The Leather Menace: Samois Organizes Lesbian Sado-Masochists, Bay Area, CA, 1978-1982
Beginning in 1978 in the Bay Area, Samois, the first known women’s sado-masochistic group in the world, worked to educate themselves and the broader women’s movement about lesbian-feminist SM. The group quickly became a lightning rod for critique from anti-SM feminists, yet they managed to form and maintain a community of liked minded women. In doing so, they laid the foundation for the creation of an entire subculture of Leatherdykes.
In This Article:
The Leather Menace: Samois Organizes Lesbian Sado-Masochists, Bay Area, CA, 1978-1982 (Current Page)
Workshops, Hanky Codes and Coming to Power, oh my!: Samois’ Educational Practices
Celebrate! Samois and The Gay Day Parade
Socio-Sexual
The Leather Menace: Samois’ Conflicts
Beyond the Bay, Beyond Samois …
About Us
Timeline of Events[2]
June 1978 --- Samois founded
Summer 1978 --- First Samois play party
November 1978 --- Group proposes meeting with Women Against Violence in Pornography in the Media (WAVPM), start of years long organizational conflict
January 1979 --- Public presentation at Old Wives Tales
June 1979 --- Group marches in Gay Day Parade; sells What Color is Your Handkerchief (WCIYH)
July-Sept 1979 --- Ongoing conflict with bookstore regarding sale of WCIYH
November 1979 --- Second public presentation
March 1980 --- Action against bookstore that refuses to sell WCIYH
June 1980 --- 20 women & 1 child march in Samois contigent of Gay Day Parade
February 1981 --- Nominated for Cable Car Award
April 1981 --- Third public presentation scheduled
May 1981 --- Problems with renting space at Women’s Building due to concerns about SM
September 1981 --- Ms. Leather Contest
November 1981 --- Coming to Power, first printing
Month Unknown, 1982 --- Group disbands
Key-words: Samois, lesbian, Gay Day Parade, SM, sado-masochism, What Color is Your Handkerchief, Women’s Outreach Committee, BDSM, kink
- Original Artwork by Katie Diamond; Samois, “Our Statement” in What Color Is Your Handkerchief, June 1979, 2.
- Samois, “Samois Newsletter,” April 1979-March 1982, Samois Archive, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, CA.