Categories
English Sexual politics

Kink Against Racism

Leather and SM people against nazism

Europride 2002 in Cologne. Photo: Svein Skeid
The European leather/SM movement has a long tradition against rasism and nazism. As early as in 1978 the AGM of ECMC – the gay “European Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs” – discussed how to stop Nazi elements from infiltrating their member-clubs.

The ECMC member club MS Panther Köln, in 1993 started “Leder gegen Rechts”, and decorated an “anti-nazi fleet” during the CSD (Christopher Street Day) parade that year.

Illustration right:
The German ECMC-club Rote Erde “Leder Gegen Rechts” 1993.

In 1998 the ECMC AGM, with their 50 european member clubs included an article in their Constitution against “Racist and Nazi attitudes, manifestations and actions, as well as membership in corresponding anti-democratic organizations”.

Fetisch gegen Rechts
More than one million people saw the five km long Europride parade 2002 in Cologne, included the huge anti-nazi-wagon from the big Cologne leather bar “Chairs”.
Picture left, Photo: Svein Skeid.

There was also a “Leder gegen rechts”-booth during the Folsom Europe Street Fair in Berlin in September 2004.

 

HERE IS THE TEXT OF THE 1998 ECMC RESOLUTION:
The ECMC AGM 1998 approves the following resolution:
“Racist and nazi attitudes, manifestations and actions, together with membership in ditto antidemocratic organisations is not consistent with membership in our democratic ECMC-clubs.”

Arguments for the proposal:
“The intention with this proposal is to secure the address lists and membership archives of our member clubs from being misused by antidemocratic elements.
We also carry the above resolution to foster fraternal brotherhood with our foreign cultural individual members and in solidarity with ECMC clubs fighting against nazi violence and for information about the difference between leather and nazi.
Today there is different attempts of building up networks of gay leather nazi organisations in Europe. We see this as a threat against the security of our ECMC-clubs and individual members.
The european leather community has a anti nazi tradition. Already in 1978 the ECMC AGM discussed how to stop nazi elements from infiltrating our member clubs. With the above resolution we want to confirm this anti nazi attitude.”

 

No nazifetish at Gear Fetish.
The gay leather internet community GearFetish.com takes stand against German swastikas and other nazi related symbols (Juni 1, 2005).


People of all colours at Folsom Street Fair Europe in Berlin 2004, picture right. The big street fair also included a “Leder Gegen Rechts”-boot.
Photo: Svein Skeid


Categories
English Sexual politics

Folsom Europe 2004

September 4-5, 2004 in Berlin

(Sorry: All the photo links on this page is removed because of dead links)

Leathermen fighting hiv and aids

EATHERMEN FIGHTING HIV
Gay leathermen fighting hiv and aids during the Folsom Europe street party in Berlin September 4, 2004.
(The flyer on the picture is manipulated to be possible to read)

Folsom Europe 2004
Inspired by the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco during twenty years, Up your Alley/ Dore Alley (San Francisco) and Folsom Fair North (Toronto), Folsom Europe e.V. for the first time invited the gay and straight Leather/SM/Fetish community to celebrate it self during three days in Berlin, September 3-5, 2004. It was a big success as you can see from the picture galleries.

Folsom Europe were supported by the City of Berlin, the Berlin Police, the Industrial Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Berlin and the Berlin Tourism Office.

The Folsom Europe Street Fair have three goals: making stronger within the Leather-Fetish scene, steps in the open public to reduce pre-judgements, as well as the support of community associations and organizations in Europe, which support and care for HIV-Positive people and those with AIDS. All the money raised will be used for those projects.

For 2004 the kindergarten in the Fuggerstrasse and the AIDS emergency found in Poland will be helped. The kindergarten is a private initiative which looks after HIV infected and AIDS positive children.

At the Folsom Europe Street Fair the Leather/SM/Fetish scene steps in the open public to reduce pre-judgements. Folsom Europe also support several social projects, like care for hiv-positive people and those with aids. Among others, the Berlin Police and Deutsche AIDS-Hilfe e.V. had boots at the fair.



People of all colors

People of all colours attended the Folsom Europe street fair.

Anti Rasist: The 50 gay European leather/SM clubs ECMC (European Confederation of Motorcycle Clubs) in 1998 included an article in their Constitution against “Racist and Nazi attitudes, manifestations and actions, as well as membership in corresponding anti-democratic organizations”. Read more.



Love, joy and friendship

Joy, love, friendship, pride, identity, masters and slaves at the Folsom Europe street fair.



Revise F65 workshop

BDSM workshop. On Sunday Sept 5, Svein Skeid from the ReviseF65 committe held a workshop for BDSM activists from all over Germany about how to delete stigmatising SM and Fetish diagnoses.



Svein and Ole from ReviseF65

Svein and Ole from the ReviseF65 committee visited Folsom Europe and BDSM community in Germany to promote the international work to delete stigmatising SM and Fetish diagnoses from the ICD classification of diseases. In the middle: Raven from BVSM e.V. (Bundesvereinigung Sadomasochismus).



Folsom Europe showing diversity, pride, love and friendship.




All that leather…

All those open gay leathermen from worldwide steps in the open public to reduce pre-judgements during the Folsom Europe street fair.



Kinky proud rubbermen

Proud and kinky rubbermen was part of the diversity. All those kinky rubbermen in the streets of Folsom Europe in full day light.



SMart, BVSM and BDSM-Berlin

SMart Rhein-Ruhr e.V., BDSM-Berlin e.V. and BVSM e.V. (Bundesvereinigung Sadomasochismus) cooperates with the ReviseF65.org to remove stigmatising SM and Fetish diagnoses from the ICD classification published by the WHO – World Health Organisation.



Mr. Leathers

Picture right: International Mr. Leather 2003 John Pendal (UK), is official supporter of the ReviseF65 work to delete stigmatising SM and Fetish diagnoses.

Picture left: On page 2 you find pictures of (from left): Mr Florida Leather 2004 Fernan Royo, Mr Fetish Switzerland 2004 Thomas Schoch, Mr RubClub 2004 Frank Bug, German Mr Leather 2004 Philipp Tanzer and International Mr. Leather 2004 Jason Hendrix (US).