'From the Dungeons to the Streets - Lesbian Origins of SM Politics' by Jan Szpilka

In 1981, Gayle Rubin, an American feminist, lesbian and sexual minorities’ rights activist, first published her text The Leather Menace: Comments on Politics and S/M. It appeared in a famous collection Coming to Power: Writings and Graphics on Lesbian S/M, brought to print by lesbian collective Samois. The titular “leather menace” was an obvious allusion to the term “the lavender menace”, first used in 1969 by Betty Friedman to brand lesbians active in the women’s movement, seen by her as posing a danger to the feminist cause.

Read More