Gay Leathermen in South Africa: An Exploratory Study

There are vibrant gay leathermen subcultures worldwide. Leathermen appropriate the iconography (but not the behaviour) associated with motorcycle, military and police protocols, and are an easily recognisable community. They have been studied as examples of resistance to both heteronormativity and hegemonic forms of gay male culture. This exploratory study on gay leathermen in South Africa is the first of its kind. Leathermen only became publicly visible in 2009, with the establishment of the SA Leathermen Facebook page (SALM). This article presents selected findings about the leathermen subculture in South Africa, drawing from signifying texts and images posted on the SALM Facebook page (2009-2015). It argues that in being aligned with the broader gay and lesbian community, there is an unstable "fit" between the "ethos" of the leathermen subculture and the "public face" of homosexuality in South Africa.