Leatherfolk: Radical Sex, People, Politics, and Practice - Softcover

Thompson, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1881943208 ISBN 13: 9781881943204

Publisher: Daedalus Publishing, 2004

Synopsis

Since its publication, this Lambda Literary Award-nominated book has become a classic must-read on the shelf of books addressing human sexuality and identity. Widely cited as among the most useful books of its kind, Leatherfolk is both historical witness and provocative treatise regarding a distinct subculture that has withstood decades of political harassment and other challenges to its survival.

Spanning the decades from the 1940s onward, this collection of vibrant writing documents the many eras and shifts of attitude that have affected the gay and lesbian leather underground, and its influence on the society beyond

About this title

From the Publisher:

When mystery enters our lives and stays there, we are set off from others. And, like a stranger who becomes a trusted friend, that mystery can grow into wonder about the endless possibilities of who we are. Certainly there is no group more cloaked within the mystery and wonder of gay life than leatherfolk, an odd tribe within a tribe that arouses feelings both hostile and seductive.

This book is a collection of writings by men and women who share little in common other than the desire to explore taboo realms and intense erotic experience. In fact, this is the first co-gender, nonfiction anthology to address the complex and sometimes unspeakable topic of sadomasochistic sexuality and the subculture that has formed around it. As a result, Leatherfolk is about many things, including the formation of a rapidly growing community within today's gay world and the meanings of seemingly incomprehensible sexual acts. the style of writing covers a spectrum as well: historical memoir, social commentary, and personal testimony. -Mark Thompson

From the Author:

However one may view leatherfolk and the things we do, the subculture is long overdue for discussion. Radical sexuality has undeniably shaped gay and lesbian life; its unsettling icons are central to our mythology. Yet leather sex has usually been condemned, when it has not been ignored. By its very nature, S/M is a topic infused with ambiguity and contradiction. What appears to be one way on the surface is usually the opposite underneath. Perhaps it is this capacity to both attract and repel that accounts for S/M's contraversial reputation. Leatherfolk and the issues we raise have been as difficult for gay Americans to accept as for our heterosexual neighbors.

About this edition

• Publisher: Daedalus Publishing
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1881943208
• ISBN 13: 9781881943204
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 360