History of Leather and Clubs
- One of the early contributors to Leather culture was the 1953 film The Wild One starring Marlon Brando. Find out where you can watch it online. (You may need to adjust your country if you are not in the US.)
- The Satyrs MC, founded during the McCarthy era in 1954, is one of the longest-running gay organizations in the United States. Their early activities included rides to remote areas where they could have sex, because public expressions of being gay were unacceptable in this era (the 2026 film Pillion depicts this sort of ride). You can learn more about the Satyrs’ history in the documentary Original Pride.
- Dykes on Bikes began in 1976 and have spread to include chapters around the world. When they tried to file a trademark for their name in 2003, they ended up in a 13-year legal battle because the trademark office deemed the word “dykes” inappropriate. Check out more Dykes on Bikes history here.
- Other types of groups you could join include education groups (such as TES from 1971), backpatch clubs (eg, FIST, started 1993), events (like Desire, since 2004), houses (with shared interests like House of Iron for indigenous members, or for friends like House of Bear in Oklahoma), families (for example, Master Taino’s)…and even more!
Some Wisdom from Others
- Mara, IPoL 2024, gave a step-aside speech about what it means to be Leather “enough.”
- Guy Baldwin buys his leathers if he wants to. If you like the hat, buy the hat. (If it’s good enough for Guy…)
(More to follow but I want to get this page up for Scissortail 2026 folks – I will update ASAP!)