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MISSIONThe mission of the NEW YORK PANTHERS LEATHER CLUB is to serve as a social, informational and educational forum for self-identified gay, bisexual, transgender and same gender loving men of color interested and involved in leathersex, BDSM and fetish activities. A self-supporting brotherhood, we champion members' spiritual, psychological, social, and sexual development as individuals and in relationships in the leather and BDSM communities. Our aim is to raise awareness about the issues and lives of men of color by being active and visible in our communities. NYPLC promotes the Leather community's creed of "Safe, Sane, Consensual" in all sexual and non-sexual expressions. The organization focuses specifically on the concerns of men of color, exploring topics and teaching proper techniques that will foster community, unity and health. NEW YORK PANTHERS LEATHER CLUB: THE BEGINNINGS (1998-2002)
In the mid 1990s, I learned online about Brothers in Leather, an organization for Leathermen of color and their friends. Several years later we moved to the New York area, and although I saw a few of the public demonstrations that BIL held, the organization was virtually defunct by the time I wanted to become active with them. A year later or so, I learned about Onyx, and after attending MAL in February 1999, where I met several of the Onyx founders and members, I was spurred on to start either a branch in New York or found a brother organization. Yet New York Panthers also officially began in the winter of 1998 and spring of 1999, when I discussed my desire with Patrick S. of picking up where Brothers in Leather left off. I thought it would be a good idea to organize a fraternal club for brothers in leather, because I was still noticing the lack of connection and the paucity of Leathermen of color when I attended GMSMA demos or went to New York-area bars and clubs like the Lure. I also now lived near several active Leathermen of color, and they supported the idea of a leather club.
We held our first meeting at the temporary quarters of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center, which was then at 1 Little West 12th Street in September 1999. Fifteen men of color (Black, Latino, Asian) from the tri-state area came out to hear the presentation, introduce themselves, and begin the process of what would become New York Panthers Leather Club.
I also discussed the club's mission and the process of getting it off the ground with Mufasa T. and Steve B., who were the presidents of Onyx during the time we were starting, and both were very supportive of what we were trying to accomplish. Although attendance slacked off by the end of 1999, it picked up again in 2000, and we were able to attract a regular average of about 12-15 men for our monthly meetings.
Over the years we have met on a monthly basis at New York's LGBT Community Center. Among the topics we've covered have been introductions to BDSM; bondage I and II; water sports; spanking; fisting; hot wax; leather relationships and dating; uniforms; race play; and thugs in leather. New York Panthers has distributed an intro guide for Leatherpeople of color. We also have launched bar crawls, hosted public forums, and held demonstrations for men of color at such venues as Soul Food, People of Color in Crisis in Brooklyn, and New York's Black Pride celebration, also in Brooklyn. We also staged a party night, called Crave, at Rawhide in Chelsea in October 2000, which attracted more than 100 mostly men of color. New York Panthers Leather Club also has participated in the All Clubs Nights at the Lure; in the annual Folsom East Leather Pride celebrations; in New York's Leather Pride Night fundraising event in June; at Mid-Atlantic Leather, where we've hosted and co-hosted welcome parties for Leatherbrothers; and at the premiere annual leather event, International Mr. Leather, in Chicago. John K.
NYPLC Membership 2006
John K., Founder CirrTone, Vice - President
Big Al Big Dawg Leo Manny
If you are interested in finding out more about NYPLC and/or joining our Brotherhood, please contact secretary at newyorkpanthers dot org |
866-841-9139 x2863 (toll-free) | info at newyorkpanthers dot org | Copyright © New York Panthers Leather Club, 2005 |
The
true origins of New York Panthers Leather Club go back to the period
when I lived in Boston, during the late 1980s. That was the period that
I first became acquainted with Leathermen and the BDSM culture there.
At that time I was in my early 20s and had no contact with the Leatherworld
outside of two Boston-area bars, the Paradise, in Cambridge, and the
Ramrod, in downtown Boston; in fact, I didn't realize initially that
an organized leather community existed. One of the things I noticed
when I started frequenting both bars was the scarcity of Leathermen
of color, and the absence of a sense of brotherhood among the men of
color I encountered.
At
Folsom East 1999, I saw the large number of Black, Latino and Asian
Leathermen of color present and knew that a leather organization for
men of color would be viable. So I printed up fliers, contacted some
of the men who had been involved with Brothers in Leather, including
one of its founders, Darrell P., as well as Lidell J., who had founded
Jacks of Color and edited Black Leather in Color. I'd even corresponded
with a bit. Then I began attending the leather nights for people of
color, also hosted by Darrell P., which were held at the Spike. I handed
out fliers there, as well as at the Lure, the Eagle, Ty's, Boots and
Saddles, and on the street in the West Village, the East Village, Chelsea,
and the Meatpacking District to interest brothers in the organization.
In July and August of 1999, I met a number of the men who would become
early members of New York Panthers. Through many of these brothers I
learned about numerous other brothers who have since become involved
with New York Panthers.
I
had already selected the name, because I felt that the image, militancy,
race pride, fearlessness, and vision that the original Black Panthers
of the 1960s and 1970s projected could be a guide for us as Leathermen
of color; we would be an autonomous, collective brotherhood that worked
to promote safety, sanity, and consensual leatherplay and fun, in the
New York area. While we would welcome all Leathermen of color, the organization
would be expressly for us; other organizations in New York included
white men, and a consensus existed that there should be a club for men
of color only. The early participants agreed with the concept of the
organization, and we have developed the vision of Panthers from there.
During
that first fall Larry K. and I assembled the first by-laws for the organization,
which we submitted to the regular attendees for their thoughts. Based
on those by-laws, we were able to elect our first slate of officers.
I was elected president; Larry K. was elected vice president; Caesar
N. was elected treasurer; and Darrell P. was elected secretary.
The
well known artist Coyote-designed our patch and donated the use of it
for free to us shortly after we began. NYPLC distributed its first colors
(patches) in 2000, at the same time as we began participating in Folsom
East, and went, as part of the new group, to our MAL. That year marked
our first public presence at leather events both within and outside
the New York area.