USC’s ONE Archiv holds the stori of L.A.’s gay motorcycle clubs

Contents:

• RIDG WH THE OLST ALL-GAY, ALL-MALE, ALL-RIDG MOTORCYCLE CLUB
• GAY HARLEY RIRS THAT BIKERS ROAR THROUGH FABULO DATG WEBSE
• GAY MOTORCYCLE
• STORI OM L.A.’S PNEERG GAY MOTORCYCLE CLUBS ARE TOLD THROUGH USC’S ONE ARCHIV

RIDG WH THE OLST ALL-GAY, ALL-MALE, ALL-RIDG MOTORCYCLE CLUB

As a longtime biker and an openly gay man, Tom Hood says there likely always will be a place for motorcycle groups that ter to lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr groups, he says, aren’t as necsary as they were years ago. Origally om Platteville, Hood is print of the Rirs Motorcycle Club  Boston, one of the natn’s olst gay men’s motorcycle club was formed the early 1980s when the biker muny didn’t wele LGBT rirs who openly exprsed their, LGBT bikers say thgs are much better, although there are exceptns. Paras like this are a sign of better tim, acrdg to Hood, who attend Lawrence Universy Appleton om 1985 through ago, he belonged to an outlaw biker club, but as a gay man, he has sce ma Rirs his outlaw clubs — known as “1 percenters” bee 99 percent of bikers don’t belong to them — have a strong anti-gay most people motorcyclg pay ltle or no attentn to someone’s genr or sexual inty, acrdg to Hood.

”Yet Harleys are popular wh lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr bikers, said Chaz Antonelli, past print of the Empire Cy Motorcycle Club, New York, the olst gay men’s biker group the natn.

Still, not everyone has embraced some of the years ago, a Salt Lake Cy police officer got to trouble when he objected to ridg the motorcycle briga at the ont of a gay pri para, sayg was a vlatn of his relig Moutsos said he was unfairly labeled a bigot bee he simply asked to swap rol and work a different part of the para June 2014. Moutsos said he was offend by the notn that he would treat gays and lbians differently than anyone else. … It’s a ltle too tight, ” he there will probably always be a place for LGBT motorcycle groups, Hood said, over time there will be ls need for them as society be more one time, Rirs Motorcycle Club had 140 members; now ’s down to about said he thks the LGBT muny n claim a victory when ’s no longer a big al for sports stars and celebri to announce they are homosexual.

GAY HARLEY RIRS THAT BIKERS ROAR THROUGH FABULO DATG WEBSE

Early on, such clubs beme a vibrant subculture wh Wisns’s gay and lbian movement. More than 40 years ago, Si Sms beme a face of Milwkee’s LGBTQ muny when he was featured ridg his motorcycle a WTMJ seri, “Some Call Them Gay.

LGBTQ bikers reprented what the straight world uld not fathom: gay men not as fey and mcg stereotyp but as mascule, rough-and-tumble guys; and gay women not as nuns and spster librarians but as tough, n-do gals. The club is one of the olst all-ridg, all-gay, all-male motorcycle anizatns the world. While other motorcycle clubs have perhaps been active for longer perds of time (at least one group disput that they are the olst all-male, all-gay group), Empire Cy is the only one that requir, and has always required, all of s members to ri a motorcycle.

GAY MOTORCYCLE

"Beg a gay biker, beg a group, you fd yourself wh people who have the same terts, the same fort level, " he go on. Though E stopped ridg 1996, he is currently an ECMC Emer member, meang he don't have to own a bike or license signatn, or pay the 1960s, when E joed, "gay" was not somethg you discsed and "out" was not somethg you were. Beg openly gay put you at risk for losg your job, your apartment, your fay, and iends.

It don't mean that you're gay, don't mean this, don't mean that. "E lowers his voice when he says the word "gay, " even though we are chattg the lobby of The Center, as New York's Lbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenr Communy Center is known. Followg ECMC's history is a b of a Forrt Gump-like experience of gay history post-1950: E himself was a member of the Mattache Society which, tablished 1950, was one of the earlit gay rights anizatns the untry.

STORI OM L.A.’S PNEERG GAY MOTORCYCLE CLUBS ARE TOLD THROUGH USC’S ONE ARCHIV

ECMC also predat the fluential Stonewall Rts 1969; E actually participated Christopher Street Liberatn Day, which is now nsired the first ever gay pri para, 1970. ECMC survived the AIDS crisis of the 80s and 90s; and today some members have married their partners wh the passage of gay marriage New York State.

"Today, ECMC is vol about s existence—members wear those aforementned leather jackets and vts whout fear of repercsn; they rec members at fairs like Folsom Street East, the largt outdoor fetish ftival on the East Coast; and they hold meetgs the first Wednday of every month at The Center, which all terted men and prospective members are wele to be a member of the ECMC, you mt be a gay man over the age of 21, you mt own a motorcycle, you mt be sured for said motorcycle, and you mt be licensed to ri a motorcycle. Datg s have changed wh the tim and now gay dividuals have more opportuni than ever to meet other sgl who share their hobbi and terts.