#leather community

[undeadboything]

Something that has been irritating me to absolutely no end is how the Leather Community has embraced AI slop.

It's probably just because the leather community as a whole tends to be a microcosm of society at large nowadays, but I see people posting flyers for events full of AI garbage; for bars, clubs, and larger events alike. Or they're posting some Tom of Finland looking AI generated sex homunculus with two left feet to get off to

I just find it especially hypocritical, since there's been some (absolutely valid!) conversations about not stealing other leatherworkers designs for belts and harnesses and such, and asking other leatherworkers for permission before even taking heavy inspiration from one of their designs, just for these same people to turn around and use AI to generate ads and images for them to post. They literally don't bat an eye when it comes to using the Stealing People's Art Machine as long as it's a medium they don't respect

Imo it's extra frustrating because the community is full of artists of all kinds! They could be getting their fellow leatherfolk to work on these projects or commissioning them for erotic art, but instead they'd rather generate some stupid bullshit to pass around instead. Infuriating

[jewish-microwave-laser]

Hi, you’ve mentioned trying to navigate the overlap between leather culture and tzinut and I’m interested in hearing more about leather and Judaism if you’re comfortable sharing 😊

yeah! in judaism leather is indicative of luxury and comfort—this is why we don't wear it on yom kippur (also prohibited is sex, so to me this feels like a pretty big arrow pointing to leathersex bc leather and sex are linked by being in this list of things we refrain from on yom kippur). more than that, though, some of the holiest things we have in judaism are leather! kosher klafs (scrolls) are a type of leather (tanned hide and all that) which includes the torah, what's in the mezuzah, and the scrolls in tefilin! and speaking of tefilin—black leather straps we bind ourselves with! more than that, traditionally the way to keep the leather moisturized and nice is to lay tefilin regularly and allow the oils from your skin to hydrate the leather. there's also ritualized leather care if it's damaged, you have like black dye and you say a little bracha before you use it to repair your tefilin

judaism imbues leather items with a sense of holiness, set-apart-ness that is similar to the more spiritual side of the leather community. leather spirituality often views leather as a material that it's important for helping us reach an altered state of mind, another 'self' if you want to put it that way. leathers have their own lives and they are treated with immense respect and reverence. for example, touching someone else's gear without permission is a HUGE no-no, it's a sign of disrespect to an extremely high degree. (this is why bootblacks are such an important and fascinating social role within the leather community; often they are the only person who will touch and handle a person's leather gear other than the leather's owner themself. to give your vest or harness or boots or whatever to a bootblack and walk away is such a huge action of trust, and as such bootblacks generally have a highly respected role in the community (i'd imagine kinda like book binders in communities who love really old books). see again the ritualized leather care with tefilin!)

in terms of tznius and leather, a lot of my studies (highly recommended the book reclaiming dignity, it's a really good collection of writings on what tznius actually means and how to teach it in a way that doesn't traumatize and disrespect women and girls (warning theres like two just random homophobic paragraphs in there??? but overall i still recommend)) discuss tznius as "fittingness" or "appropriateness" of what you're wearing for the situation you're in (when talking in terms of clothing at all). so it's tzanua to be naked in the shower bc that's what's appropriate for that moment. this is something i've been chewing on and batting around my brain in relation to what i wear when i go to pet moshes or leather bars. there is a certain aesthetic that comes with these spaces—only wearing a harness or an open leather vest and allowing your chest and stomach hair to be shown is a very common and appropriate thing to wear, for example. using the definition of tznius posed above, one may even call it tzanua!

[havinganormalone]

The drama the leather community is having over Honey Davenport (a black, queer, nonbinary artist who was on RPDR) winning International Mr. Leather just goes to show that being kinky is not a panacea to being bigoted. Being gay doesn't absolve you of racism. If the LEATHER community (famously tied to the gay rights movement of the 60s-90s) has enough of a right wing contingent to raise a stink about this, then your own local community almost certainly has problems, too. You need to get louder about your support for black trans people. Make sure your space is uncomfortable for bigots. Because if you don't, they will find their way in.

[raelemond]

I normally talk about funny or educational kink stuff here, but today I've got Daniel on the mind. (not his real name, for those who might recognize the story.)

Daniel was a gay man active in the Leather community in the 90s. he had a husband (even if the courts didn't recognize it, who's your husband if not the person you live with while complaining about and to?), a peter pepper garden, and a prognosis of less than five years after contracting HIV.

many people were determined to fight--one of my friends was someone who was diagnosed around the same time, and lived until an unrelated cancer got him a couple of years back. Daniel wasn't quite that. he took the meds, sure, but he lived wildly and ran up his credit, figuring fuck, he had a death warrant, what was the problem in living beyond his means?

he died in a gay bashing. his husband was the one who found him outside the bar. the men who did it tried to use the gay panic defense, said Daniel had flirted with them. so what if he did? so what if a man flirted with another man outside of a gay bar?

I know Daniel like a distant relative, relayed through stories and impressions through those who knew him. I met his husband at the gay man's choir, almost thirty years after Daniel's death. he's only one of the many men who died in that era, one of the ghosts my partner can give a name and face to, but I know we had a similar sense of humor, and my partner thinks we would have gotten along.

[lederhosen-und-uniformen]

"Disciplined Affection"

The city air was cool and damp, clinging to the rough stone of the building behind them. For a moment, the world outside the alcove ceased to exist.

There was only the creak of leather, the faint scent of polish, and the weight of Elias’s arm across Kael’s chest.

Kael stood rigid, his gaze fixed on the cobblestone street ahead, his jaw set. He was a statue in black leather, a picture of disciplined strength. But beneath the uniform, his heart hammered against his ribs. The mission ahead was undefined, a shadow on the horizon, but the weight of it was already settling on his shoulders.

Then came Elias. He didn't speak. There was no need. He stepped in from behind, his own leather-clad arm a solid bar of reassurance. He leaned in, resting his forehead against the side of Kael’s neck, right above the stiff collar of his jacket. The warmth of his breath was a stark contrast to the cold air and the unyielding leather.

It was a silent anchor in a shifting world. The pressure of Elias's gloved hand over Kael's heart was a promise, a reminder that whatever they faced, they would face it together. Kael didn't move, but a subtle tension left his shoulders. He leaned back, just a fraction of an inch, accepting the silent support.

For that brief, stolen minute, they were not soldiers or guardians. They were just two men, bound by a shared fate and a bond unspoken but unbreakable. The steel of their resolve was tempered by the quiet strength of their connection.

Elias squeezed his arm once, a silent signal. The moment was over. He pulled back, the warmth of his touch lingering for a second before the cool air rushed back in. Kael took a deep breath, his eyes steely once more. They stepped out from the alcove, two figures in black, side by side, ready for whatever the city had in store.

[victimbreaker]

Beautiful men are always from this country somehow.

[transmasculine-history]

Billy Lane, winner of the Seattle Mr. Leather contest in 1998 and first trans man to compete in the International Mr. Leather contest.