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Imagine the quintessential butch lesbian: buzzcut, Brando jacket, and chains hanging off her Dickies. Does she look suspiciously similar to the rough-and-tumble old-timer at your local biker bar?
Despite its reputation for machismo, biker culture has long been a haven for LGBT people of all varieties. If your memory stretches back far enough, you may recall the unmistakable leather biker from The Village People, who proudly boogied with five other gay archetypes during The Sexual Revolution of the 1970s. Despite the camp dramatization of the Village People, the biker figure was more than just an aesthetic. While his look was clearly inspired by the underground leather scene, the leather kink and club communities remain a tangible connection to some of the oldest homosexual organizations in the country: LGBT motorcycle clubs.
Editor's note: See more #pridemoto stories.
Gay biker clubs began formally popping up in the United States as early as the 1950s, only a few decades after the first gay rights organization in America was founded. Compelled to choose between a life in the closet or ostracization, many gay men found refuge in the camaraderie that an MC offers. Cloaked behind the hypermasculine veneer of the biker image, they were free to live brazenly on the outskirts of society, not as outcasts, but as rebels. Over the years, biker culture became an outlet for the grand LGBT tradition of preemptively choosing a life on the fringes, on your own terms, rather than being pushed there.
Drawn together by common interests, sexuality, and necessity, gay MCs quickly found a valuable place in the LGBT community. Amid rampant homophobia, in a time before any legal protections, gays found safety in numbers in motorcycle clubs, and even extended that protection to the greater queer community by proximity. In a community defined by its search for equality, leather offered queer riders what it offers everyone else: protection.
Leather has become so synonymous with queer culture, moto jackets and other leather gear are widely recognized as "flags" amongst LGBT people to this day. Queer flagging is a subtle visual cue that members of the community adopt to indicate their identities to one another in a safe and discreet way. Through flagging, queer people have been able to build community and connection, continuing the legacy from which the leather originated: gay and lesbian moto clubs. Many LGBT MCs were created with the intent of building community. Clubs welcomed and celebrated members' entire identities, and allowed them the opportunity to express themselves freely, perhaps for the first time ever. Through carving out safe queer spaces, LGBT MCs fostered meaningful connections that provided a much-needed social outlet for social outcasts, and in doing so allowed people to cultivate their found family.
Although the number of LGBT MCs has waned over the years, there are still plenty up and running across the country. Many are living records of queer history, preserving the memories and legacies of gay elders who would otherwise have been lost to time, secrecy, and the horrors of the AIDS epidemic. I'd like to recognize a few who are striving to keep LGBT moto culture alive.
South: Convergence Riders, North Carolina
Since 2004, the Convergence Riders have hosted yearly charity events with proceeds given back to their local community, Pride Rides, camping trips, social events, and more. Their group boasts membership spanning Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. If you’re local to this area, Convergence Riders welcome those who want to learn about motorcycle maintenance, participate in charity drives, and build lasting friendships.
West: Ride with Pride Colorado
With a heavy emphasis on community, Ride with Pride Colorado (shown in the top photo) is an LGBTQ+ motorcycle group based in Denver. Ride with Pride Colorado members enjoy ripping through the twisties with a great group of friends and allies, or letting loose off-road through the dirt. Beyond this, Ride with Pride Colorado wants to foster a community of open-minded and open-hearted LGBTQ+ motorcycle enthusiasts, both new and experienced riders.
The group's core values are community, empowerment, kindness, fun, and integrity and the goal is to build up each other (and their bikes!) by allowing for a safe space to gain knowledge, confidence, and friendship. Ride with Pride Colorado hosts workshops, fundraisers, and group rides.
West Coast: The Satyrs, San Francisco
The Satyrs hold the title of oldest continuously operating gay men's MC, and are widely recognized for their efforts in preserving the history and legacy of LGBT MCs. The Satyrs remain a pillar of the West Coast LGBT community and host regular charitable events throughout the year. The Satyrs are also the only MC on this list to have their own documentary, "Original Pride: The Satyrs Motorcycle Club," shown above, which preserves the history of the brave riders who founded the organization, originally in secret.
Midwest: Twin City Riders, Minnesota
East Coast: Bucks MC, Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks MC has been fostering community through shared passions and charity since 1972. In addition to 50 years of camaraderie, Bucks MC also boasts one of the largest and longest running leather charity events on the East Coast.
Although gay bikers are more often ridiculed than celebrated, there's no question about their legacy in the moto community. Although we celebrate all riders, the LGBT MC community is often overlooked.
Many say that MCs altogether are an endangered species, but if you look, it's easy enough to find people excited to carry on the memory and legacy of those we loved and lost with eyes bright toward the future. With personalities as vibrant as the flags they fly, these clubs offer something that the instant gratification of the digital age can never provide: lasting camaraderie, community, and family, all of which are still desperately needed across the LGBT community today, and beyond.
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