Old Guard

The nearly mythic, exclusively gay male, loosely organized network of leather clubs (circa 1940s-1950s) which established the rituals and mores of leather culture. Old Guard members took a highly regimented, quasi-militaristic approach to leathersex, and organized a tight, profoundly interconnected community based on solidarity in leather diversity. The Old Guard is frequently seen as a phenomenon of the older generation (men now in their 60s and 70s) and thus considered, in some quarters, as outdated. At the same time, it is held in high reverence by those who stand in awe of the structure that the Old Guard created and passed on. Indeed, the Old Guard was a revolutionary movement. While the Old Guard itself was never a monolithic group but a series of clubs and leather families which instituted individual rules, the Old Guard influence has been profound within the Scene. Many of today's SM traditions derive from the Old Guard, from the superficial (leather dress and types of toys) to the philosophical (standards on what constitutes a moral SM relationship). Some people view Old Guard traditions as the only pure model for leathersex. There are a handful of Old Guard "tribes" around the globe (particularly in the US and Europe). Some have opened their arms to embrace the new, more pansexual SM population into its ranks. Ironically, the trendiness of kinky sex has caused a minor resurgence in interest in Old Guard traditions.