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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 18, 2021, 7:54 PM
I've been working on this for three months and it's finally done. 78 pages on the history of leather, sluts, and families at US Prides, from 1965 to 1995. Includes background on Pride as a polyvocal celebration and leather as a queer subculture; multifarious sexual and gender expression at Pride; the Lesbian Sex Wars; reaction from the right; and the interplay of radical and normalizing forces within LGBTQ activism.
https://aphyr.com/posts/358-a-history-of-leather-at-pride-1965-1995
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Replies

École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 18, 2021, 7:58 PM
This work is far from comprehensive, but I sincerely hope that it helps people who may be new to discussions around public sexuality develop a deeper and more nuanced understanding of our history and present-day exuberance.
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 18, 2021, 9:05 PM
San Francisco Pride monitors attempted to expel the first organized SM contingent (Soc. of Janus) in 1978, and moved to ban attendees from even wearing leather *clothing* at Pride in 1979. Lesbian S/M group group Samois successfully fought that ban.
https://aphyr.com/posts/358-a-history-of-leather-at-pride-1965-1995#san-francisco-pride-1978
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 18, 2021, 9:05 PM
Leather individuals and motorcycle clubs joined the first Pride marches in 1970. Organized S/M groups participated in New York and Chicago Pride by 1972, and full-blown exhibitions of whips, chains, and boot-licking were well-documented by 1975.
https://aphyr.com/posts/358-a-history-of-leather-at-pride-1965-1995#leather-at-pride
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 18, 2021, 9:05 PM
Leather people helped organize the 1978, 1987, and 1993 Marches on Washington; SM/Leather had a seat on the committee for the latter two marches. Video of the 1987 MoW shows organizer Brenda Howard wearing leather and leading a smiling person on a leash.
https://aphyr.com/posts/358-a-history-of-leather-at-pride-1965-1995#march-on-washington-1
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 18, 2021, 9:05 PM
When New York Pride experienced a budget crisis in 1983, the local leather community organized a kinky fundraising event at The Spike. Leather Pride Night contributed a sixth of NY Pride's budget by 1985, and became their largest sponsoring event.
https://aphyr.com/posts/358-a-history-of-leather-at-pride-1965-1995#leather-in-support-of-queer-life
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 18, 2021, 9:06 PM
Infants, toddlers, kids and teenagers have been marching in and attending Pride since its inception in 1970. SF Pride started offering childcare in 1978. The first kids to be exposed to kinksters at Pride were literally boomers.
https://aphyr.com/posts/358-a-history-of-leather-at-pride-1965-1995#young-people-at-pride
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 18, 2021, 9:06 PM
From at least the 1970s through the mid-1990s leather, drag, and trans people were commonly lumped together as forms of sexual deviance which hurt the cause of lesbian and gay rights--both by religious conservatives and by more normative gay people.
https://aphyr.com/posts/358-a-history-of-leather-at-pride-1965-1995#reaction-3
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 18, 2021, 9:06 PM
During the Lesbian Sex Wars, anti-porn feminists developed a critique of BDSM as fundamentally degrading to women and inimical to lesbian feminism. That rhetorical framework provided a powerful tool for conservatives who moved to censor SM and queer art.
https://aphyr.com/posts/358-a-history-of-leather-at-pride-1965-1995#obscenity-laws
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 18, 2021, 9:17 PM
For anyone who asked for a reading list: I got you. https://aphyr.com/posts/358-a-history-of-leather-at-pride-1965-1995#further-reading
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 18, 2021, 9:25 PM
Honestly unsure whether I'm gonna get dogpiled for this or not. Should be interesting once it starts percolating into the more stigmaphobic parts of queer twitter.
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 19, 2021, 4:38 PM
There's an EPUB now too, for those of you on phones/tablets/e-readers etc.
https://aphyr.com/data/posts/358/leather-pride.epub
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Sep 19, 2021, 6:23 PM
Oh Jesus fucking Christ it's top ten on HN now.
This isn't FOR you.
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hairylarryhairylarry@gamerplus.org
Apr 27, 2025, 12:45 PM
@aphyr
That's me!
Thanks
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Pious Ramon 🏳️‍🌈PiousRamon@woof.group
Sep 30, 2023, 3:20 PM
@aphyr Just read your paper. Lots of good stuff to make one think a bit.
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deanologic 🌈deanologic@4bear.com
Sep 30, 2023, 5:40 PM
@aphyr This looks fascinating. Thank you for sharing your efforts.
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Maskdad23Maskdad23@woof.group
May 1, 2025, 4:24 PM
@aphyr hi. how. do i post. to someone so its private and not fully public
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
May 1, 2025, 7:31 PM
@Maskdad23 You'll find instructions in the new user guide! https://blog.woof.group/docs/new-user-guide
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FFBAREBEARMANSCENT@woof.group
Jul 9, 2025, 3:31 AM
@aphyr OMG. so impressive. Now, the next generation will have a perspective on the past to make the future better!!
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Nick Silkey 📻 N5ILK 🪓🪵 🪣💧nicksilkey@hachyderm.io
Aug 10, 2025, 1:56 PM
@aphyr Kyle, I'm just now reading this critically after following you for all the databass drops and reorders over a decade ago. "Came for the Reimann, stayed for the Aphyr." 💃
Thank you so much for all you did here. This is a wonderful, timeless, valuable resource. For any human being to take and learn about culture and power from. Regardless of the readers gender or sexual orientation. Or familiarly with leather at all! 👀
I appreciate you sm, friend! 🙇‍♀️✌️💙
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FFBAREBEARMANSCENT@woof.group
May 15, 2026, 6:46 PM
@aphyr WOW. YOU CLEARLY PUT A LOT OF TIME AND EFFORT INTO THIS PROJECT. Thank You SO MUCH!!
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Sean Corfieldseancorfield@tech.lgbt
Jun 7, 2026, 5:41 PM
@aphyr I'm looking forward to reading this! Back in the '90s, I used to march in SM Pride in London, mostly with the SM Bi crowd, and I still have my Spanner Campaign T shirt "Cruising for a Bruising" with the tagline "Safe, Sane, Consensual". I never really got to know the leather community here in the US (although I've had some fun evenings at The Power Exchange in San Francisco).
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École des Bro-Artsaphyr@woof.group
Jun 7, 2026, 6:24 PM
@seancorfield what the what!? Oh that's cool! I hope you enjoy the piece
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