On the Role of Values and Principles in a Leather Club

Our Head of Household Miss Shiny wrote this in 2023 when she was the Chair of a local Leather club. It also serves as a good reminder of what some of us are on about at the House of Wayward Leatherfolk. Leather isn't *for* everyone*. There are a lot of ways to get down and this one ain't the easiest, has some gnarly historical bits, and requires dedication and loyalty.

Let's take a moment to reflect on the role of the values and principles you agreed to when you  pledged or joined whichever Leather club (or House, Family, Pack, etc.) you pursued. You generally attest to it in the membership application, at orientation, or through a similar process. For a formal Leather organization, principles are often listed in the bylaws, they are part of the legal operating framework. 

As a body, these principles outline your club's approach to the intersection of Leather and Community (each in their highest form, their most idealized essence). They are intended to define that which a club holds sacred and the ways in which they intend to protect it.

While it is helpful to meditate on these principles as ideals, in real world terms, it's best not to value the pursuit of perfection for perfection's sake. Perfection is a characteristic of white supremacy culture. Generally, a club values growth and reflection through one's individual leather journey - the service a person gives to the club, the culture, the community, and the individuals around them is only measurable in the context of who they are at a given moment in time.

Put simply - you only know what you know when you know it. You give what you can when you have it. To be a club sibling is to live in a continual cycle of debits and credits in which you should hope to always be owed just a little more than you owe.

To be in a leather club is to arrive asking, "What can I give?" long before asking, "What can you do for me?" That's the history and the trajectory of the culture and of most leather clubs. A leather club is not a queer social club. This is an expressly hierarchical, tradition-driven, elder and experience respecting subculture. It ain't perfect and it's ours.

Leather culture intentionally relies on history and tradition to guide us into the future. These are our wayfinding tools and our goggles - both where we are going and how we will recognize it when we get there. Like any map - if it takes us to a wall, we go over or around it. If our tools and traditions guide us to a place where it is time to change, we do that, in the ways described in our stated values and principles. When we don't recognize where we are, these are the lenses we put on to analyze what we see happening and how we should adjust course.

*Leather is for all who choose it freely, in an informed fashion.

October 29, 2023