LEATHER CULTURE

The leather culture typically includes both a style of dress and an affiliation with BDSM (but that isn’t the Rule) practice. Both the style of dress and the kinds of BDSM activities characteristic of a community may differ between gay, lesbian, and straight communities, and between Old Guard and newer generations of players. While most people who engage in the leather culture style of dress are also affiliated with BDSM practice, not all BDSM practitioners wear leather culture apparel.

Gay male leather culture grew out of post-WWII biker culture. Leather culture is also inspired by the chains and leather or denim and leather look espoused by heavy metal bands. The early gay male leather subculture is epitomized by the Leatherman's Handbook by Larry Townsend, published in 1972, which essentially defined the Old Guard leather culture. This code emphasized strict formality and fixed roles.