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Gay leather culture

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ISBN 1-881943-09-7, pp 111-112.

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Information on this page is from the Leather 101 workshop at the West Coast Gathering, September 2018, presented by Rick B. Mr CMEN Leather 2015.
Information on this page is provided for educational purposes and does not imply endorsement by CMEN.Please note that CMEN does not control the content of linked web sites, the organizations who own these web sites accept sole responsibility for their content.

Exploring the Leather Community – Leather Events and Organizations – Wearing Leather – Leather Care – Leather Shops – Hanky Code – Exploring Kink

The History of Leather in Gay Culture: From Rebellion to Pride

The History of Leather in Gay Culture: From Rebellion to Pride and Identity

Leather has long played a significant and symbolic role in gay culture, evolving from an underground sign of rebellion to a proud emblem of identity and empowerment.

It is best to purchase boots that you can try on first at a local store to ensure the correct fit, as sizes do vary.

The leather aesthetic was already well established by the late 1960s, when clothier Alan Selby visited San Francisco and found a scene of young gay men in tight motorcycle gear. The style involved leather chaps, uniforms, harnesses, motorcycle jackets, and peaked hats.

These protocols for wearing leather included:

  • Always wear boots, military or motorcycle style, preferably black.
  • Always wear a wide leather belt, plain, not fancy.
  • Never mix brown leather with black leather.
  • Never mix chrome or silver trim with gold or brass trim.
  • Long pants only, Levis or leather, no shorts.
  • Chaps indicate more commitment than Levis, and leather pants indicate more commitment than chaps.
  • Leather jacket must have epaulets ( and exception was made for motorcycle riders).
  • Head gear is reserved for Tops or experienced bottoms only.
  • Bottoms may not own collars, a Top may allow them to be the custodian of a collar owned by the Top.
  • A bottom wearing a collar is owned by the Top that owns the collar, other Tops are not to engage a collared bottom in conversation, but other bottoms may do so.
  • Never touch the bill of a bike cap (cover), including your own.
  • Never touch another man’s cap (cover) unless you are very intimate frients or lovers.
  • Leather other than boots and a belt must be earned as a rite of passage as one gained experience and knowledge.
  • Wearing gloves is reserved for heavy players, glove fetishists or biker riders.
  • Indicate SM preference, keys left for Top, keys right for bottom.  Those who switch are second class players and not to be taken seriously.
  • Full leather is reserved for after 10:00 p.m.

    Both women and men showing their pride. They have to fight and are still fighting every day for their right to exist and be in a world that is consistently trying to undermine their very existence. Gale eBooks, Accessed 16 Feb. 2023.

About The Authors

Amalia Curtis-Milner is a student at UW Bothell and is a senior with one more quarter until receiving her Bachelors in Arts with a Major in Society Ethics and Human Behaivor.

Purchase the best quality leather boots you can comfortably afford. The movie The Wild One, featured Marlon Brando perched on his motorcycle wearing his Schott Perfecto® motorcycle jacket, boots and jeans in 1953, helped establish the style standard among men adopting a leather look and lifestyle.

Without the stories of queer perspectives and lived experiences we would not know about so many acts of power, courage, and individuality that have fueled both small and big change for the queer community. In lieu of this veto, protests started soon after, the community had been angered because Pete Wilson had originally said he supported LGBTQ rights.

Casual leather typically includes the following basics:

 The Leather Game was one of the first gay bars for the leather community in the late 1970s, the bar encouraged the queer community to join the scene.

gay leather culture

Bars such as this one provided a critical stitch to the social fabric of gay communities, queer people went to these bars to meet friends, engage in sexual relationships, and be around their people.  The queer club scene was not always inclusive or supportive of all queer identities but as a majority, it was a beacon of hope. 

The LGBTQIA community has a rich and fruitful history, full of victories, full of love and self-discovery.

By reading queer history and exploring their stories we are honoring their struggle and their existence. Today newer style harnesses, such as a bulldog harness, may be worn by both.

  • a leather jock or T-back, worn when one isn’t wearing pants.
  • leather chaps, typically worn over blue jeans but can alternatively be worn with a leather jock or T-back (chaps designed primarily for bar and leather community event wear are typically more form fitting than those designed for motorcycle wear).
  • a leather or cotton-poly utility kilt may be worn as an alternative to pants or jeans.
  • a leather cap (also knows as a cover) may also be worn, styles include Muir caps (in some traditions Muir caps are only worn by Dominants), military style caps, law enforcement style caps and baseball style caps.

    They would show up to help promote protests for equality or show up in the spirit of showing off their pride. One of the first was The Leathermaker which opened on Melrose in Los Angeles in 1960.