Leather Culture

The leathermen community is a group of men within greater gay culture who display a hypermasculine gender expression and engage in scripted sexual roles and practices. Their presence within the sexual-minority communities has played an important role in expanding the images of gay masculinity and sexuality. In addition, their capacity to create and maintain a community of the 1960s to the present day demonstrates the powerful effects of social organizing and visibility. This entry provides a brief history of the leathermen community; an understanding of how leathermen define their identity, gender and sexuality, and a consideration of women and others who have adopted leather culture; and an overview of controversies that have arisen through its history.