Old Guard New Guard

From Black Leather in Color 6-11-97

by Viola Johnson

The Sash season has formally ended for the year. 1997 has produced a bumper crop of title-holders of color. The S/M, Leather, Fetish world has acknowledged leather folk of color as a viable presence.

I got the chance to talk to two fine sash bearers when my leather family was in New Orleans. The conversation turned to what they were going to do during their title year. One responded that he wanted to reach our to more leather folk of color, but was having trouble finding them. His friend echoed the sentiment. I couldn't help but inquire as to where each of them thought they might find more new converts to our lifestyle. The answers; leather clubs, bars and conferences.

Were these two young men reaching out to "convert the saved"? I think so. Many of the organizations that are now represented in the leather/fetish family are echoing the same concerns." Where do we find our next leather generation".

As leather men and women of color, that question may be even more important. For too many years there was a noticed absence of non-white faces on the sexually liberated horizon. Although there are many, many more of us than there have ever been before (including clubs and information exchanges that address the needs of non-white leather folk) there are not enough new faces being seen.

The sexually free leather adults of the 90's are a very different breed than what my generation was. When I came out into leather I was content to learn by the standards of the previous generation. Don't get me wrong, I am proud to be Old Guard. Their hands on mentoring taught me skills, history, pride and honor. But today's generation isn't playing by Old Guard rules. As a matter of fact, they are making up new rules as they go along.

20 Years ago you came out as a bottom or top under the tutoring eye of a mentor who awarded you your leather stripes. The roles were rigid and unquestioned. This generation says "I can be anything I want that feels good. Top, bottom, switch, bi-sexual, fetishist. Why pigeon hole myself. I want it all." And ALL often means things that we hadn't even thought of.

We dinosaurs, (myself included on occasion) breathe deeply, and back away shaking our heard and wishing for the good old days. When we are asked to instruct, too often our knowledge comes with the condition of "my way or the highway". The result; less and less young leather men are asking the questions that need to be asked about safety, skills, who they are, and where they came from. Worse, they are not becoming members of the institutions that have been the foundations of the leather lifestyle.

The experiences we so jealously guarded have become main stream. The activities we only did at parties, our new generation is doing on the dance floor. Techniques once only practiced by an accomplished top are now being taught (?) in cyberspace and applied with only the knowledge that comes from books, magazines and chat rooms. There has to be some adjustment here.

The previous generation has an obligation to pass on its knowledge, or those that follow will forever be reinventing the wheel. But if we keep insisting that those who come after us do it our way or not at all we too will become fossilized in the leather version of the Tarpits.

I started this editorial off because I was worried about the next leather generation of color. Tell me readers, have the very people we seek been turned away from our clubs and contests because we are viewed as inflexible? Do those of us with knowledge and history to pass on (and that's damned near all of us with 7 or more years of experience) take our toys and go home because "We just don't understand THEM". Is it that the New Guard is right under our nose and we are too unyielding and self possessed to realize that these new kids really have some good ideas, they just need someone who will reach out and offer a little guidance.

We dinosaurs have to realize that the New Guard is Here To Stay. We better realize it soon or there is a chance that "The Scene" as we know it WON'T BE.

Copyright Viola Johnson.  All rights reserved.

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