The Old Guard That Never Was (And Why That’s a Good Thing)

Why worshiping an exaggerated and mythologized subculture past isn’t useful for moving that subculture forward

Anyone who considers themselves part of the active kink crowd has likely heard the term old guard bandied about, especially in those networks of kink in the United States that self-identify under the leather label.

Old guard refers to those people who decades ago supposedly formed the inner sanctum foundation for the modern leather scene. While the term has grown in usage among kinksters of all genders and orientations, its roots are mostly in gay male leather subculture. Well, sort of.

Assuming that the old guard actually existed (we’ll get to that in a moment), what supposedly defined this group? It depends on who you ask.

One common definition is that the old guard was a group of leathermen who were organized around formality and fixed roles that emphasized a sexual lifestyle of discipline, mentoring, and caste based on rankings or levels. The belief is that these leathermen consciously or unconsciously created a formalized system of building character and sexual skill within a system of earned ranking.

I know it might seem like heresy to some, but I don’t believe the old guard really existed, at least not in the exaggerated and romanticized form in which it’s often described.

Were there some individuals that might have functioned this way? Perhaps. I’ve been extremely active in the leather scene since 1972. Many of my friends and acquaintances during that time are often named as icons and elders of the old guard movement. Yet when I recall discussing such things with them, few described anything remotely resembling the old guard system. Most described what I experienced, a loosely connected network of sexual and lifestyle rebels and mavericks who were bonded around some common sexual interests and identifications. Anything resembling an old guard system was a rare occurrence and how it manifested itself had few commonalities among the people and groups who pursued it.

I know some are going to disagree with me. But I stand behind my contention that the old guard has been mentioned and romanticized so often it’s unfortunately become the de facto truth among some, facts be damned. Ask anyone schooled in the art of public persuasion and influence and they’ll tell you that if you say something often enough lots of people begin to believe it. That’s what I think has happened here. Why? I’m not sure. Perhaps that’s a future post.

What I do know is that the old guard not existing is a good thing. It’s a good thing because I so often hear the contemporary kink scene compared to the old guard and it’s usually not a flattering comparison. Time after time I hear, often from people far too young to have been around during the supposed times of old guard, complaints that today’s scene just isn’t as good as the old guard era for some reason. I don’t think that’s healthy. Comparing today’s situation to something that didn’t even exist as mythologized seems foolhardy at best.

This seems to happen in all areas of life. Older folks often decry contemporary culture and sing the praises of “the way it used to be” without bothering to think about things like women being treated like second class citizens, rampant and accepted racism, homophobia exponentially worse that today, and other social ills. Of course, currently those marginalized demographics have new challenges from right-wing forces, but to believe that times were better decades ago? I don’t think so.

Thus, it’s the same with the kink scene of today. I suggest that it’s much better now than it used to be. We can enjoy our sexuality with much more openness than in the past. People are much more technically skilled and safety aware than they were many years ago. Consent has risen to a robust community discussion. There are far more ways for kinky folks to meet and socialize than ever before. Kinksters are empowered to explore a wider diversity of erotic avenues of expression and identity. Does this sound like a situation worse than the past?

Let me add a caveat. Anecdotally, it seems like references within the kink scene to old guard are less frequent than ten or twenty years ago. That’s a good thing. I think younger kinksters have gotten the memo about the old guard mythology and they keep it in better perspective than do some older leather community members.

Anytime we set up a romanticized historical standard and start comparing today to that standard, today will inevitably fall short. Given the choice between the era of the old guard (whether it existed or not) and today’s kink scene, I’ll take today’s scene every time.

Today’s kink scene isn’t perfect. It never will be. But it’s a lot better than it used to be and I have faith it will continue to get better. Will it look different? Sure. Will it function differently? Probably. Will the kink of tomorrow look like the kink of today? Probably not. Change is a sign of movement and growth. Lack of change is a sign of stagnation. I vote for movement and growth.

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