Time Line 1960
- 1960, March 16
The Gold Coast, Chicago's first leather bar, (opened June 1958) is purchased by Chuck Renslow and Associates.
- 1960
The Why Not (518 Ellis St.) in the Tenderloin is San Francisco's first leather bar. The owners hire Tony Taverossi to create an atmosphere that will attract the leather crowd. The bar closes shortly after opening when Tony propositions a vice squad cop. [R]
- 1960
Spring: Owners of San Francisco gay bars revolt against police pay-offs and the "Gayola Scandals" result. Police retaliate with a vengeance and close most Gay bars in the city. [R]
- 1960
Publication of Christ and The Homosexual by Robert Wood, which includes a rather accurate description of one of the many SM parties hosted by Bob Milne at his home in NYC in the early 1950's.[R]
- 1960
A British court rules that D. H. Lawrence's novel Lady Chatterley's Lover, is art not porn.
- 1960
Warlocks MC, and California Motor Club formed in southern California and San Francisco respectively.
- 1960
DL Sterling, "The Leathermaker", makes his first pair of motorcycle chaps.
- 1961
Michael Foucault publishes Folie et deraison (Madness and Civilization). claiming that the role of psychiatry in modern society is to remove people who refuse to conform to it's norms. A shortened English version is published in 1965. [wd]
- 1961
The Hideaway, a leather friendly bar at 438 Eddy in San Francisco's tenderloin raided and closed. [R]
- 1961
Decriminalization of homosexuality in Czechoslovakia and Hungary
- 1961
The Tool Box at 339 4th St. at Harrison in San Francisco opened. It took what Tony Taverosi had created at the Why Not and developed it into what became the classic SF leather bar design. The bar featured the Chuck Arnette mural of masculine men, which was made famous by the June 1964 Life magazine. Closed in 1971.
- 1961
Moved by the Gayola scandals, Jose Sarria becomes the first openly gay man to run for San Francisco city supervisor. He does not get elected.
- 1961
"Victim" is the first film by a major British commercial studio to feature homosexuality as its theme. Dirk Bogarde plays a closeted barrister in a plot about gay blackmail and suicide.
- 1962
Illinois becomes first U.S. state to remove sodomy law from its criminal code.
- 1962
The German sex researcher Hans Giese publishes his book Psychopathologie der Sexualitat, with the intent of continuing Krafft-Ebing's "Psychopathia Sexualis". In the medical text book, which dedicates the first 30 pages to the importance of Christianity in sex therapy, he quotes the French philosopher Jean-Paul Sarte's theories on SM as research, and links sadomasochism to the rise in abortions. Giese's school of thought continues to dominate sex research in Germany until today. In 1992, three of the four professors for sex research in Germany will be former students of Giese. [wd]
- 1962
Again, in response to the Gayola scandals and their aftermath San Francisco bar owners and employees form the Tavern Guild, to wield political influence. 1962: Fisting is "invented" in a San Francisco basement. [R]
- 1962
Satyr MC holds it's first Badger Flats Run. The annual event continues uninteruupted for 33 years, until 1994. Then resumes in 1998!
- 1962
Publication of King Rat by James Clavell. The novel explores dominance in men's relationships in a Japanese prison camp during WWII.
- 1962
Otto Preminger's film of Alan Drury's novel "Advise and Consent", is the first movie explicitly showing a gay bar.
- 1962, Jan. 1
Effective this date Illinois repeale its sodomy laws and behavior between "consenting adults in private" is no longer subject to criminal prosecution.
- 1962, Nov.
"Birth" of Phil Andros as Sam Steward writing for EOS and Amigos magazines of Denmark, uses this pseudonym for the first time.
- 1963
Denmark becomes the first modern state to drop virtually all censorship. [Hooven 95]
- 1963
Israel decriminalizes de-facto sodomy and sexual acts between men by judicial decision against the enforcement of the relevant section in the old British-mandate law from 1936 (which in fact was never enforced).
- 1963
Publication of 'A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess, a novel that gives a look at sex, violence, and mind control in a future age.
- 1963
Publication of the first English edition of Jean Genet's 'Our Lady of the Flowers'.
- 1963
Publication of 'City of Night' by John Rechy, a novel that takes a close look at the underbelly of gay life: hustling as it was.
- 1963
Publication of 'Pleasures of the Torture Chamber' by Johnathon Swain.
- 1963
Publication of 'Flagellation - The Rod & The Whip' by George Bishop.
- 1963
Publication of 'The Velvet Underground' by Michael Leigh.
- 1963
'Physique Pictorial' begins to print a scribbled code of astrological symbols along with its photographs. The symbols give Bob Mizer's ideas about the personalities, and sexual proclivities, of the models. A code sheet to decipher them is sent to favored customers. In 1967 the symbols are used as part of the sexual pandering case against Mizer. He destroys all copies of the code's meanings. [Hooven 95] NOTE: LA&M would consider a copy of this code sheet a very valuable addition to the collection.
- 1963
Scott Studio, one of the best physique photography studios closes when Tom Nichol, the owner and photographer, moves from London to California. Nichol is noted for early (before 1950) photos of men in boots, leather, biker caps, etc. and for the infamous "Scott Shorts," thin white gym style shorts always at least two sizes too small for his models, who somehow squeezed into them. [Hooven 95]
- 1963, Feb.
Publication of the first (and only) issue of Young Adonis magazine, the first to have substantial full color. The cover trumpets "24 photos in color" and "More Color than any other magazine!" [Hooven 95]
- 1963, May
Mars magazine, a male physique publication with leather leanings, begins publication. It is designed and edited by Chuck Renslow and Dom Orejudos of Kris studios
- 1963, Sept. 15
Second City Motorcycle Club founded in Chicago.[ JOSEPH, SEE ALSO APR. 1965: CAN YOU CLEAR THIS UP?]
- 1964
The opening of the NYC World's Fair is preceded by a"cleanup of gay bars, shutting down every one in city except Julius' in the village. [R]
- 1964
Publication of 'Rough Trade' by Lou Rand.
- 1964
Publication of 'Stockade' a novel by Jack Pearl which focuses on abuse in a military prison.
- 1964
Publication of 'A History of Torture' by Daniel P. Manix.
- 1964
Publication of 'With Rod and Whip, A History of Flagellation Among Different Nations' by Valhalla Books.
- 1964
Publication of the American edition of 'Flagellation Curiosa Pt. 1: Sublime of Flagellation, by H. T. Buckle, Pt. 2: Experiences in Flagellation, Compiled by an Ameteur [sic] Flagellant.
- 1964
US courts allow importation of Danish magazines showing full frontal male nudity if they are official publications of nudist organizations. International Nudist Sun is the most popular all male title, many others feature only women or both men and women. [Hooven 95]
- 1964, June 26
Life magazine features "Homosexuality in America," an article by Paul Welch that includes a two page spread on the Tool Box, San Francisco's premier leather bar, and sparks a migration of eager leathermen to "Baghdad by the Bay."
- 1964
The first appearance of Al "A. Jay" Shapiro's cartoon creation, AHarry Chess@, in the Philadelphia based gay monthly Drum.
- 1964
Empire City MC founded in NYC and holds first Empire City Christmas Party and Toys for Tots.
- 1964
Recon MC founded in San Francisco.
- 1964
Society for Individual Rights (SIR) founded in San Francisco.
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