"Pleasure
is the rhyme and
reason for leather.
To be even more
clear, it is the
reason for leathersex."
"Leather
bars have changed...Time
was when a leather
bar had water
sports, public
sex, significant
areas for bondage
and whipping,
and back rooms
that started at
the coat check
area. And most
guys checked a
lot more than
their coats!"
3.
The Making of
a Master
"Since
leather mastery
is counter-cultural,
the quick and
easy way to become
the real master,
which so many
wish for, does
not exist. Experience
is still the best
teacher."
4.
What We Really
Need Is An
Education
"There's
a lot to learn
about SM, and
knowing it's techniques
and purposes unfolds
a rich and rewarding
vision of possibilities
and pleasures."
5.
Reflections On
A Scene
"Every
scene is the unique
creation of the
men and women
in it, as influenced
by time and space."
"Why
SM? For me it
is the truth of
who I am...and
for us in leather
that is the answer
that matters."
7.
The Goals of Leathersex
"Once
again I'd like
to stress that
"We do it
for the fun of
it. Plain and
simple, SM is
fun, perhaps serious
fun, but fun nevertheless."
8.
Why Am I Doing
That To Him?
"When
we move beyond
the superficiality,
we can develop
a rare and beautiful
intimacy. We become
connected to each
other, balancing
each other as
top and bottom,
as pain and pleasure,
yin and yang."
9.
de Sade's Not
Into The Leather
Scene
"...de
Sade's characters
give leather sadists
a bad name...The
sadism in the
leather community
has little or
nothing to do
with the fantasies
of the Marquis.
Ours is both safe
(his characters
committed murder)
and consensual
(they kidnapped
their... victims).
If those distinctions
aren't clear enough,
we can add to
them the fact
that our "sadism"
is for mutual
pleasure..." "...Sadists
in the leather
community...are
those who inflict
pleasure...of
an intense degree,
skillfully induced
with necessary
caution, measured
speed, and careful
recognition of
the masochist's
responses."
10.
Ideas For A Master's
Manual
"Attitude
makes the difference
between being
a master and
a top. Technique,
desire, experience,
and a bottom's
willingness
to serve contribute
to a master's
role, of course.
But in the long
run, what distinguishes
a real master
from those folks
who are playing
at it is attitude."
11.
A Natural Sense
Of Balance
"There
is love and lust,
pain and pleasure,
sensory overload
and sensory depravation.
In the end, the
'best scenes'
bring balance,
a strange and
quiet state of
inner rest. It
may sound corny
to say, but when
all is said and
done there remains
a peace that hums
within..."
"Nobody's
surprised when
I say that there
weren't a whole
lot og leatherfolk
in the small
Indiana city
where I came
out as a leatherman.
I got a lot
of my early
SM experiences
because I traveled
for a living....But
there was a
lot more to
my "education"
than raw sex.
Fact is, much
of it came from
books and magazines."
13.
Sometimes Master,
Sometimes Slave
"Humans,
of course, don't
fit into the clean
molds of leather
stereotypes. The
truth is that
in some way or
another, each
of us, including
the most dominant
master and the
most experienced
slave, is versatile.
Versatility is
simply the recognition
of potential."
14.
The Question of
Equality
"...dominance
and submission
are integral to
what happens in
leathersex. In
spite of appearances
to the contrary,
I'd like to make
the point that
domination doesn't
necessarily obliterate
equality."
15.
Making It More
Than Interesting
"Frank
brought a well-defined
set of expectations
to his first
leather scene
(it was bondage).
Years of fantasy
had given him
time to imagine
an event that
he looked to
the top to create
for him. The
top, for his
part, could
only do so much,
given the fact
that he and
Frank were strangers.
It's hard enough
to get inside
a person's head
when you know
him. With a
first-time partner,
it's nearly
impossible."
16.
It's A Matter
of Trust
"Trusting
another depends
on trusting one's
own perceptions
and conclusions.
Confusion sets
in not because
we don't trust
others, but because
we don't trust
our own ability
to decide whom
to trust and whom
not to trust.
So to find someone
to trust, we've
first got to have
faith in being
able to do so."
17.
The Thin Layer
Of Civilization
"...scratch
the skin of any
of us and you'll
find the primal
beast......We
live in a world
that suppresses
that danger, allowing
it to simmer in
quiet desperation
...Therein lies
the advantage
of leather...
It harkens to
a primitive, basic,
corporal existence..."
"We
have been socialized
from birth to
eschew power.
Society, of course,
is ambivalent
in that requirement:
we honor the powerful
wealthy, we elect
politicians to
power, we obey
the power of our
religious leaders.
At the same time,
most people accept
their own powerlessness."
19.Slavery-
Now That Says
It All!
"Early
on in such a relationship,
the service that
is rendered is
usually sexual
in nature. As
the relationship
develops the slave
will most likely
move into areas
of service beyond
fucking and sucking.
The service will
come to include
housekeeping and
gardening chores,
surrender of finances,
a matching of
the slave's will
to the desire
of the master."
20.
How To Be Your
Master's Best
Boy
"As
master, be responsible
for directing
and maintaining
the relationship.
For your slave's
part, let then
takes responsibility
for serving you.
Accept that service
as your due and
their pleasure."
"Getting
the relationship
you seek is no
easy matter. Finding
the 'right' partner
seems to take
forever, and once
you are over that
hurdle, the process
has only just
begun."
22.
Rope,
Whips, And Other
Dangers
"Avail
yourselves of
good information.
Ask your physician,
and read any (or
all) of the many
guides to safe
sex. Attend informational
meetings put on
by many leather
clubs and health
organizations...Remember
that the only
stupid question
is the one that
isn't asked. After
all, it's your
health and that
of your partners
that matter."
"Yes,
accidents occur.
The trick is to
minimize the occurrences
and to lessen
their effect.
That's done by
knowing your partner,
your equipment,
and your play
space."
24.
What's In A Top's
Toy Bag?
"Having
collected leather
toys for more
years than I care
to tell, I've
garnered quite
a usable assortment.
I'd like to give
you a tour of
my tools."
25.
Serious Leather
And Large Toys
"The
list of furniture-sized
accouterments
can go on for
pages, of course,
with stocks, beams,
posts, benches,
chairs, etc. One's
imagination can
literally run
wild."
26.
Dungeons And Playrooms
"Play
spaces and the
things you put
in them either
add a great deal
to the leathersex
experience or
detract a great
deal. Only you
(or your architect)
can really design
the area that
fits your needs,
your desires,
and your situation.
Begin by taking
stock of where
you are and what
you have."
27.
All Tied Up And
Everywhere To
Go
"I
removed the clothespins,
played with his
nipples a bit
and replaced the
clamps in a slightly
different position.
I moved my body
close to his face
so that he could
feel the hair
on my chest."
"I've
whipped a lot
of ass in my leather
career, and some
of those scenes
still amaze me.
In fact, it was
a session with
a guy our in the
suburbs that proved
to me that I have
limits- and I
was the one doing
the whipping!
It didn't hurt
me at all, buy
it was more than
I could take."
29.
Spare The Rod,
Spoil The Slave?
"The
problem with imposing
rules in order
that they be broken,
or breaking rules
simply for eliciting
discipline is
that both cases
set up a scenario
for failure."
30.
Those Two Points
of Pleasure
"I
can feel my tits
today. They got
a workout last
night. My friend
played with them,
twisted and punched
them, and used
clothespins as
well. When the
clothespins didn't
hurt anymore,
he took them off
and used his fingers
again. The pain
was delightful.
Somehow he knew
I wanted him to
do that."
31.
It's Not The Clothespins
"When
I put on the twelfth
clothespin, he
lost his temper
and told me to
stop, to take
the clothespins
off. He didn't
want any more
of this. Of course,
I did as he asked.
I ended the scene
right then and
there, but I wouldn't
let him go home
immediately. Instead,
I convinced him
to take a few
minutes to talk
things out. And
as we did, the
real story came
out."
32.
Pain And The Leather
Lifestyle
"Before
I go too far,
I'd like to set
some ground rules.
I'm not writing
about violence,
harm, abuse, or
coercion. They
have no place
in real SM activities......Fortunately,
we in the leather
community know
the difference.....We
aren't into pain
for the sake of
pain as much as
we see pain as
a 'doorway' into
deeper and more
meaningful experiences."
"There
are enough Master/slave
relationships
around to prove
though that such
states do exist.
Finding the right
boy takes patience
and creativity."
34.
Contracts And
Commitments
"Leather
is an arena for
the radical. That
means it allows
for exploration
and experimentation.
It refuses to
be pigeon-holed
into some concrete
category. Instead,
it remains fluid,
vital, and responsive.
That doesn't mean
that its unpredictable.
Every relationship
must have some
kind of stability.
We need to care
for our partners,
and to be there
"when it
counts."
If there is to
be trust, there
must be dependability.
They go together."
"It
may surprise you
to think, but
empowerment doesn't
only apply to
the master. Slaves
are meant to be
empowered as well.
In fact, it is
this feeling of
empowerment that,
first surprises,
then motivates
many bottoms.
Having endured
the blows, the
orders, and the
submission to
another, they
discover their
own strength."
36.
So, What Are You
Into?
"Since
you are reading
this book for
educational reasons
(aren't you?),
it's important
to define our
terms. My handy
dictionary defines
"fetish"
in three ways,
the third of which
applies here:
"something,
such as a material,
object, or often
a non-sexual part
of the body, that
arouses or gratifies
sexual desire."
The list, of course,
is quite extensive..."
37.
I Went To The
Opera Instead
"For
most, piss scenes
involve pissing
on a person or
being pissed on.
It's really as
simple as that.
Others take it
a "step"
further, and drink
piss, usually
from the tap but
occasionally in
other ways. For
others it may
involve "wetting
one's pants"
or playing with
diapers. In any
case the meaning
of such activity
is hard to explain."
"Those
of you who still
think leather
is about clothing,
ought to know
that leather is
also about fucking."
"So,
your want to be
a master? Then
be careful to
master."
"That's
what I think the
future is all
about. Creating
sustainable and
nurturing relationships
is what leather
is really about.
It is where leather
is 'going next'.
It's been the
same since the
days of motorcycle
clubs, the Gold
Coast, and when
the 'Old Guard'
was still young."