Leather Bar

A leather bar is a bar or club oriented toward the leather and kink community. Rising alongside the gay leather scene in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco from the 1950s onward, these venues gave men a place to socialize openly, signal desires through dress codes and cues, and build community. Leather bars also became organizing hubs, and many patrons stepped up as caregivers and fundraisers during the AIDS crisis. Well known examples include the various Eagle bars, and New York's Anvil and Mineshaft. As gay nightlife has shifted and rents have risen, many leather bars have closed, which makes the ones that remain valued spaces for connection and cultural memory.