Socio-Sexual

One of Samois’ major organizational objectives was to help bring lesbian sado-masochists together for social and sexual companionship. Throughout their four years of existence, a wide variety of social gatherings included potlucks, fashion shows, bathhouse outings and DJ’ed dances.

In September 1981, the group hosted the first Ms. Leather contest, which was held at Ollie’s Radclyfffe Hall, attended by approximately three hundred women and won by a tall woman known only as “Rachel.”

At the same time that Samois was creating community, it was also creating sexual possibility. During it’s first year of existence, the group hosted four play parties, at least the last of which was held at the legendary gay male fisting club, The Catacombs. After that first year, the group voted to suspend sponsorship of sex parties, for a variety of reasons, but most related to growing concerns over heightened activity under existing public-sex laws and an emerging hierarchy among club members based on their sexual practices. While the group no longer ran such parties, they continued to advertise such parties and run personal ads in their newsletters, helping to ensure members’ ability to connect with others with the same sexual proclivities.

In This Article:
Defining Terms: Samois in their own words
The Leather Menace: Samois Organizes Lesbian Sado-Masochists, Bay Area, CA, 1978-1982
Workshops, Hanky Codes and Coming to Power, oh my!: Samois’ Educational Practices
Celebrate! Samois and The Gay Day Parade
Socio-Sexual (Current Page)
The Leather Menace: Samois’ Conflicts
Beyond the Bay, Beyond Samois …
About Us

Key-words: Samois, lesbian, feminism, lesbian-feminism, SM, sado-masochism, BDSM, kink, Ms. Leather, Radclyffe Hall, Catacombs, fisting, sex party, play party, public sex, personal ads

1. Original Artwork by Katie Diamond; Della Grace, Lisa, “Samois Newsletter,” February 1982, p. 6, Samois Archive, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, CA.
2. Samois, “Samois Newsletter,” April 1979-March 1982, Samois Archive, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, CA.
3. Samois, “Samois Newsletter,” September, 1981, p. 1 & October, 1981, p. 2, Samois Archive, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, CA; Paula Abend, “Beauty: Leather and Lipstick,” The Phoenix, San Francisco State University, September 10, 1981, 4.
4. Samois, “Samois Newsletter,” April 1979-June 1980, Samois Archive, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, CA.
5. Samois, “Samois Newsletter,” April –June, 1979, Samois Archive, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, CA.
6. Samois, “Samois Newsletter,” June 1979- March 1982, Samois Archive, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, CA.
7. Original Artwork by Katie Diamond; Della Grace, untitled photo, “Samois Newsletter,” March 1982, p. 8, Samois Archive, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, CA. <comments />