ABSTRACT
Dedicated BDSM magazines first appeared after World War II. By the 1960s, they included contact ads and advertisements for BDSM equipment and fetish clothing in addition to erotic content. Most targeted a heterosexual audience, but growing numbers focused on gay men. The publishers, readers and advertisers of these magazines developed contacts with one another, and these networks strengthened ties among people interested in BDSM. Gay motorcycle clubs also emerged in these years. While few members were sadomasochists, the clubs helped those who were find one another, as did the small but growing number of bars that catered to these “leathermen.” While mainstream commentators condemned and pathologized BDSM activities, sadomasochists benefited from a growing literature devoted to their interests. With a little effort, they could find others who shared their interests. Hidden from the public eye, sadomasochistic networks in the United States flourished and grew in the 1950s and 1960s. Contact publications, professional dominants, leather bars and business owners helped BDSM enthusiasts connect to one another. They built networks crisscrossing the United States and extending into other countries. These networks laid the foundation for the emergence of formal BDSM organizations that supported an increasingly public, rapidly growing BDSM community in the 1970s.
