The Old Guard Societies

by James Lastore

Many of us came to BDSM from the Internet; much of our current lifestyle is based on information and concepts we learned online. After all, you are reading this article on the Internet! Although this is an extremely diverse online/real-time community, we are all part of a tradition that dates backs two hundred years to the Marquis de Sade. (Pretty impressive, huh?)

So, where did our contemporary BDSM ideas, concepts and practices come from? Where? From the "old guard leather societies." They were the major force in codifying, refining and re-inventing our two hundred year tradition.

What exactly were these "old guard societies"? They were a semi-secret, loosely affiliated group of mostly gay male Tops and bottoms. They had a network of underground clubs where they could practice what was then called S&M - sadism and masochism - without interference from the outside vanilla world. They had their own customs and rites - many versions of which are now incorporated into our modern BDSM lifestyle.

Although the "old guard" was in its glory a scant fifteen to forty years ago, much of their history is now shrouded in myths and legends that are about as accurate as backstage tales of the Grateful Dead. There were many leather societies -- Leather Old Guard, D/s Old Guard, BDSM Old Guard, to name a few -- in both the United States and Europe. Their customs varied from group to group, from city to city and from country to country. I am not an historian. To accurately trace the history of the old guard would require a research staff and, besides, it would result in a rather thick book, not an article. Thus, I will present a short overview, generalizations and all, as a way of ending 2002 with an eye to the future while acknowledging the past. And we can all make a New Years toast to these trail blazers of our lifestyle - the "old guard leather societies." Cheers!

An essential part of the old guard was the custom of dressing in leather - especially in black leather boots. No pleather here! This "dress code" was incredibly important as it gained you admittance to the then-secret world of S&M clubs - such as the legendary Hellfire in New York City's Greenwich Village. Try and dress vanilla and get into Hellfire? It would be easier to make a camel go through the eye of a needle! Thus leather was both a fetish and a ticket of admission to this secretive world. Although dressing in leather is no longer a requirement to be a part of the scene, the stylistic merging of BDSM, the fetish world and leather remains.

Another old guard tradition was the hankie code. Colored flags were used to identify Tops and bottoms. Although the specifics of color varied (black generally meant "heavy" as in "heavy Top or bottom"), a hankie worn in the left rear pocket indicated a "Top"; one worn in the right rear pocket designated a "bottom." This was a great concept. Were this code still around, it would sure be easier to identify Doms and subs at socials and play parties. It would prevent a lot of "oops!" Although I have been to BDSM events where a version of the hankie code was used (a whip worn on the left side of the belt indicates Dominant, etc.), this tradition, sadly, seems all but gone. One never knows; it just might make a comeback!

The old guard leather societies also laid down the code of respect that a submissive accords a Dominant - such as addressing the Dominant as "Sir," kneeling before the Master and courtesy to other bottoms. A lot of our BDSM terminology -- Tops and bottoms, Daddy's and boys, Masters and slaves, alphas and betas and more -- came to us from the leather men.

The old guard ritual in which the slave was required to keep the Master's leather gear polished - often shining the boots in a formal "boot blacking" ceremony - is still practiced by some D/s couples. The collaring ceremony was codified by the leather men, as was the concept that the actual collar was the Top's property. The use of slave contracts, according to some, also originated in the leather societies. The list of old guard traditions, which are practiced today in some form, is quite extensive.

I have noticed nostalgia by some for the "good old days" of the old guard -- especially for their prerequisite that you must be very knowledgeable about S&M, learn all the protocols and "apprentice" before you can be admitted to the society. Those who take this view have a point; there is, no doubt, an abundance of instant one-day online Masters in our Internet-based world. But it was easier to set standards in their small, real-time, local community than in our huge, worldwide Internet-based population.

On the other hand, many aspects of the modern BDSM world are a great improvement over the old guard. Safe words were virtually non-existent in the so-called "good old days." The concept of SSC -- which is more elucidating than the old guard maxim of "do no harm" -- did not arrive until the late '80s. The inclusiveness, the openness and the willingness to freely exchange information that marks our BDSM way of life is a big advance over the secretive world of the leather men. They might have been paranoid for a reason; but they were paranoid nevertheless.

I have saved mention of the most famous old guard precept - that "you cannot become a Master or a Top without having been a slave or a bottom" -- for last. This celebrated rule is one that is still a subject of heated debate at BDSM gatherings - and even in our Forums! When looking to the future, we must always acknowledge the past. The saying that "the reason we see so far is that we stand on the shoulders of giants" was never truer than with respect to the old guard leather societies. They were truly giants.