Editing BDSM (section)

=== Leather movement ===
{{Main|Leather subculture}}
[[File:Cologne Germany Cologne-Gay-Pride-2014 Parade-13.jpg|thumb|Leathermen participating in the [[Cologne Pride|Cologne Pride Parade]], 2014]]
Leather has been a predominantly gay male term to refer to one [[Sexual fetishism|fetish]], but it can stand for many more. Members of the gay male leather community may wear leathers such as motorcycle leathers, or may be attracted to men wearing leather. Leather and BDSM are seen as two parts of one whole. Much of the BDSM culture can be traced back to the gay male [[Leather subculture|leather culture]], which formalized itself out of the group of men who were soldiers returning home after World War II (1939–1945).<ref>Robert Bienvenu, ''The Development of Sadomasochism as a Cultural Style in the Twentieth-Century United States'', 2003, Doctoral Dissertation, Online as PDF on [http://www.americanfetish.net/ Sadomasochism as a Cultural Style] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071116091202/http://www.americanfetish.net/ |date=16 November 2007 }}</ref> World War II was the setting where countless homosexual men and women tasted the life among homosexual peers. Post-war, homosexual individuals congregated in larger cities such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. They formed leather clubs and bike clubs; some were fraternal services. The establishment of Mr. Leather Contest and Mr. Drummer Contest were made around this time. This was the genesis of the gay male leather community. Many of the members were attracted to extreme forms of sexuality, for which peak expression was in the pre-AIDS 1970s.<ref name="a4b" >{{cite journal | last1 = Lenius | first1 = S | year = 2001 | title = Bisexuals and BDSM | journal = Journal of Bisexuality | volume = 1 | issue = #4| pages = 69–78 | doi=10.1300/j159v01n04_06| s2cid = 142599575 }}</ref> This subculture is epitomized by the ''Leatherman's Handbook'' by [[Larry Townsend]], published in 1972, which describes in detail the practices and culture of gay male sadomasochists in the late 1960s and early 1970s.<ref>Townsend, Larry, ''The Leatherman's Handbook'', 1972 Olympia Press, seventh edition 2004 available from L.T. Publications, P.O. Box 302, Beverly Hills, California 90213-0302</ref><ref>compare [[Patrick Califia]] (ed.), Robin Sweeney (ed.): ''The Second Coming: A Leatherdyke Reader''. Alyson Pubns., 1996, {{ISBN|978-1-55583-281-0}}</ref>
In the early 1980s, lesbians also joined the leathermen as a recognizable element of the gay leather community. They also formed leather clubs, but there were some gender differences, such as the absence of leatherwomen's bars. In 1981, the publication of ''[[Coming to Power]]'' by lesbian-feminist group [[Samois]] led to a greater knowledge and acceptance of BDSM in the lesbian community.<ref>[[Gayle Rubin]]: "Samois", ''Leather Times'', 21:3–7., 2004, available from: [http://www.leatherarchives.org/resources/issue21.pdf leatherarchives.org] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090327070824/http://www.leatherarchives.org/resources/issue21.pdf |date=27 March 2009 }}</ref> By the 1990s, the gay men's and women's leather communities were no longer underground and played an important role in the kink community.<ref name="a4b" />

Today, the leather movement is generally seen as a part of the BDSM-culture instead of as a development deriving from gay subculture, even if a huge part of the BDSM-subculture was gay in the past. In the 1990s, the so-called New Guard leather subculture evolved. This new orientation started to integrate psychological aspects into their play.{{Citation needed|date=August 2014}}

The [[Leather Archives and Museum]] (LA&M) in [[Chicago]] was founded in 1991 by [[Chuck Renslow]] and [[Tony DeBlase]] as a “community archives, library, and museum of leather, [[Kink (sexuality)|kink]], [[Sexual fetishism|fetish]], and BDSM history and culture.”<ref>{{Cite web |title=About the LA&M |url=https://leatherarchives.org/about/about-the-la-m |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=leatherarchives.org |language=en-us |archive-date=3 July 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230703144039/https://leatherarchives.org/about/about-the-la-m |url-status=dead }}</ref> The LA&M has an extensive collection of leather- and BDSM-related artifacts, including one of three original [[leather pride flag]]s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Leather Pride Flag |url=https://leatherarchives.org/the-leather-pride-flag |access-date=2023-12-12 |website=leatherarchives.org |language=en-us |archive-date=28 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128224442/https://leatherarchives.org/the-leather-pride-flag |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The [[San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley]] consists of four works of art along Ringold Alley honoring leather culture; it opened in 2017.<ref name="artandarchitecture-sf.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.artandarchitecture-sf.com/ringold-alleys-leather-memoir.html|title=Ringold Alley's Leather Memoir – Public Art and Architecture from Around the World|website=www.artandarchitecture-sf.com|access-date=23 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623193827/http://www.artandarchitecture-sf.com/ringold-alleys-leather-memoir.html|archive-date=23 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Jewish">{{cite news |last=Paull |first=Laura |url=https://www.jweekly.com/2018/06/21/honoring-gay-leather-culture-with-art-installation-in-soma-alleyway/ |title=Honoring gay leather culture with art installation in SoMa alleyway – J |newspaper=J |publisher=Jweekly.com |date=2018-06-21 |access-date=2018-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623221933/https://www.jweekly.com/2018/06/21/honoring-gay-leather-culture-with-art-installation-in-soma-alleyway/ |archive-date=23 June 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref> One of the works of art is metal bootprints along the curb which honor 28 people (including Steve McEachern, owner of the [[Catacombs (sex club)|Catacombs]], a gay and lesbian S/M fisting club, and [[Cynthia Slater]], a founder of the [[Society of Janus]], the second oldest BDSM organization in the United States) who were an important part of the leather communities of San Francisco.<ref name="Jewish" /><ref name="artandarchitecture-sf.com" />