The Leather Menace: Samois Organizes Lesbian Sado-Masochists, Bay Area, CA, 1978-1982

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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.


Samois-logo-web.jpg

[1]




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 and 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



  1. Original Artwork by Katie Diamond; Samois, “Our Statement” in What Color Is Your Handkerchief, June 1979, 2.
  2. Samois, “Samois Newsletter,” April 1979-March 1982, Samois Archive, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, CA. <comments />
  1. ↑ Samois, “Our Statement” in What Color Is Your Handkerchief, June 1979, 2.
  2. ↑ Samois, “Samois Newsletter,” April 1979-March 1982, Samois Archive, GLBT Historical Society, San Francisco, CA.
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