Anyone who runs in what’s often referred to as the leather/SM/fetish crowd has heard the term “old guard.” Old guard refers to those people who supposedly formed the foundation historical community for the modern kinky scene, particularly the leather community. While the term has grown to encompass people of all genders and orientations, its roots are in the gay male leather subculture. Well, sort of.
Assuming that the old guard actually existed (we’ll get to that in a moment), what supposedly defined this group? It depends on who you ask. One common definition is that the old guard was a group of leathermen that were organized around formality and fixed roles that emphasized a sexual lifestyle of discipline, mentoring and caste based on rankings or levels. The idea was supposedly that these leathermen created, consciously or unconsciously, a formalized system of building character and sexual skill within a system of earned ranking.
I know it might seem like heresy to some, but I don’t believe the old guard really existed, at least not in the exaggerated and romanticized form in which it’s often described.
Were there some individuals that might have functioned this way? Perhaps. I’ve been extremely active in the leather scene since 1972. Many of my friends and acquaintances during that time, many of them now dead, are often named as icons and elders of the old guard movement. Yet when I recall discussing such things with them, few described anything remotely resembling the old guard system. Most described what I experienced, a loosely connected network of sexual and lifestyle rebels that were bonded around some common sexual interests and identifications. Anything resembling an old guard system was a rare occurrence and how it manifested itself had few commonalities among the people and groups who pursued it.
OK, I know some are going to disagree with me. But I stand behind my contention that the old guard has been mentioned and romanticized so often it’s become the de facto truth, facts be damned. Ask anyone schooled in the art of public persuasion and influence and they’ll tell you that if you say something often enough lots of people begin to believe it. That’s what I think has happened here. Why? I’m not sure. Perhaps that’s a future post.
What I do know is that the old guard not existing is a good thing. It’s a good thing because I so often hear the contemporary kinky scene compared to the old guard and it’s usually not a flattering comparison. Time after time I hear, often from people far too young to have been around during the supposed old guard era, complaints that today’s scene just isn’t as good as the old guard era for some reason and I don’t think that’s healthy. Comparing today’s situation to something that didn’t even exist seems foolhardy at best.
This seems to happen in all areas of life. Older folks often decry contemporary culture and sing the praises of “the way it used to be” without bothering to think about things like women being treated like second class citizens, rampant and accepted racism, homophobia exponentially worse that today’s, and other social ills. Those times were better? I don’t think so.
Thus it’s the same with the kinky scene of today. I contend that it’s much better now than it used to be. We can enjoy our sexuality with much more openness than in the past. People are much more technically skilled and safety aware than they were many years ago. There are far more ways for kinky folks to meet and socialize than ever before. Does this sound like a situation worse than the past?
Anytime we set up a romanticized historical standard and start comparing today to that standard, today will inevitably fall short. Given the choice between the era of the old guard (whether it existed or not) and today’s kinky scene, I’ll take today’s environment every time.
Today’s kinky scene isn’t perfect. It never will be. But it’s a lot better than it used to be and I have faith it will continue to get better. Will it look different? Sure. Will it function differently? Probably. Will the kink of tomorrow look like the kink of today? Probably not. Change is a sign of movement and growth. Lack of change is a sign of stagnation. I vote for movement and growth.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Race,
I am going to have to disagree with your contention that there was/is no Old Guard.
I think there are two reasons why you do not see an old guard. First and most important is that you are/were part of the old guard as were many of your friends in the 1970′s. It is very hard to see things in an historical perspective when you are part of that history. There has not been enough time and distance for that history to be written and edited yet and therefore no perspective can be view at such a close distance.
In 1977 I found my first gay bar in Washington DC. It was also a leather bar, the Exile. At that time there were clubs that would actually train people in the art of a play room where asking questions and learning was part of the progress. When I had the Tampa Eagle some 10 years ago I would see these “club kids” come in and purchase serious “toys”. I often wondered who was teaching them to use them safely. We then stated to do classes at the bar on proper technique which were very popular. There is a void today that is being filled with books and some videos but lacking the hand in experience that I think is necessary. Because there is much more openness we have the ability to publicly advertise classes and clubs.
You also have the benefit of being in San Francisco and having many resources available to you and traveling in circles that are well versed. There is a wide expanse of the country that is still void of those possibilities. Yes we have a greater ability to communicate and find each other but that does not change the fact that this was a process started by an “Old Guard” that was operating without a road map.
Second, the “Old Guard” were the men that helped organize the early AIDS support systems in the major cities. The leather community and the drag community were the only real organized parts of the gay community. It was from these ranks that the AIDS community service groups were formed. In some respects the reason we do not remember the Old Guard is because we were part of it. The last survivors of a time passed.
Not a time I want to romanticize about by any stretch. It just is. We were taught by men about community and the art of play. That is the old guard. It really does not exist in any form that resembles that which we knew. I think back to the DC eagle and the banners that hung and the beer mugs of the members. You and I have had the benefit of Inferno and Hellfire and groups that taught play. The clubs gave us a home when the community was emerging. There were people we could rely on and trust. The gay equivalent of Masons if you will. Yes there are clubs and playrooms that teach us kink. But none that teach us how to be men or brothers. But I could be wrong.
Thanks for your wise words. I’ve long felt that too much of the Old Guard legend just doesn’t ring true to human nature– a community of sexual outlaws requiring strict conformity and requiring training of tops to be recognized by others!? Perhaps it is possible, but it is highly unlikely.
Change is undoubtedly a sign of movement and is arguably a sign of growth (certainly it’s a sign of evolution). Most importantly, though, change in the kink scene is hard proof that our scene is still relevant and meaningful to many, and that it is an organic, living thing. Give me a living, responsive community over a museum piece any day.
Respectfully,
S
Scott, thanks for the comment. It’s important that we talk about this stuff. Too many folks are trapped into thinking they don’t fit in because their version of sexuality doesn’t conform to what is perceived as the Old Guard ideal.
David, thanks for your thoughtful comment. I know whether the Old Guard existed or not will always be contentious. Ultimately, I guess it only matters to individuals if it did or not, but it’s important we talk about it. As someone who is ofte tagged with the Old Guard identifier myself and perceived as an Old Guard person, I guess I get concerned that the reality that I experienced as a supposed member of the Old Guard has little to do with the perceptions others have of that era.
Back in the day, I would have been called New Guard. Now I guess I would be called “Old School”
When I came out in the 80′s, folks like me would respect what came before, but did not necessarily follow all of their tenets personally.
i.e. No Wimminfolk need apply, except the one Dyke at the end of the bar who doubled as a bouncer, Different ethnics would rarely mix. Hide any camp from the kids. Make it a scary step of self selection to actually go into one of those windowless bars. Leathers had to be earned from a Master.
On a related note, with my commitment to preserving memories, it is odd yet heartening to hear folks in the generation behind me complaining about “the kids these days have no idea of our history and how we got where we are today.”
so, yes, in my opinion is that the past is always idolized and/or demonized.
“Now get off my lawn!”
Maybe the rigid Old Guard you describe is a fantasy brought about by books like “Mr. Benson” and “The Leatherman’s Handbook II.” The idea that there were primeval clubs where men trained and disciplined their boys, and where you had to earn your leather . . . well, it’s a fucking *hot* fantasy, so it persists. A Golden Age that never was, but still turns young mens’ cranks to this day.
The disdain you may hear for it may be because the folks who are old enough to have belonged to this mythical, legendary Old Guard are, well, old. And they aren’t doing what it says in the tall tales and books they’re supposed to do. So, a hot young guy going to a leather bar thinking Mr. Benson is going to pick him up and lock him in his dungeon for the weekend is going to be disappointed 9 times out of 10.
It’s that 1 out of 10 that keeps him coming back, perhaps.