Leather/SM is a way of being, a lifestyle, a philosophy that requires self-discipline, thoughtfulness, caring for one’s brothers/sisters and a sense of personal integrity. It is a highly moral and responsible position; not a life of mindless hedonism and abuse, but one in which an integrated sensuality is an important aspect channeled into useful and fulfilling ends. The life may be considered a calling because it requires dedication and hard work. One is not born into it. It is learned and earned; a labor of love.

Perhaps what defines a leatherman or leatherwoman is being part of a like-minded brotherhood/sisterhood and participating in a community united by interest in leather fetishism and SM sexuality. It cannot be a self-serving life, but one of service and mutual support.

A word every leatherperson should understand is control, however, it is a balance between control and its relinquishment. In SM this is understood. It is a discipline requiring much knowledge and skill, primarily gained from experience. Thus the dedicated leatherperson subscribes to the rules for good SM: safe, sane, consensual. He/she has respect for partners and appreciates the process of building both trust and respect. Intense intimacy, emotional bonding, close attention and committment to the relationship at hand are aspects of successful SM. This discipline is applied to life, as in a scene, an Apollonian (intellectual) way of achieving Dionysian (hedonistic) ends.

These ethics do not imply a strict code of behavior, but a way to examine, evaluate and guide thought, personal image and behavior that constitutes a life dedicated to leather and SM.

Presented to the Tarheel Leather Club at its founding ceremony, June, 1990.