| THE FOREFATHERS!
July 1954 - The Satyrs Motorcycle Club of Los Angeles is founded, and still regularly celebrates its anniversary in November. The Satyrs is the first motorcycle club in the US founded by and for gay men. Nov. 27, 2004, the Satyrs celebrated their 50th anniversary. www.satyrsmc.org "Original Pride� - Documentary They were there at the start of a gay motorcycle club revolution, influencing creation of clubs across the nation. Club culture met a need for meeting and socializing with gay leather-motorcycle buddies. A journey of the legendary �Satyrs, MC�. It offers a look at men who were there and frames their stories, memories & influence on the leather community. Archive film & vintage photographs reveal how these men shaped gay culture. In addition, it examines how the ever-changing socio-political landscape of our community affected the club and lives of its members. A relevant and poignant exploration of the times and an assessment of their future as a vital member of the gay leather-motorcycle community. Their Labor Day Run at Badger Flat started a few years later and draws people from across the U.S., England, Europe and Australia.. Much of the Leather style came from the Satyrs and they influenced a lot of the Hollywood teen rebel and motorcycle movies of the 1950s and early 1960s. By Chris Wenzel |
| A BDSM/Leather History Of South Carolina �Where Did We Come From? Where Have We Been?� As recorded by Master Regi- Columbia, SC Revised August 2008, (Some editing has been done to information from other sources) |
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| It was November 1954, Los Angeles, California, a Saturday morning after the regular Friday night orgy. Seven men are sitting around a pool nursing hangovers, discussing their common likes, motorcycling was high on the list. They decided to form a club and so were born the oldest gay motorcycle club in continuous existence. Due to previous nights activities Satyrs Motorcycle Club was adopted as the name of the club.
The club emblem is half Satyr, half motorcycle with a baby satyr holding onto the adult satyr. The baby represents buddies being taught the thrill of biking, encouraged to buy their own bike then being brought into the Satyrs MC. It also represents the aide given by the club in the formation of other motorcycle clubs. Runs open to all comers and non-members caused other clubs to form. They were helped form The Council of Southern California MCs, Council of Presidents, Motorcycle Olympics and Motocross (organization to loan/grant funds to community members who had an accident or an illness). Charity was on their activities list from the start. First with Toys for Tots, then donations to a Hollywood orphanage, a gay seniors organization, Aid for AIDS, AIDS Project L.A., and at one time, 6 hospices. The Satyrs were there before Stonewall when police raided bars and followed bikers wearing club colors. Satyrs continue to exist due to its love for motorcycling, belief in one another and the importance of gay men to stand out of the stereotype of the times. The club grows with the infusion of new young members who love motorcycling, believe in the mentioned priorities and feel they have some thing to contribute, strengthening the continuation of the oldest gay motorcycling club in the world. |
| The History Of BDSM In And Around Columbia, South Carolina Some may not realize the history of BDSM/Leather groups, folks, and events that have occurred in and around Columbia, the capital of South Carolina. There are also the multi-community positive actions, BDSM education, participation, involvement, outreach and support for and from these BDSM, groups and folks, which have taken place here. Add to that, the other events in the South and further, where the SC BDSM community has been represented, or were supported, came about with the aide of, or inspired by the groups and folks who carried what they learned here, elsewhere. Add to this, events that concerned the SC BDSM community and we have a history, and though I may not know all of the exact names, (my apologies), and dates of everything, this is what I do know. |
| 1978
1978. The earliest BDSM group identified, in SC, was �Swamp Fox MC�. Little is known about them. They were a gay group, based in either Charleston or Columbia, SC and founded in 1978. It�s not known when they disbanded or what happened to the members. No images of colors or members have been found. |
| 1987
If I remember correctly, a man named Alexander formed the group in early 1987, (This disagrees with history found on www.colors-of-leather.com which shows them as forming in 1988). The flyer below, from the Columbia Gay Pride June of 1987, shows participation of TNT. (It started out as �TNT MC�*, but shortly after I met them, they changed to �TNT L/L�*. They kind of had to; they only had one member left that still had a bike.) |
| * - The terms �MC� & �L/L�, refer to Motorcycle Club & Levi/Leather. In the early days, these were common terms used by BDSM groups, in order to interact a bit more publicly, without the S/M aspects of the group(s) being referred to. Both terms answered, most, un-asked questions, about the leather attire and were used like �security blankets�, to soften the truer nature of the group(s), avoiding public prejudice. |
| 1988
I, Master Regi-, moved to Columbia, SC, in mid-August of 1988. Of the first few folks I met, several were members of a gay BDSM/Leather group called �The New Tribe MC�*, (TNT MC). I applied as a pledge of �TNT�, September of �88 and became a full member in December. |
| Sam Schultz a member of �TNT�, South Carolina native and Columbia resident, was �Mid-Atlantic Drummer boy 1988�, at the contest held somewhere up north, before I came to Columbia. This qualified him for the �1988 Mr. Drummer� finals that were held in San Francisco�s Galleria, Sept 24th, 1988. He did not win the �Drummer boy� contest. |
| November, 18 - 20, of 1988, �TNT M/C�, along with Robert Sheets, co-sponsored the first leather event here, �Mr. SouthEast Leather, (S.E.L.) 1988� contest, and a preliminary to �Int�l Mr. Leather 1989�, (IML), in Chicago, (nowadays, a well-known contest), held at a bar called �M�nage�, the big disco. The weekend started with a �Welcome Party� on Friday night, held at �Alternatives�, the non-disco, smaller bar on Gervais St, (over the Palace Restaurant). |
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| Saturday, from noon �5pm there was a brunch and social time at �M�nage�. A 3-hour rest followed, so everyone could change into proper (leather) eveningwear.
At 8pm the Mr. S.E.L. contest began. Emcee and judges included; Int�l Mr. Leather �85, Patrick Toner (also pictured on the Mr. S.E.L. Poster); International Mr. Leather 1988, Michael Pereyra: Doug, Mr. Leather Orlando 1988 & member of the Conquistadors MC; Doug Wilson, Mr. Central Corral 1986, NC; Mr. Southeast Leather �87, Allen Warren; Mr. Mid-Atlantic Drummer �88, Ric Turner & member of Vanguards, Philadelphia, PA; Mr. Great Lakes Drummer �88, Erik Alexander; and Linda Vickering, of Women In Leather, Memphis. |
| Among the contestants were Scott D, of the �Tradesmen�, Charlotte, NC; David K, of �Warlords�, Atlanta, GA; Keith H, independent, of Columbia, SC; Ray P, of the �Fire Dancer�s�, Dallas, TX; Aaron J, independent, of Wilmington, NC; and our own, Ken W of �TNT�, Columbia, SC.
The contest winner was a slave from Atlanta, GA, David M. Kraus, sponsored by, Warlords Leathers (Larry Dooley), of Atlanta. As Mr. S.E.L. �88, He went onto IML 89, in Chicago, where he was a semi-finalist. Linda, being the most prominent female involved with the weekend was named �Honorary Ms. S.E.L. �88�. |
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| After the initial scare all the queens got, at the disco being just about filled with folks in leather, everybody relaxed, some got very loose, and everybody had a great time. Some of the folks went to �Alternatives� for a joint �Victory Party� held there.
Sunday, TNT sent the folks off with a cook out at 1pm at �Alternatives�. The entire weekend was the talk of the town. The queens had a month�s worth of gossip going around. (You know! When the queens gossip, they usually make stuff up, and most people believe it. But when it comes to gossip about �Leather Folk� and you�re told the truth about what they saw. No one believes it.) |
| It was during �Mr. S.E.L.� weekend that I met several members of The �Tradesmen� of Charlotte, NC, TNT�s �example� and advisory club. Scott D, (an SEL contestant) and I became friendly. He worked at the club�s �Home Bar�, the �Brass Rail� in Charlotte. TNT had a lot of respect for the �Tradesmen�, making monthly trips to Charlotte, for the �bar night� events.
A leather dealer/craftsman, named �Tex�, who just moved to Columbia, from Florida, opened a leather shop, �The Trading Post� at the bar �Alternatives� and was around for the S.E.L festivities. In spring 1989, he opened a second shop at the newest disco �Playground�, at Barnwell & Blanding Streets in Columbia. |
| 1989
February 11, 1989. 4 members of the newly forming �Menamore� of Wilmington, NC, came to �TNT�, (and other southern clubs), seeking advice on how to structure themselves. At that time I knew too little myself, but did learn, while sitting-in, as others, in �TNT� spoke with them. Menamore formed in 1989. They disband Jan 23, 2007. |
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| April 14-16, 1989. �Mr. Rebel Leather�, takes place at �Rebel Leather Weekend 1989�, produced by, Tex. This was a preliminary to the regional �Mr. South East Drummer 1990� contest. The host bar for the event was the �Alternative�, on Gervais street in Columbia. A bartender from Alternatives, Marc B, won this contest and went onto Mr. SE Drummer, where took 2nd runner-up! I can�t recall who the original winner was, but later they got disqualified, making David Armstrong, Mr. Southeast Drummer 1989 and moving Marc B, to 1st runner-up. |
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| May 28, 1989. The leather pride flag is credited as being created by Tony DeBlase, 1989. It was first presented at the International Mr. Leather Competition in Chicago 1989. Although the flag is often common in the gay community, it is not a gay-only symbol. Although the creator of the flag did not attribute any colors to the flag, many have heard or read the following descriptions: black is for leather and for permanence; blue is for devotion, loyalty, and community; white is for purity and innocence; and the red heart is for the love of Leathermen for each other and for their community. Another is, that the red heart is for love, the white stripe for purity in an open, honest and understanding relationship, the black stripes for leather and the blue ones for denim both materials that are frequently worn in the scene. |
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| May 29, 1989, Memorial Day weekend! �TNT� holds a �Carnival� at The Playground bar. This was funded by the owner of the bar, Edgar Eppes, run & manned by the group of Leather Men, and was to benefit the upcoming SC Gay & Lesbian Pride March, (GLPM). Along with the bar being open on a Sunday afternoon, with music and dance floor, the group acted as carnies for several, scaled down versions of carnival games. Although there was a full-size �Dunk Tank� with volunteer female impersonators being the �dunked�. Over $500 was raised. |
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| June 9-11, 1989, �TNT� held the only run they would have, �Bronc Bust�. (The Governor�s House on Lady St. would never be the same.) It was well attended by BDSM/Leather group members from around the southeast. 3 of the local gay bars, The Playground, The Alternative and M�nage, each played host bars for various events over the weekend. |
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| November 25, 1989, �TNT� held a �Casino Night� fundraiser with the proceeds benefiting Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services, (PALSS). The event was held at a �Fred Astaire Dance Studio at 2401 Devine Street in Columbia. Over $600 was raised for PALSS. We were able to get the space donated due to the fact that one of our members was a dance instructor at the dance studio.
http://www.palss.org/ |
| 1990
June 23, 1990, �TNT�, along with members of several North Carolina & Georgia, BDSM/leather groups, participated in the First Annual SC Gay & Lesbian Pride March, held in Columbia, SC. Most did so in full leather gear. The Parade Committee, (myself being a co-chair), recruited some of our folks to be the color guard for the front of the march. The US, South Carolina and Pride flags, all carried by several of our lifestyle community members. This leather-clad color guard was a tradition through to the May 2, 1998, march in Myrtle Beach. http://www.scglpm.org/index.html |
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| Summer of 1990, �TNT�, disband. The group had dwindled to 3 members; others had moved, passed on, or just left the group. |
| September 27, 1990, �Tex� held the first meeting to form �Brigade Levi/Leather�. There were about 25 members initially. I joined in October 14, 1990, just in time to be considered a �Founding� member. |
| Over the weekend of November 16-18, 1990, Brigade member, Ken Wilson, became �Mr. Dixie Leather�, at the contest held during �Southern Leathers�, (a.k.a., �Tex Productions)�, weekend. The host bars were the �Matrix�, and for the contest was �Links�, (formerly, the �Alternative�). This was a qualifying event for IML 1991, in Chicago. Ken attended and competed in IML, along with about 50 others from the USA, Canada and one contestant from Italy, but sadly, did not win, place or show. http://www.imrl.com/index.asp |
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| Pre SC Info & SC History 1979 - 1995 |
| 1991
(FYI � Former Brigade president, Tom, left Columbia in early 1991, moved to Baltimore, MD, where he opened the Baltimore Eagle.) http://www.baltimore-eagle.com/ Shortly after that, �Tex� moved north for business reasons. We never did hear from him again. Slowly, but surely, other members moved away, some lost interest. A few got sick and dropped out, but Brigade did manage to get through this and survive for 10 years. Sunday, May 19, 1991, brought about the 2nd Annual Tricycle Races, a benefit for the John Wyndham Fund, (medical assistance to victims of AIDS). 6 members were on the various committees, as well as on tricycle for the race day. (Grown men and women, on kid�s tricycles, 1 rider and 1 pusher, racing as fast as they can around bales of hay outlining a crude racecourse.) It was held in a parking lot, during the day, between the gay disco at that time, �the Matrix� and the �ART BAR�, (a well known alternative bar), in the Vista District of Columbia, in perfect view of anyone driving by. http://www.artbarsc.com/index.html Brigade Levi/Leather Trivia fact � somewhere along the way, someone had a batch of officer�s tags engraved wrong. After some discussion, it was decided that it would be easier (and cheaper) to have the constitution changed so that it became �Levi/Leather Brigade�. Summer, 1991, Master Regi-, of L/L Brigade & GLPM, forms Queer Nation Columbia. Meetings take place at the �Immaculate Consumption�, a local breakfast/lunch restaurant near the USC campus and begin forming activist events for the Midlands. September 2, 1991, Queer Nation has its first public protest at the local, Columbia, Cracker Barrel restaurant in response to the corporate decision to allow gays & lesbians to be fired for their sexual orientation. |
| 1992
From 1992, till 1996, members of Brigade are involved in the �Southern Comfort� Bowling League for Gay Men & Women, sometimes in their club colors or T-Shirts. It was a, G/L/B/T/Str8 league, which was at the Park Triangle Lanes in Cayce, SC. Some seasons, the league had as many as 16, 4-member teams. The league had been around since the late 1980�s and lasted till the later 1990�s. Few minor hassles ever occurred despite it being public. The management fully supported the league and its members and guests. |
| 1993 Doug H, a former Columbia man, opens �The Sanctuary Of A Dark Angel� in Atlanta, a private membership Dungeon facility, devoted to the Leather, BDSM and fetish lifestyles. April 25, 1993, the �March on Washington�, for GLBT equal rights. Because of my years of work with the SC GLPM, I was privileged, and proudly, allowed to carry the state flag at the front of the SC contingency, in my �Brigade� colors. I was pleased to see many other SC leather folk there, as well as thousands of other leather folk from across the country, among the estimated, 700.000 - 1.000.000+ attendees. |
| 1995 Some may be aware that about 1995-1997, the city of Columbia, adopted �sexual orientation� into their hiring/firing policies. What you may not be aware of is, a Brigade member, also involved in GLPM, and an executive for a local well-known business, (whose name is withheld for his privacy), was instrumental in getting this bill passed. He was definitely a shining star, for both the Gay and Leather communities. Also in 1995, the BSDM symbol was introduced after 1995 discussions on an AOL message board, when user Quagmyr proposed a design for a BDSM Emblem, originally inspired by the Roissy ring described in the Story of O. The rims and spokes are of a color indicating metal. The rims and spokes are of uniform width with the arms rotating clockwise. The inner fields are black. The holes in the fields are truly holes and not dots. The BDSM emblem has no "obvious" symbolism because it was created to be enigmatic. To the insider, however, the Emblem is full of meaning. The three divisions represent the various threesomes of BDSM. First of all, the three divisions of BDSM itself: B&D, D&S, and S&M. Secondly, the three-way creed of BDSM behavior: Safe, Sane, and Consensual. Thirdly, the three divisions of our community: Tops, Bottoms, and Switches. July 1, 1995. Levi/Leather Brigade achieves a minor �Claim To Fame� as they are included in the Appendix (SM Support Groups and Organizations) of the newest Edition of �Screw The Roses, Send Me The Thorns: The Romance and Sexual Sorcery of Sadomasochism� by Philip Miller & Molly Devon. Summer 1995. �CITY YEAR*�, Columbia, held a �Diversity� week event including an open forum panel of G/L/B/T representatives. Again, Master Regi- was asked to participate. This was the same type of event as the Midlands Tech event, except that this was not a classroom of students. * - �CITY YEAR�, Columbia, a city-sponsored group, unites, for a year, a diverse group of 17 - 24 year-olds for community service & leadership development, helping bridge gaps, by providing service in needed areas, and exemplifying that folks of varied, race and class, lines & backgrounds can work together and learn from each other. http://www.cityyear.org/columbia/ On September 15-17, of 1995, though not in Columbia, the Brigade was involved in the 1st �Palmetto Adventure�, �Games II�, which took place in Spartanburg, SC. It was a run that was co-sponsored by the Spartans (Spartanburg), the Trident Knights (Charleston), and Brigade (Columbia). It was later reported in the �Leather Journal� that by doing this, it was the first known time that all clubs of a single state had come together for a combined run. International Master & slave, Jack & tom Stice were in attendance. |
| This Page Currently Under Construction |
| 1994
July 1994. In Unison, a publication for �The Carolina�s Alternative Lifestyle� talks to members of the L/L Brigade in an article titled �More Than A Fetish�. Members Mark S, Scott L, Don A, And Regi- are featured on the cover (Vol. 1, No. 7), above the caption �WE ARE FAMILY�. The article focuses on the misunderstanding the community has about those involved in BDSM activities. The same edition also has Scott and Regi- with an article of the long lost fan-dancing craze that was a part of the disco side of the leather club scene. September 16-17, 1994. Brigade�s first run was �Boot Camp I�. It was only a one-night event, and had 40-50 folks attend. The host bar was �The Edge� on Main St, Columbia. The host motel was �The Heart of Columbia�, right across from the State Capital building. That weekend, Brigade officers, also ceremoniously, inducted, by ritual, the �Trident Knights�, of Charleston, SC (founded August 29, 1993), initial officers into their office. (They wanted to be inducted by a currently active group of leather folk.) It was a very private ceremony, that �The Edge� as kind enough to let us hold on Sunday morning, in their bar. http://www.tridentknights.com/Home.html Autumn 1994 - Spring 1995. A Midlands Tech Columbia professor contacts the GLPM Community Center requesting varied types of representatives from the G/L/B/T community to sit on a panel to address several sociology classes. Master Regi-, being a Gay Leather person, (in full leather �Club Colors� attire with accessories), along with a Bisexual mother, a Lesbian, a Drag Queen, and a Gay father, just to name a few types were among those on the 8 different panels, taking place at Midlands Tech. The questions ranged from religious to political, to personal and lifestyle, including BDSM aspects. It was a positive, enlightening, well accepted, and very educational event not just for the students, but for panelists as well. |
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| (Standing l-r) Dan E, Ken W, David R, Sammi S, Keith C, (Kneeling) Regi- S
Club Night at �The Alternative� on Gervais St, Columbia, SC � Photo - Approx Nov/Dec 1988 |
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| 1987
If I remember correctly, a man named Alexander formed the group in early 1987, (This disagrees with history found on www.colors-of-leather.com which shows them as forming in 1988). The flyer below, from the Columbia Gay Pride June of 1987, shows participation of TNT. (It started out as �TNT MC�*, but shortly after I met them, they changed to �TNT L/L�*. They kind of had to; they only had one member left that still had a bike.) |
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