The Might and Mystery That is the BDSM Old Guard

A Brief History of the Contributions and Existence of the Old Guard.

A BDSM term I have heard bandied about a lot recently, and not in a good way, is “Old Guard.” The term is usually employed to refer to anything that happened prior to that person entering the kink scene, especially if it can be labeled as bad or abusive. While most people who would be old enough to fit the demographic are dead by now, and likely never used the term, anyone older than 50 can find themselves assigned the identifier merely for not being young and having the audacity to still be kinky. With the advent of the internet and the isolation of COVID, this seems to be an, unfortunately, increasing phenomenon.

One of the problems with this is that the vast majority of people flinging “Old Guard” around like an insult have no idea what they are talking about. My experience is that it has become a slur used against older kinksters to link them to abusive behaviors. While the world of the early gay leatherman was not as dedicated to negotiating scenes or as opposed to re-negotiating limits during a scene, it was more exclusive, ensuring that those at a hosted play party had a high chance of knowing one another.

Those early sexual adventurers also knew that society at large would not understand handcuffed or leashed men being led across the street in full view of everyone, so “Don’t frighten the villagers,” became a motto to be taken seriously.

It is generally agreed that the earliest S/M practitioners were gay men who, in most cases, had returned home from serving in the military during WWII. While no longer on active duty, these men wanted to experience some of the aspects of doing so that they had enjoyed. Those who got involved in the fledgling leather scene but had not worn the uniform of their country were attracted by the attitudes of the veterans they met and were sometimes cruised by. Both kinds of men craved the company of other men, especially those deemed “masculine.”

But where was there to go in those days? Gay bars, leather bars, public dungeons, and membership-required conferences and play parties did not exist yet. But motorcycles did! And thus, were born a multitude of gay bike clubs. Men who weren’t actually into motorcycles but were into masculine men who wore leather and took risks still needed to hang out where bikers could be found and do their best to blend if they hoped for a rough sex hookup.

Ironically, some of the very people that more recent generations of kinksters feel are examples of poor behavior and a disregard for safety are also the pioneers who opened those first clubs, held those first parties, served as what would eventually be called Dungeon Monitors, and generally created the first sustainable, stable institutions. They also introduced a system of manners, etiquette, education, dress, and submission. Flawed as they may have been, and who isn’t, they were the New Guard of their time.

Among the values that this earlier generation held dear are discipline, brotherhood, honor, and respect. While human variation means social variation, much of the appeal of the then male-centric world of leather related to the security that its practitioners experienced by having clearly defined and understood hierarchical roles, methods of communication, protocol, and behavioral control. Good manners are priceless and those considered worth emulating include honesty, good manners, charm, and moderation of vocal tones.

Today’s BDSM community is far more diverse and sexually nuanced than its progenitors. It is more independent and less likely to embrace the rigid lifestyle that has come to be associated with the so-called Old Guard. During the 1980s and 1990s, as kink became a bit more acceptable to the mainstream, more welcoming to women, and more available to those with a dial-up connection to one or more BBS, Usenet, AOL, and then the actual internet, the concept of a New Guard or New Leather took flower.

The secrecy of the mythical Old Guard was no longer as attractive or necessary as it had been, nor were its inflexible rules for conduct and roles. But the modern world of kink still embraces a surprising number of Old Guard traditions. Boots, leather jackets, honorific titles, and collaring are all still familiar to even the most casual consensual pervert. Many of the values held by community elders over the past 80 years are still revered today.

While it’s nowhere near as common to see Dominants smoking and tapping their ash into ashtrays, onto the floor, into their jeans, or onto any available submissive; for Dominants or Masters/Mistresses to begin as submissives; or to earn their leathers through service; self-identified leather families with at least a basic hierarchical structure are not uncommon.

The use of honorifics has changed during the past couple of decades. Words like “Sir” are no longer required to be attached to a name. Instead, it has become the name. The concept of “slavese” as a form of written and spoken communication where the person refers to themselves in the third person is associated but does not appear to have any basis in leather literature. Those whose access to kink space is far greater than the men and women who came before wear their collars in public, welcome vanilla and straight people into their bars and clubs, have a variety of kink cultures to choose from, are not dying in droves from AIDS, and have easy access to the internet.

The combined power of online communication and the loss of a generation due to AIDS has resulted in the chasm that has developed between older and younger kinksters. Without the voices of those who built our institutions, an enormous amount of history, context, and community values have vanished. This is tragic since it contributes to the mythology that has developed around what is called the Old Guard.

Every generation believes it invented sex, so a certain amount of the negativity directed at what is so sloppily referred to as the Old Guard is to be expected. Likewise, the romantic fiction about how the Old Guard days featured more dedicated or sincere participants. New members of the ever-changing community will always want to improve on what they inherit. It’s a good thing.

What will also continue to exist is the debate about whether the Scene needs firm, safety-obsessed guidelines and formal education or whether it benefits from the more rebellious RACK (Risk Aware Consensual Kink) philosophy. What will likely eventually develop is a fusion of the two extremes, and a lot more debate and change.  This is also a good thing.