Ties That Bind: SM/Leather/Fetish/EroticStyle

Posted on August 02, 2024
Word Count: 265

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Ties That Bind: SM/Leather/Fetish/EroticStyle
I ended up finding this while searching for leatherworking books. It’s a pretty interesting time capsule on the gay leather scene between the 70’s and the 90’s. Written by a psychotherapist in Los Angeles who was actually in the scene, originally as a bottom, and then eventually a top. He joined the scene in the 70’s, and this book was first published in the 90’s.

He wrote a column or something for a magazine and this book is a compilation of them, lightly edited to string them together into a coherent book. A little of what he said felt wrong, a lot of it felt right. Overall really insightful, and the glimpse into the history of the 70’s gay leather scene was really interesting. So much of BDSM culture today came from it, so understanding that origin was kind of neat and helpful.

I was aware that a lot of the culture came from the military, but actually having the details of why and how laid out was really interesting. And how it had to shift as non-military men were joining the scene.

There were points about stopping the gatekeeping (did not use that word), and letting the younger generation in that I found really interesting. Especially because the people that he’s talking about, the younger generation he was imploring people to let in are now our old guard, and the gatekeepers who keep spreading propaganda about who and what is a “real” submissive or “real” dominant these days.

So much has changed, but so much has stayed the same.