILSb and ICBB, Mark Frazier, Randal
Kinnear and Lou Molnar, announce a change to the long-standing "bio-
male" requirement for the ILSb contests and float the possibility of
moving the content weekend to San Francisco.
2007, Dec. 2: Jack Mackness, a founding member of Spearhead and co-
owner of the legendary Leather bar, the Toolbox, passed
away after a battle with cancer at the age of 76. "He was one
of the community's elders," says Leatherman and friend
David Adkin. "He was a true leader with a generous spirit."
2007, Dec. 17: NCSF announces the addition of a new, full-time Executive Director,
Keith Richie.

2008
Time Event
2008: Release of The Loving Dominant 3rd Edition by John Warren.
2008, Jan.: The US Supreme Court ruled that the San Francisco
Women's Motorcycle Contingent now owns the trademark
of Dykes on Bikes. San Francisco Dykes on Bikes
Women's Motorcycle Contingent is an organization
committed to creating a local, national and international community of
women motorcyclists and friends of women motorcyclists. Our mission is
to support philanthropic endeavors in the lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and women's communities and beyond, and reach out to
empower a community of diverse women through rides, charity events,
Pride events and education.
2008, Jan.: The Regiment of the Gloves and Garter forms in Los Angeles.
2008, Jan. 4: Kasidie.com announced its launch of a new online magazine published,
edited and written by one of this country's most controversial and
misunderstood sub-cultures: Swingers.
2008, Jan. 14: A German couple were fired from their jobs at a retirement home after
using company expenses for an S&M vacation, instead of attending a
work-training seminar. Bosses learned that "the middle-aged couple had
actually taken a holiday apartment used by devotees of sado-masochistic
sex near the Dutch border."
2008, Jan. 18: In Italy you can legally record a sex tape without consulting your
partner, according to the country's supreme court. The court ruled in
favor of a man who was being tried for taping his bedroom antics with a
former girlfriend without her consent.
2008, Jan. 20: Ronald "Daddy Clyde" Clark passed away in Jacksonville, FL. He is
survived by his life partners, Jim & Wayne.
2008, Jan. 21: The 21st sees the first national fetish day in the UK and a concept and
day that seems to be spreading around the world. The concept first
mooted on an Internet forum was simple enough, a proposal that on a
specified day anyone in the BDSM / Fetish scene show their support by
wearing anything from an item of purple to a full purple outfit.
2008, Jan. 23: BBC News: A goth man who leads his girlfriend around with a dog lead
and collar was stopped from getting on a bus amid fears for passenger
safety, a bus firm confirmed. The company said it was writing to Mr
Graves "to apologize for any distress caused by the way this matter was
handled".
2008, Jan. 24: Mr. Marcus of the Bay Area Reporter gives an oral history to a crowd of
over 40 people in the Etienne Auditorium of the LA&M. Seen that
evening, Marcus dressed in drag singing "Down-town" in the movie Men
Behind Bars.
2008, Jan. 30: Scolding Fetish Gets Man in Hot Water: Tokyo - A lonely Japanese man
has been arrested for allegedly calling directory assistance thousands of
times because he liked to be scolded by female operators.
2008, Jan. 30: Despite complaints from some alumni, the College of William and Mary is
hosting the Sex Workers' Art Show on campus.
2008, Jan. 31: In a controversial move believed to be a first by an American college,
San Jose State University President Don Kassing has suspended all
campus blood drives because of a longstanding government policy that
bars gay men from donating blood.
2008, Jan. 31: Some Lego fans are making the famous children's toy "more
'adult.'" The Sun, a U.K. based newspaper recently discovered
Lego porn videos on YouTube that include "explicit toy action
in animated video spoofs of adult films." One of the videos
named, 'Crissy's Lonely Valentine's Night', starring Crissy
Canyon as 'Suzie' and Eric Neverhard as 'Phone Guy', features
voiceovers and saucy music.
2008, Feb. 1: Avatar Club Los Angeles, CA celebrates 25th Anniversary.
2008, Feb. 4: A federal judge upheld a jury verdict that found the Rev. Fred Phelps and
his two daughters, Shirley Phelps-Roper and Rebecca Phelps-Davis, had
invaded privacy with intent to inflict emotional distress on the father of a
Marine whose funeral Phelp's Westboro Church had picketed.
2008, Feb. 7: A copper male "chastity belt" used in 19th-century
Catholic France is expected to fetch up to £3,000 on
eBay. According to U.K.'s Metro, the antique "anti-
masturbation device...was designed to enclose the
genitalia to make sure boys did not commit the 'sin' of
masturbation."
2008, Feb. 9: The Eagle PDX closes the doors at its old location and moves to 27 NW
6th St.
2008, Feb. 9: Guy Baldwin received the Leather Leadership Award today for his
 longtime work on behalf of the Leather community. Mikel Gerle,
International Mr. Leather 2007, presented the award to Baldwin, a Los
Angeles-based psychotherapist, author and activist on behalf of
“erotically uncommon people.” Accepting his award, Baldwin talked
about how our community needs to be united against agents of
intolerance.
2008, Feb. 9-10: (Detroit) With attendees that included homeless youth, LGBT and
straight elders, civil rights leader Julian Bond and New Hampshire
Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson, the National Conference on LGBT
Equality: Creating Change celebrated its 20th anniversary.
2008, Feb. 17: A children's book about two male penguins that hatch and parent a chick
was pulled from library shelves in Loudoun County, Virginia elementary
schools this month after a parent complained that it promoted a gay
agenda.
2008, Feb. 19: A U.S. federal appeals court has overturned a statute outlawing sex toy
sales in Texas, one of the last states - all in the South - to retain such a
ban.
2008, Feb. 19: Japan's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a collection of
erotic photographs by the late Robert Mapplethorpe does
not violate obscenity laws, a decision that should allow the
sale of the book for the first time in eight years. The
decision overturned a 2003 Tokyo High Court ruling that
the book "Mapplethorpe" was indecent, court spokesman
Takashi Ando said. It was believed to be the first time the top court has
overruled a lower court ruling on obscenity.
2008, Mar. The Spike, New York's famed leather bar opens after being closed for
years due to gentrification.
2008, Mar. CineKink Film Festival in New York City celebrates its 5th year with
Audience Choice Awards given to Call Me Troy, produced and directed by
Scott Bloom.
2008, Mar. 8: John Turner, 63, of Deptford PA, one of the first openly gay
physicians to treat HIV/AIDS patients in the earliest years of the
epidemic, died Friday of complications of a neuromuscular disease
at Underwood Memorial Hospital in Woodbury.
2008, Mar. 10: Nampa, Idaho - After an open meeting, the Nampa Public Library board
ruled in favor of removing two books containing sexual content. The Joy
of Sex and The Joy of Gay Sex are no longer on the shelves at the
library. Both sides came out in force to a Monday night meeting to voice
their opinion over the books.
2008, Mar. 10: LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Faced with rising divorce rates and poor
communication between couples, the Church of England says it is time to
talk about sex. The Anglican Church is publishing a course and a guide to
marriage called "Growing Together" that encourages married couples to
be open and frank with each other.
2008, Mar. 18: GLAAD Awards held in New York, among the recipients, ABC's "Boston
Legal" won the nod for outstanding individual episode (in a series
without a lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered character in its regular
cast) for "Do Tell."
2008, Mar. 20- BLF to host their 10th Anniversary weekend, Easter in Berlin.
25:
2008, Mar. 21: Ronald H. Haines, 73, who was bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of
Washington throughout the 1990s and ignited a stormy dispute when he
ordained a lesbian priest, died of cancer at his home in Lancaster, Pa.
2008, Mar 27: Rainbow Rampage: CEMS (Chennai Event Management Services)
launches the World's first Gay Motorsport events in Europe and America.
2008, Mar 28: Margot Weiss, assistant professor of women’s studies at the College of
William & Mary, presents a lecture, “Sex Play and Social Power: Race,
Gender and the Politics of SM.”
2008, Mar 29: Mr. LA Leather, in collaboration with Outfest, hold a kinky film festival
with films from Alex Wisniowski and T. Arthur Cottam.
2008, Mar 29: Investors sought for The L.U.R.E.'s NYC reopening.
2008, Mar 30: Hundreds of people from Kansas and across the country gathered
Sunday in Topeka to protest Pastor Fred Phelps and the Westboro Baptist
Church. The march was also a way to promote peace, love, and equality.
2008, Apr: National Conference To Address Gay Black
Concerns: Hundreds of LGBT African Americans
will meet in Baltimore this month in the first ever
conference aimed at empowerment. The three-
day conference is being organized by the National Black Justice Coalition
- the nation's largest Black LGBT rights group.
2008, Apr. 4-6: 30th Anniversary of the Mr. San Francisco Leather Contest
2008, Apr. 4: Chaps II opens at 1225 Folsom in San Francisco, CA in the former
Ramrod and My Place location.
2008, Apr. 5: The 5th Anniversary of Bear Cafe, New York.
2008, Apr. 6: Bonk, a new book about science and sex, investigates the history of sex
research over the centuries. The book reveals details about the history of
sexual beliefs -- if two testicles are good, aren't three better?! -- but also
how little is still known about some basic mechanics of human sexuality.
2008, Apr. 9: After 16 years the Phoenix Uniform Club of San Francisco has decided to
discontinue their Pride Weekend annual "Uniform & Leather Ball."
2008, Apr. 9: Detroit, MI. City Council passes an ordinance banning discrimination
against transgender people by an 8–1 vote. The measure’s passage
comes on the heels of last week’s victory in Kansas City, Mo., where the
City Council unanimously passed an identical ban.
2008, Apr. 9: NLA: International, a leading organization for activists in the pansexual
leather community, announces the creation of annual awards for
excellence in writing and publishing about leather, SM, bondage and
 fetishes.
2008, Apr. 10: COPENHAGEN (AFP) — Homosexuals have been designated an
area in a Copenhagen cemetery for those who want to be buried
among people who shared their sexual orientation, one of the
project initiators said on Tuesday. "We founded an association
called Regnbuen (Rainbow) and our goal is that gays and lesbians can be
buried next to each other," Ivan Larsen told AFP. The association has
rented spots that can hold up to a total of 45 urns at Assistens cemetery.
The cemetery already hosts figures as diverse as the Danish fairytale
author Hans Christian Andersen and the philosopher Soeren Kierkegaard.
2008, Apr. 12: Mistress Simone Worthington of Chicago, IL is awarded the title as the
first Illinois Ms. Leather Pride
2008, Apr. 13: San Francisco, CA. 10th anniversary of the Sundance Saloon at 550
Barneveld Ave.
2008, Apr. 20: VANCOUVER: After 23 years of fighting Canada Customs'
seizures of books bound for the gay and lesbian bookshop, the
partners have put Little Sister's up for sale. The fight against
Customs put the store at the forefront of the battle against
censorship in Canada. Among books seized were Jean Genet's
Querelle, Quentin Crisp's The Naked Civil Servant, Joe Orton's Prick Up
Your Ears, The Joy of Gay Sex and The Joy of Lesbian Sex.
2008, Apr. 23: The BC Court of Appeal has ruled that the province's Human Rights
Tribunal can resume hearing a complaint of alleged discrimination on the
basis of BDSM practices to determine whether BDSM is protected from
discrimination under the Human Rights Code and, if so, whether any
discrimination took place in this case.
2008, Apr. 23: Dan Clark, International Mr. Drummer, 2000 and the co-founder of the
Great Lakes Leather Alliance passed away due to a stroke.
2008, Apr. 24: SM Odyssey in San Jose, the group that produces the Folsom Fringe
weekend during San Francisco's Leather Week, has abandoned that
project and this year will be staging the Northwest Leather Celebration
the weekend of May 16-18.
2008, Apr. 24: The Historical Society of San Francisco presents an opportunity to
become a Dykes on Bikes Warrior; displaying a showcase of Dykes on
Bikes exhibit honoring that group.
2008, Apr. 26: A memorial service was held for Kathleen Cheryl Bolton, RN, who died
Monday, April 14 when a tree limb snapped and fell, hitting her and her
car in Stern Grove in Golden Gate Park. She was 50. Ms. Bolton was
active in the LGBT community; she did volunteer work in BDSM
education with the Exiles and the Butch Femme Group
2008, Apr. 30: The University of Wisconsin Law School canceled an event with
controversial sexual content and some students are calling the action a
possible First Amendment violation. The Wisconsin Law Students for
Reproductive Justice had planned an event called “Sex Toys 101” to
 promote safe alternatives to sex, educate about sexual health and
pleasure, and discuss law concerning sex toys.
2008, May 1: The passing of Steven Duane Johnson. Steven was Mr. Sooner State
Leather, 2001 and a long time volunteer for International Mr. Leather
2008, May 1-4: The 10th Anniversary Celebration of the International Ms. Bootblack
Contest.
2008, May 2: For the first time in 116 years, Canada's age of sexual consent changed
on Thursday, climbing to 16 from age 14.
2008, May 3-4: The Bullet bar in Southern California will be celebrating its 10th
anniversary
2008, May 8: A new law in the UK gets the final go-ahead which will make it illegal to
own violent porn. From next January extreme videos, photos and online
material will be banned.
2008, May 10: Equality Illinois Education Project and the Leather Archives &
Museum [LA&M] are coming together to host a seminar day
to educate people on the importance of the Illinois civil union
bill (House Bill 1826) and legal protections for the LGBT community.
2008, May 10: C.O.M.M.A.N.D. MC of Baltimore, MD celebrates its 25th Anniversary
2008, May 14: (Chicago, Illinois) Former state Rep. Larry McKeon - the first openly gay
member of the Illinois General Assembly - dies at age 63.
2008, May 27: Germany unveiled a monument to the tens of thousands of homosexuals
persecuted under the Nazis, whose laws were used to prosecute gay men
for a generation after World War Two. Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit, who
is openly gay, hailed the grey, concrete memorial as a long overdue
acknowledgement of the repression of homosexuals, 50,000 of whom
were convicted by Nazi courts during Adolf Hitler's 12-year dictatorship.
2008, May 30 - The Knights of Leather hold Tournament, their 20th Run.
Jun. 1:
2008, May 22- The 30th Anniversary Celebration of the International
26: Mr. Leather Contest Weekend which raised $55,000
for the Leather Archives & Museum. Gary Iriza, Mr.
Palm Springs Leather 2008 was announced as
International Mr. Leather 2008 and Bootdog, of the Alameda County
Leather Corps in Castro Valley, CA. was announced as International Mr.
Bootblack
2008, Jun 6: Cuba, in the latest change since President Raul Castro took office in
February, has allowed doctors to perform sex change operations, a
specialist at the National Center for Sex Education.
2008, Jun 8: The elephant in the room at the ongoing child pornography trial of R&B
icon R. Kelly is the fact that the man shown in the amateur sex video—
the prosecution's key piece of evidence—seems to take pleasure in
urinating on his sex partner. Staff writer for the Chicago Tribune, By Rex
W. Huppke contacts the Leather Archives & Museum for some guidance
 on this, sometimes, uneasy subject. Huppke quotes Susan Wright of the
National Coalition for Sexual Freedom among others in his eyebrow-
raising story.
2008, Jun 9: Jury selection begins in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom in the trial of
an adult filmmaker facing federal obscenity charges for selling films
featuring beastiality and defecation. Ira Isaacs, 57, a Bronx native who
lives in the Hollywood Hills, is charged with four counts of importing or
transporting obscene material for sale or distribution and two counts of
importing or transporting obscene material.
2008, Jun 10: An attempt to stop homosexual women calling themselves lesbians
begins in Athens with a court hearing that comes amid growing national
debate over gay rights in one of Europe's most socially conservative
countries.
2008, Jun 13: Americans for Truth About Homosexuality President
Peter LaBarbera today accused the Chicago public
TV station WTTW, and by extension the Public
Broadcasting System, of using taxpayer monies to
celebrate homosexuality and worse, air programs that displays flagrant
anti-religious bigotry during "Gay Pride Month." WTTW aired a program
called Out and Proud in Chicago. The documentary showcased the
struggle that Chicago gay & lesbians faced in the days of oppression and
their struggle for basic human rights. Res from the Leather Archives &
Museum and Gerber Hart Library, among other institutions, were used to
make this documentary. The documentary aired during WTTW's annual
fundraising efforts. Reports state that the fundraising gole was surpassed
during the airing of the program.
2008, Jun 14: The passing of Wayne Nesbitt of Washington DC. Wayne served as Mr.
DC Eagle 1997-98. He emceed numerous contests in DC and around the
leather community, volunteered on numerous boards and several events,
including Eagle Wings.
2008, Jun 17: Author Larry Townsend sues Oklahoma-based Nazca Plains Corporation
for copying Townsend's works without permission and then distributed
the books to booksellers.
2008, Jun 21-22: Ottawa, Canada. The First ever BDSM Boot Camp, Jun 21-22 at
Breathless. The weekend included over 20 workshops, along with round
table discussions, and a play as you like pansexual party on the Saturday
night.
2008, Jul. 1: A new law in Indiana that takes effect July 1 requires businesses
that sell sexually explicit material to pay a $250 fee and register
with the secretary of state, who would then pass the information
to municipal or county officials so they can monitor the businesses for
potential violations of local ordinances.
2008, Jul 13: Two condoms have been found inside a medicine book dating from the
XVI century at Salamanca University. Made from pig gut, and with a blue
ribbon used to tighten, the condoms were discovered during a revision
 and cataloguing of the historical books in the library. Library Director,
Margarita Becedas, said that the two condoms were perfectly wrapped in
a newspaper dating from 1857, and are thought to date from the 19th
century.
2008, Jul 18: Religious conservatives are accusing Mattel's racy new Black
Canary Barbie of promoting S&M. The Sun reports that the doll,
which wears leather and fishnets and is based on the D.C.
Comics character of the same name, is being described as "filth"
by a group called Christian Voice. "Barbie has always been on the
tarty side and this is taking it too far," the organization said in a
statement.
2008, Jul 20: Pantheon of Leather awards are handed out at the Leather Archives &
Museum. Among the winners, Glenda Rider is woman of the year, Rick
Storer is man of the year and Jeanne Barney wins the Lifetime
Achievement Award.
2008, Jul 20: International Mr. Leather is recognized as the 4th largest, non trade show
convention in the City of Chicago.
2008, Jul 29: The passing of Larry Townsend. Author of dozens of books
including Run Little Leather Boy (1970) and The Leatherman’s
Handbook (1972) at pioneer erotic presses such as Greenleaf
Classics and the Other Traveler imprint of Olympia Press.

2008, Aug 5: A collection of pornography belonging to Franz Kafka was discovered in

the British Library in London and the Bodleian in Oxford. It appears that
the stash had been concealed by scholars in an attempt to preserve the
writer's image.
2008, Sep 19: Dallas Boys of Leather (DbOL) disbands. During its history
DbOL was well known in Dallas and the United States for its
leadership, charity and social events. DbOL had hosted many
boy/sub gatherings in both Dallas and Oklahoma , at such
events as Beyond Vanilla, South Plains Leather fest, ILSb
(when in Dallas ). As well as co-producing Dallas Leather Sir/boy contest
2002-2003 and North Texas Leather Sir boy 2005-2006. DbOL's
crowning charity program was the annual boys and bears stuff animal
drive for the children in Scottish Rite Hospital. Last year DbOL added
Bryans House for children affected by AIDS to its charitable work.
2008, Sep. 10: Passing of Robert W. Davis (December 1964 - September 2008)
2008, Sep. 10: Passing of Ken Jacobson (1960-2008). Past Hellfire Club President and
Secretary Ken Jacobson passed away on September 27, 2008 from ALS
which is also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Ken was active for many
years in the leather community. He founded the Northwest Gay and
Lesbian Organization and served on the Chicago Commission on Human
Rights in the 1980's
2008, Oct. 5: Jim Clark, THOR Leathermen founder died at Hoag Hospital in Orange
County CA on Sunday October 5th, 2008 A celebration of life was held in
 his living room on October 14 with about 25 in attendance.
2008, Oct 9-12: Domcon celebrates its 5th year in Atlanta, GA
2008, Oct 3-5: Les Cuirassés de Québec, celebrated its milestone 15th
Anniversary in Québec City. No special theme was used on that
occasion
2008, Oct 17-19: 20th Oklahoma Mr. Leather Contest is held at Angles Event Center.
2008, Oct 18: The California B&B Corps held its 40th Anniversary
2008, Dec 12: Legendary pinup queen Bettie Page died of pneumonia at the age of 85
in a hospital in Los Angeles, California, a week after suffering a heart
attack.
2008, Dec 12: The Leather Archives & Museum receives a $10,000.00 donation from an
anonymous Chicago donor.
2008, Dec 31: On New Year's Eve 2009 in Studio City, California, the country western
bar Oil Can Harry's celebrated its 40th anniversary, a record-breaking
run these days. Some of you may recall the Oil Can Harry's in San
Francisco in the early '70s on the corner of Larkin St. at Geary.

2009
Time Event
2009 Books: The following books were published and donated to the Leather Archives
& Museum in 2009

The Complete Dr. Fell Volume One: Lost: Syd McGinley

2009: The Annual Mid Atlantic Leather weekend in Washington DC receives an
unusual amount of press because it takes place the weekend before the
inauguration of Barack Obama.
2009: The Leather Archives & Museum receives a $10,000.00 donation from
Bound South and the Leather Masked Ball, Ft. Lauderdale, FL. and a
$2,500.00 donation from American Brotherhood Weekend, New Orleans,
LA.
2009, Jan 16-28: The Centaur Motorcycle Club celebrate the 25th annual Mid-
Atlantic Leather Weekend in Washington DC.

2009, Jan 12: Death of Mark Olson. Mark served as SVL President through most of
2008 and Vice President in 2007. He also held the title of Sacramento
Leatherboy 2006.
2009, Jan 16 The Leather Archives & Museum mounts a new
exhibit in the Guest Artist Gallery. “Beauties Service,"
is a themed retrospective of watercolor figures, by
Chicago Fetish Artist Kate Tastrophe. Her works
illustrate women who have taken complete and utter
control over their own external sexuality.

Kate Tastrophe, who speaks of her images as if they where real, works
toward contemporary theories of 3rd wave feminism and shows that this
newly found sexually liberated woman is nothing new. The images show
women who use and accentuate their “assist,” and in doing so take hold
of beauty and make it their servant. These ladies want to be looked at.
They want to be studied. They want to inspire those dirty little thoughts.
And it’s their rendering of “beauty” that grants them the power in that
moment.
2009, Feb: The South Florida boys of Leather announced its formation
(www.sflbol.com) and will continue in the tradition of most of the boy
organizations across the nation.
2009, Feb 6: Beginning in February of 2009 six boys/bois in Cleveland, Ohio
saw a hole in the community that they felt boys/bois were
uniquely qualified to fill; the need for dedicated volunteers.
Knowing that one of the biggest passions in a boys/bois heart
is service and hearing the call for help from everywhere, they
decided to form a club. They held their first meeting February 6, 2009
and thus The Ohio Boys of Leather was formed.

The club is called appropriately enough….The Ohio Boys of Leather

2009, Feb 27-Mar The 15 Association in San Francisco holds its 20th anniversary
1: weekend party and the 10th annual South Plains Leather Fest
takes place in Dallas, Texas with the naming of the new
International Master/slave.
2009, Mar 21: The first ever Mr. Stonewall Inn Leather contest takes place in New York
City.
2009, Apr 5: WALP (Women @ Amsterdam Leather Pride) ended its 12 year run.
2009, Apr 7: Gay porn icon Jack Wrangler died from complications of lung disease. He
was 62
2009, Apr 17 The Leather Archives & Museum mounts a new exhibit, Under Orders by
Kelly Courtney in the Guest Artist Gallery.
2009, Apr 25: The ShipMates Club of Baltimore celebrates their 35th Anniversary
2009, Apr 25: Chuck Renslow, John Willie and Tom of Finland are the first inductees
into the Leather Hall of Fame at Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend
(CLAW). The Leather Archives & Museum opens a new exhibit in the
Multi Media Gallery, the Leather SINS Screening Room. Leather Sins, a
pansexual BDSM group near the city of Chicago has adopted what
houses the Leather SINS Screening Room (adoption in progress). This
 upscale and contemporary screening room will house the institution's
vast audio/video collection and will run clips from that collection during
regular museum hours.
2009, Jul: GMSMA (Gay Male S/M Activists) goes into the history books and ceases
existence. During its heyday, GMSMA had hundreds of members from
not only New York City but from across the country and even from
overseas. Regular meetings were held twice a month, and it was not
uncommon for the third floor meeting room of the gay community center
on West 13th Street to be jam packed with dozens or even 100 or more
men eager to learn and to socialize. One night the topic might be how to
tie up your boyfriend in really good rope bondage, another time you
could learn all about flogging and whipping, or how to put together a
really kick-ass cop or firefighter uniform.
2009, Jul 3-5: The DC boys of Leather celebrate their 10th Anniversary
2009, Aug 12: The passing of one of the founders of the DC Boys of Leather Ray
Hall. Ray's work lead to the founding of 27 Boys of Leather Clubs
were founded across the country, including Chicago.
2009, Aug 15: Al Reese, the first Mr. San Diego Eagle and the 1st runner up at
International Mr. Leather 1995 passes away
2009, Sep 12: The Regiment of the Black & Tans celebrate their 35th Anniversary
2009, Oct 8: Marcus Hernandez, who served as the Bay Area Reporter's
longtime leather columnist, died Thursday, October 8 at
Pacifica Nursing and Rehab Center in Pacifica. He was 77.

The cause of death was complications from diabetes and

arteriosclerosis.

Mr. Hernandez was known to his legions of readers by his

pen name "Mister Marcus" and dubbed the "dean of leather columnists."
His weekly columns of contest goings-on and gossip were a must-read
for leather community leaders, titleholders, and newcomers alike for 38
years.
2009, Oct 10: In honor of their 45th Anniversary, the Empire City MC celebrate aboard
the USS Lexington at the Skyport Marina in New York City
2009, Oct 23: The LA&M opens a new exhibit in the Guest Artist Gallery, "Restraint" by
John Randle. Born in 1944 and raised in Chicago, John Randle received a
BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1968 and taught
art in high school for 31 years in suburban Chicago. He also received an
MA degree in Interdisciplinary Arts from Columbia College in 1989. He
has been retired for 10 years and enjoys travel and working for small
theater companies. He was resident scenic designer for the NeoFuturists
for 5 years and created two shows of drawings and paintings for their
productions of "Alice" and "The Last Five Minutes of the Complete Works
of Henrik Ibsen". He had a show of drawings and paintings this year at
Touché.
2009, Oct 25: Robert "Bob" Maddox. co-founder of Male Hide Leathers passed
away suddenly at the age of 74. Bob, with his lover and partner
Frank Goley, began making leather attire for friends at their
kitchen table before opening their first store in Chicago. A
memorial service was held at the Leather Archives & Museum in
November where hundreds of leather folk showed up to celebrate his life.
2009, Nov 28: The Satyrs MC celebrate their 55th Anniversary At the Leather Masked
Ball in Fort Lauderdale, FL. International Leatherboy Bill Hoeppner
donates David Kloss' International Mr. Leather 1979 title vest to the
Leather Archives & Museum. Bill had won the vest in an auction at the
International Leather Sir/boy contest in San Francisco and thought it was
only fitting that it be sent home to the LA&M

2010
Time Event
2010: The following books were published and donated to the Leather
Archives & Museum in 2010

A Nice Boy From A Good Family by David May

Band of Bikers by Scott Zieher
My Leather Workbook by Matt Johnson
Smoke, Ash and Burning Embers by John D. Weal
Packed Cod, Hard Rod by G.W. Leatherman Parks
Secret Historian, the Life and Times of Sam Steward by Justin Spring
Ariane Arborene's Classic FemDom Stories by Ariane Arborene
Hombres De Acero Y Terciopelo (Spanish Edition) by Juan Calderón
Re-Bound by David Lawrence
2010, : Spearhead of Toronto Canada celebrates its 40th Anniversary
2010, Jan 1: The Leather Archives & Museum along with Leigh Fleming
and Sarah Humble announce The Women's Leather History
Project. The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) is
committed to collecting, preserving and providing access to the
contributions, experiences, and histories of women in leather, BDSM,
fetish, and related lifestyles. The Women’s Leather History Project
(WLHP) represents the LA&M’s ongoing commitment to making the
diverse voices of women in leather visible and heard. The WLHP will
collect artifacts, stories, and other items that represent the experience of
all women (straight, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, women of
color). The resulting collections will be featured in future exhibitions at
the Leather Archives & Museum.
2010, Jan 19: The Chicago Leather Kennel Club, who's goal was to help you achieve
your personal best in the pursuit of a local, regional, national, or
 international fetish title, disbands
2010, Feb 5-7: 15th Annual Dark Weekend sponsored by LIFE Detroit, Detroit, MI
2010, Mar 12-13: On Friday March 12 and Saturday March 13, history was made within the
NYC Leather community when the city's oldest and original Leather/Levi
bar, Rawhide, held its first ever Mr. Rawhide, NYC leather competition.
Despite the monsoon conditions outside for two days the bar was packed
with Leather men and women as they celebrated the first Mr. Rawhide,
NYC, Ryan Mollar. The esteemed panel of judges consisted of Darrell
Perry, Cirrtone, Grant Anderson, Master Tip, Morgaine, Kip Hollar, and
Mike Dreyden. The judges boy for the event was Fenix, with Spanky and
Damian serving as tally masters. Behind the scenes, serving as Den
Daddy, was Hillary S. Naploleone Williams. The event was emceed by
Will Clarke with DJ Delroy spinning tunes and Ray Daniels dancing
"Coyote Ugly" style throughout the weekend. Jim "Dottie" Dohr passed
away today, Monday-March 22- at noon after a very short battle with
liver cancer. Jim produced the IML Contest and weekend in the early
years, and also managed Chicago's legendary Gold Coast bar before
going to work for the Chicago Department of Health.
2010, Apr 15: The Los Angeles Band of Brothers conducted its founding ceremony. As
current and former Los Angeles-area Leather Titleholders gathered at a
member's home in Los Angeles, CA.
2010, Apr 1-4: 10th annual Las Vegas Smoke out sponsored by Desert Brotherhood
Motorcycle Club
2010, May 31: Self-proclaimed "Leather gimp" Tyler McCormick, a wheel
chair-reliant female to male transgender man, breaks down
barriers to win the 2010 INTERNATIONAL MR. LEATHER contest
- the first time in the competition's 32 year history.

Lance Holman, Mr. San Francisco Leather, took first runner-up,

and Jack Andrew Duke, Mr. Texas Leather, took second runner-up. The
IML competition was held Memorial weekend (May 27-31 2010) in
Chicago
2010, Jun: 25th Anniversary of the Cosmic order of KA. This celebration will also
mark the disbanding of the club
2010, Jun 10-13: 15th Anniversary of SouthEast LeatherFest Atlanta, GA
2010, Jun 28: The Lexington Lyons Leather Levi Club out of Kentucky officially disband
2010, Jul 10: California B&B Corps hosted a dress uniform cocktail party and dinner to
celebrate their milestone 500th meeting in Pasadena, CA American
Brotherhood Weekend is held at the Leather Archives & Museum in the
Etienne Auditorium. ABW, a celebration of the bonds shared as a Leather
family of men and women took place in and around two iconic Chicago
Leather institutions: Touché, one of the oldest and most established
Leather bars in the city, and the Leather Archives and Museum, the
definitive library, museum and archive of our history as Leatherfolk.
2010, Aug: The Rochester Rams celebrate 35 years
2010, Aug 12- Pantheon of Leather 20 returns to the place where it all started in 1991,
15: Los Angeles, CA John H. Embry, a pioneering gay author, Drummer
magazine publisher, and activist died in his sleep on the morning of
Thursday, September 16 at his home in San Francisco. He was 83.

After a successful career in advertising and marketing, Mr. Embry

founded Drummer, the groundbreaking and most successful national
publication for gay men in the leather lifestyle. Mr. Embry published the
magazine from its inception in 1975 until 1986 when he sold it.
2010, Sep. 24- 15th Anniversary of Mr. Michigan Leather contest
26:
2010, Oct. 7-10: 15th Anniversary of Blackout hosted by Onyx: Mid Atlantic
2010, Nov. 26: The Leather Masked Ball, the premiere annual dance party and charity
event in South Florida’s Leather Community raises funds for the Leather
Archives & Museum while celebrating its 5th anniversary The Atlanta city
council has agreed to million-dollar settlement more than a year after
four-dozen police officers stormed a gay nightspot and allegedly forced
patrons to lie facedown on the floor in handcuffs and endure background
checks during an hour-long search.

The police raid descended upon the Atlanta Eagle on Sept. 10, 2009, the
Atlanta Journal-Constitution recalled in a Dec. 6 article. The raid was
reportedly triggered by reports of sex and drugs at the establishment;
the Eagle had hosted an "Underwear Night" on the evening of the raid,
according to a Dec. 6 GA Voice article
2011: Formation of the Philadelphia Leather Alliance
2011: The Leather Archives & Museum celebrates its 20th anniversary
2011, Feb. 5: Chuck Renslow, often called “The Leatherman of the
Century,” received the Leather Leadership Award for
his outstanding lifetime work of creating leather
community institutions to foster a leather cultural
identity and to preserve its history. A Leather Color
Guard paved the way for Matt Foreman, former Task
Force executive director, and Tyler McCormick, International Mr. Leather
2010, who presented the award to Renslow.
2011, Mar. 25: James "John" Finley Gruber, Jr., the last original member
of the Mattachine Society, died in his home in Santa
Clara February 27, at the age of 82. Born in Des Moines
on August 21, 1928, Gruber enjoyed sexual relations
with both men and women from an early age. In 1946,
Gruber enlisted in the Marines where, as he recalled, he "went bananas
in the sex department." After Gruber was honorably discharged in 1949,
he studied English literature at Occidental College and befriended
authors Christopher Isherwood and W. H. Auden and psychologist Evelyn
 Hooker.
2011, Apr. 5: Today marks the passing of Maryland Drummerboy 2000 William
Finnerty and & Northeast Drummerboy 1993/Mr. New Jersey Leather
2008 Mark Spanky Bialous
2011, Apr. 8-10: Leather Leadership Conference celebrates its 15th anniversary
2011, Apr. 15- National Leather Association - Houston Presents Spring Iniquity XX its
17: 20th anniversary
2011, Apr. 26: Mr. Leatherman Toronto Inc. (MLT) becomes the more inclusive Heart of
the Flag Federation Inc. (HOTF) and starts producing the Toronto Leather
Pride and Toronto Bound weekends. Also it also revives the Mr. Rubber
Toronto and Ms Leather Toronto contests
2011, Apr. 28- Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend CLAW celebrates its 10th
May. 1: anniversary One of Milwaukee's oldest Levi/Leather bars burned to the
ground. The Boot Camp Saloon, located at 209 E. National Ave. had been
in business since 1984 and was owned by Si Smits. The two-alarm fire
broke out around 4:00 a.m. and was put out by Milwaukee Fire
Department (MFD) by 6:00 a.m. Though the fire was contained to the
back of the building fire department officials have declared the building
totaled with heavy water and structural damage.
2011, May 27: The long awaited biography; Leatherman: The Legend of
Chuck Renslow is released at International Mr. Leather.
Renslow, the man behind Kris 'physique' Studio, the Gold
Coast leather bar, Man's Country, Center Stage disco, Bistro
Too, The Eagle, International Mr. Leather, The Leather
Archives and Museum and many other businesses and
organizations. There's payoffs, The Mob, political wheeling
and dealing, a communal Family, celebrities like Marlene Dietrich, Ted
Kennedy, and Rudolf Nureyev - sex, power, and more.
2011, Jun 17: Roger J. Chaffin, International Mr. Leather Coordinator and
great friend and supporter of the Leather Archives & Museum
passed away today, but friends and family members say his
legacy as a gay business leader and long-time community
volunteer will continue to live throughout the community he
proudly served. Mr. Chaffin was surrounded by family and friends at
Weiss Hospital when he passed away at 8:30 p.m. He was 59.
2011, Jun. 24: The Leather Archives & Museum unveils the Fakir Musafar exhibit in the
main gallery with special guests Cleo Dubois and Fakir himself. The
Etienne Auditorium was packed with body modification enthusiasts who
enjoyed a 60 minute presentation given by Fakir on his life in the Body
Play genre. VIP guest were treated to a light buffet and a chance to have
their picture taken with Fakir and to pick up a copy of his book Spirit +
Flesh. The weekend was topped off with a lecture from Cleo Dubois and
a film screening of Dances, Sacred and Profane.
2011, Jun. 25: 10th Annual Southern California Leather Gathering (SLUG) is held in
South El Monte, CA.
2011, Jul. 21-22: The Unicorn Motorcycle Club of Cleveland, OH will celebrate its 40th
Anniversary.
2011, Jul. 27: Eastern Canada Leatherboy 2005 Andrew MacDonald passed away
Wednesday July 27 in Nova Scotia, following a courageous battle with
cancer.
2011, Jul. 29: Ohio Valley Leather celebrates its 10th Anniversary.
2011, Aug. 11- The first Toronto Leather Pride weekend event is held.
14:
2011, Aug. 12- FLAG (Fits Like A Glove) celebrates its 20th anniversary
14:
2011, Aug. 14: HOTF holds Toronto's first (unofficial) Leather Pride March in protest of
the exclusion of leather, kink and fetish from annual Church Street Fetish
Fair, which had been re-branded to suit a more family friendly
environment. Producers Jack Pearce, Victoria Windsor and George
Giourios use the code name "Toronto 3:33" to signify the
meeting/staring time of the protest march. The historic march brings out
a very large cross section of Toronto's leather community, but is virtually
ignored by Toronto's gay press.
2011, Aug. 19- The Alameda County Leather Corps presents its 20th anniversary in
20: Hayward, CA
2011, Sep.: Satyrs M/C hosts its 50th Badger Flat Run, having run uninterrupted since
1962.
2011, Sep. 29- 15th Annual Mates Leather Weekend is celebrated in Provincetown, MA.
Oct. 2:
2011, Oct. 22: The first Connell-Stanley Award for Kentucky Leather Person of the year
was presented to Thomas Smith in Lexington, KY at Crossings Bar. The
first Award Recipient, Thomas Smith, was Mr. Kentucky Leather 1997,
Mr. International Rubber 1999, and Chair of the Leather Leadership
Conference 2011-2012.
2011, Dec. 14: The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announced today that Viola
Johnson will receive its 2012 Leather Leadership Award, to be presented
at the Task Force's 24th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating
Change.
2011, Dec. 15: The Leathermen's Discussion Group celebrates its 15th Anniversary.

2012
2012 Books: The following books were published and donated to the Leather Archives
& Museum in 2012

Journey in Leather: Thomas Smith

Bondage: Ulli Richter
 Rye: Sam Rosenthal
Twenty-Five Years of Living in Leather: The National Leather Association
1986-2011: Steve Stein
The Complete leatherboy Handbook: Vincent L. Andrews
Tribute to Sam Steward: Oeishik
The S&M Feminist: Clarisse Thorn
Violation: Rape in Gaming: Clarisse Thorn & Julian Dibbell (Editors)
The Black Party Portraits: Robert Zash

2012, January OUT at CHM: Chicago in Leather Program and Party:

19: Being home to the first dedicated leather bar in the
United States, the first gay motorcycle club outside of
Los Angeles and the first (and still running) BDSM club
for gay men, the Windy City is rich with LGBT leather history.

The LGBT leather community in Chicago has made a historic, cultural,

and meaningful impact in the city in a variety of ways. Join us for an
evening that will discuss the importance of gay men's leather motorcycle
and backpatch clubs, bars, women's groups and spaces and large events
like International Mr. Leather in creating Chicago's leather subculture.
Panelists explored how gender and sexual orientation collaboration and
separatism have co-existed throughout the past five decades. In
collaboration with the Leather Archives & Museum and the Chicago
History Museum.
2012, Jan 20-22: The Southwest Leather Conference celebrates its 10th Anniversary.
2012, Jan 22: The Atons of Minneapolis celebrate their 40th Anniversary.
2012, Feb 17: Tony Hepworth, one of the founding members of the 69 club London died
today on his 83th birthday.
2012, Mar 16: The passing of Bob DeJardine owner of TuffStuff Leatherwear.
2012, Mar 16-18: The Long Island Ravens MC hold their 20th Anniversary run in New York
and the Conductors L/L hold their 30th Anniversary run in Tennessee.
2012, Apr 1: British artist Jim Stewart, the pioneer founder of Fetters bondage
company (London/San Francisco) died today in the UK at age 79.
2012, Apr 13-15: Leather Leadership Conference XVI was held in Nashville, TN from April
13 to April 15, 2012. Thomas Smith, Chair of the LLC and CC, Southeast
Regional Operating Committee Chair presented the "Leadership In Action
Award" to Rick Storer, Executive Director of the Leather Archives &
Museum. Rick Storer presented a keynote address. Closing ceremonies
included an address by Lady D. Reverend Deborah Harrison, better
known as Lady D.
2012, April 26- 5th Annual Beyond Leather in Dallas, TX.
29:
2012, Apr 27: The passing of Daddy Ken Thomas, after a lengthy hospitalization in
Oklahoma City. Ken had traveled to Oklahoma in March, to support his
 partner, Tim, in making the arrangements for Tim’s mother’s funeral. It
was while they were there that Ken suddenly took seriously ill and was
hospitalized.
2012, Apr 30: The passing of Kent Arnold at his home in Long Beach, CA. His obedient
boy joe who has been with him for 14 years was at his side.
2012, May: The Leather Journal celebrates its 25th Anniversary.
2012, Aug 4: The Toronto Leather Pride weekend is extend to a whole week.
2012, Aug 16- Black BEAT - Black Expression Alternative Tastes celebrates its 10th
19: Anniversary
2012, Sep 1: The Chicago Leather Club celebrates its 10th Anniversary
2012, Nov 1-4: Touche, Chicago's longest running leather bar celebrates its 35th
Anniversary
2012, Nov 9: Leather Archives and Museum announced plans for a Capital Campaign
to acquire additional space.
2012, Nov 9-11: Mr. Leather Ottawa celebrates its 20th Anniversary
2012, Nov 9-11: Cowboi Jen was awarded the Chuck Renslow President's
Award by the Leather Archives & Museum at Philadelphia
Leather Pride Night for her continued service to the Leather
Community.

Jen has volunteered at numerous events and fundraisers and

has taught DM classes throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region. She has
judged leather contests across the United States and in several
countries, making history being the first female judge for the Mr. South
Africa Leather Contest in 2012. Cowboi Jen has won several awards
including the Pantheon of Leather President’s Award as well as the
Diabolique Foundation Community Service Award in 2010.
2012, Dec 1: The Alameda County Leather Corps held its 20<supth Annual Santa's
Slave Auction at the Turf Club in Hayword, CA. The Slave Auction
produced by the current Mr. & Ms. Alameda County Leather Jay Williams
and Christy Ford, raised just shy of $5,000.00 for the Tri City Health
Center's cancer program and The Crucible art school.

2013
2013 Books: The following books were published and donated to the Leather Archives
& Museum in 2013

The Killer Wore Leather: An S/M Mystery: Laura Antoniou

The Sand Bar: Owen Keehnan
Heartbeat: Musings on Leather and Leadership: Thomas Smith
2013: 20th Anniversary of the publication of The Marketplace by Laura Antoniou
2013: 40th Anniversary of MSC London. MSC London is London’s largest
membership club for gay and bisexual men into fetish wear including
leather, rubber, uniforms, skinhead, sportswear and denim.
2013: 10th Anniversary of CineKink, the Kinky Film Festival
2013, Jan 29: Sacramento Valley Leathermen had made the decision to dissolve their
organization
2013, Feb 15: Passing of Puppy Ronnie "Timber" Millard. Timber (or
"Puppy" as many called him) was born and lived most
of his life in the Washington DC area. He served a
short period in the U.S. Marine Corps before being
discharged with a medical condition. He was also an
employee of the DC Eagle for several years. Puppy was an active
member of the DC area leather and pup communities. He joined the DC
boys of Leather in August 2000 and became a Lifebrother of that club in
2010.
2013, Feb 16 ICON Detroit leather club celebrates 20 years with a
party at Hayloft Saloon, 8070 Greenfield Rd Detroit,
Mich. Expect door prizes, demos, refreshments, raffle
and surprise guests at this milestone event!

Non-profit ICON has been producing monthly bar

parties with a fundraising element since 1993. Current lineup: President,
Buck. VP, Martino. Treasurer, Alleycat. Secretary, Tony. Pledge Master,
Trooper. Road Captain/Web Master, Bill.

Two founders are still active members — Alleycat & Buck. Buck and
Trooper have both served as IML judges. Eight members have walked
the IML stage, with two making top twenty (Gary & Bryan). Trooper
earned first runner up spots to two different international bootblack
titleholders.
2013, Feb 25: Passing of Jason Lynch "RubberJason" Mr.
International Rubber 16. Jason, was just three months
into his title year and was looking forward to his first
international trip as MIR16, to judge the Mr. Montreal
Rubber contest this weekend. He had forged a strong
relationship with the Rubber Men of San Francisco and was so very
happy to bring the title back to the Boston area where MIR's
predecessor, the Mr. Vulcan Rubber contest began.
2013, Feb 26 - CineKink celebrates its 10th annual kinky film festival in New York city.
Mar 3:
2013, Mar 1-3: Mr. Missouri Leather celebrates its 30th Anniversary at JJ's Clubhouse in
Saint Louis, MO.
2013, May 3-5: The Tradesmen celebrate their 27th Anniversary with their Annual
Leather Run (Trademark) in Charlotte. NC
2013, May 12: Bob "Puppy" Pedder, 56 passed away peacefully at his home in Medford
surrounded by his family and loved ones.
2013, Jun 5-9: The 15 Association hosts Boot Camp XXV
2013, Jul. 30: The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) announced today an OPAC
(Online Public Access Catalog) of the institution’s book and magazine
collection has gone live. The OPAC can be found at:
http://webopac.infovisionsoftware.com/leather/
2013, Aug 1: The Leather Archives & Museum hosted Dr. Gloria Brame for a reading
from her new book Sex for Grown-ups A Sex Primer for the 21st
Century. Dr. Gloria Brame is a world-renowned author, blogger, sex
therapist and history who is best known for her previous book Different
Loving.
2013, Aug, 19: The passing of Jose Julio Sarria, Empress I de San Francisco,
the Widow Norton, who founded the Imperial Court System with
chapters all over North America, which celebrates drag while
fundraising for our communities.

An American political activist from San Francisco, California

who, in 1961, became the first openly gay candidate for public
office in the United States. He is also remembered for performing as a
drag queen at the Black Cat Bar and as the founder of the Imperial Court
System.
2013, Aug 29: Metro Detroit’s Biggest Annul Leather Party and Vendor Mart Turns 5
years old.
2013, Aug 30- The International LeatherSIR, Leatherboy and Community Bootblack
Sep. 1: contest weekend moves to Dallas, TX
2013, Sep. 1: Longtime LRA Member Tattoo Joe Passed Away.
2013, Sep. 1: Leather Archives & Museum welcomes Jakob VanLammeren as Archivist /
Collections Librarian
2013, Sep. 3: The passing of Jeff Gord of the House of Gord.
2013, Sep. 3: Glenda Rider issued a statement on Monday, September 3rd stating that
she was resigning as sole proprietor of IMsL, LLC. IMsL is the annual
event which hosts both the International Ms Leather and International Ms
Bootblack titles. Glenda stated that her resignation was effective
immediately.
2013, Sep. 3: Gateway MC, St. Louis’s oldest levi/leather club, announced Tuesday,
Sept. 17, that they would be shutting down after 40 years.

Founded in 1973, the club was also the sponsor the Mr. Missouri Leather
contest. A board lead by Mr. Missouri Leather 2010 Terry Laupp will
continue to produce the contest.
2013, Sep. 20: Last week, the city of Cleveland had to walk back a letter to the owners
of Cocktails, a gay bar on Cleveland’s west side that has been under
siege by neighborhood thugs, saying they were calling the police too
 much. That embarrassment might have done some good. Cleveland
police seemed to have stepped up their efforts into finding the young
men who have been terrorizing the bar’s patrons.

Tuesday, police arrested a sixteen-year-old they say was part of the

crowd caught on surveillance video assaulting New York resident Jared
Fox as he walked from his car to Cocktails. The suspect, whose name
was not released due to his age, was booked on robbery and felonious
assault charges, and taken to the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Detention
Center.
2013, Sep. 23: The International LeatherSir/boy contest announced Sunday that it was
dissolving all regional producer contracts and limiting contestants to only
contest winners (no appointed) and only cisgendered (born) male
contestants, removing transgender men from consideration.
2013, Sep. 27: Jeffery Payne and the board of International LeatherSir/Leatherboy
announced Friday morning that the board has changed its decision on
allowing transmen to compete in the ILSb contest. Both cisgender and
transgender gay men can compete. In a lengthy letter on both Payne’s
and ILSb’s Facebook pages, the board explained their reasoning in last
week’s decisions.
2013, Sep. 27- The first Mr. Ripcord Toledo Leather contest will be on Sept. 27-29 at the
29: Ripcord Bar, 115 N. Erie St., in Toledo.
2013, Oct 3: Cynthia Artemis Silverowl Babbitt, Born on April 5, 1957 in
Worcester, MA passed away on October 03, 2013 in Arlington,
TX. Artemis was instrumental in the formation of the National
Leather Association: Dallas and former title holder Ms NLA:
International. Her work in the Leather community and her
documenting of local leather history will preserve it for future
generations.
2013, Oct 5: The 25th Annual Mr. Iowa Leather contest took place at The Blazing
Saddle, Des Moines, IA
2013, Oct 11-13: MR. WISCONSIN LEATHER 2014, The Inaugural Event takes place in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
2013, Oct 11-12: The Reading Railmen celebrate their 35th Anniversary

We, the members of the Reading Railmen Inc., join

together in fraternal friendship and brotherhood

We bind together to promote personal pride on the

part of all members of the club, for it's aims and
purposes. We will bring honesty, forthrightness,
fellowship, and brotherly love. We will display the club patch with pride
and dignity.

We bind together to recognize and assist all fellow members and

 fraternal clubs. Whenever possible, we will extend the hand of friendship
and hospitality in every possible way within our capabilities
2013, Oct 21: Priape, Canada’s leading gay store and sex shop, has closed its stores.

Denis Leblanc, general manager at Priape Inc, confirmed that Priape’s

four stores across Canada — Montreal, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver
— closed their doors Oct 21 at 8am Eastern Standard Time.

The company has been under bankruptcy protection since June 27.
Leblanc says the closings affect 58 employees.
2013, Nov 5: The passing of David Durman. David served as the 4th president of the
Bay State Marauders. He was also Mr. Boston Leather 2010
2013, Nov 9: This morning, at 11:50am (ET), Tim Starkey, International Mr. Bootblack
2010, lost his final battle and passed on to the next part of his journey.
His love of life, community and of course, boots, will be missed more
than words can describe.
2013, Nov 9: The 5th Annual Philadelphia Leather Pride Night took place at Voyeur
Nightclub in Philadelphia, PA
2013, Nov 30: Seattle Men in Leather (SML) sponsor the 25th Annual Seattle Leather
Daddy and Daddy's boy Contest at The Cuff Complex, 1533 13th
Avenue, Seattle, WA
 2014
2014 Books: The following books were published and donated to the Leather Archives
& Museum in 2014

Steel and Velvet A Soldier's Story: Juan Cordoba

Biker Bar Bikes Beer & Boys: Thom Magister
Young Digby Swank: Owen Keehnen
The LGBT Book of Days: Owen Keehnen

2014, Jan 24: Founder of Alcala’s, one of the Midwest’s biggest Western wear stores,
dead at 92
2014, Feb 2: Death of Green Lantern's beloved owner, Greg Zehnacker. It appears
that he died peacefully in his sleep. Greg was 55.
2014, Mar 28: The Chicago History Museum holds an event called Dangerously Explicit
featuring a presentation on the artist Etienne.

2014, Jun 21 The winners of the 2014 Leathertarian Award were announced. Male
Winner: LOYD POWELL, of Texas; Female Winner: C. KEIKI STACY
WEIGLE (aka Domina DeManda), of Florida; and Lifetime Award:
THOMAS SMITH, of Kentucky. The Male and Female winners receive a
check in the amount of $500.00. The Lifetime Award winner receives a
check in the amount of $1,000.00.