Gay motorcycle men

Gay culture and biker culture often blended together. Gay men adopted the same uniform as the Hell’s Angels, dressing as leather daddies modeling themselves on rebel heroes like Marlon Brando. Founded in , the Border Riders Motorcycle Club is one of the oldest and largest gay motorcycle clubs in North America. We provide social and educational opportunities for members and other gay men interested in recreational motorcycle touring.

Every June 21 is World Motorcycle Day, and you can bet that gay bikers around the world are celebrating.

After all, motorcycles have been revving up gay culture for decades now. Smell the leather, feel the power between your legs, and take in the story of the oldest continuing gay group in the world at an exhibit of historic (and sexy) images of the Satyrs Motorcycle. In the home of Harley Davidson, a group of bikers is making motorcycle culture more inclusive. “As a gay man, we're conditioned to hide part of ourselves to fit into the mainstream culture,".

A crew of burly, bearded men wearing black leather pants , hats, vests, and jackets appeared in the doorway of Rockbar, a dive at the very edge of the West Village in Manhattan. They looked around, confused, at the the sight of long-haired guys in broken glasses wearing comic-book T-shirts. They turned and walked out, not before I saw the back of one leather vest—a yellow circle enclosed by a blue and red male symbol and the words Empire City MC.

The club is one of the oldest all-riding, all-gay, all-male motorcycle organizations in the world. Founded in by a group of 12 bikers from the New York metropolitan area, the club celebrated its 50th anniversary in October While other motorcycle clubs have perhaps been active for longer periods of time at least one group disputes that they are the oldest all-male, all-gay group , Empire City is the only one that requires, and has always required, all of its members to ride a motorcycle.

Motorcycle organizations popped up all over the country in the s, 60s, and 70s, following the burst of soldiers coming home from the World War II who were hungry for the same sense of danger and excitement they experienced in combat overseas. In the movie, Marlon Brando stars as Johnny Strabler, a tough character outfitted with a leather motorcycle jacket and cap, tight jeans, and—of course—a trusty bike.

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Motorcycles have had that same reputation ever since. They wear thick black boots and walk with strength and purpose. They are friendly, gracious, knowledgeable—and they are not to be fucked with. Chaz, 48, has a thick, bristly horseshoe of a mustache peppered with brown and gray, and a tattoo of a leather-bound heart on his neck. Over his leather rider he wears a frayed denim cutoff jacket. Ed, 46, is sleek in jeans that end perfectly above his boots, and a crisp black turtleneck sweater under his black leather Empire City vest.

His beard is shaped into clean lines around his face. Ed has been a member of Empire City since ; Chaz officially since , though he has been spending time with the club since Empire City currently has a total of 16 members, associate members, and pledges. Full members range in age from early 30s through mids, from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. About 95 percent are professionals, in fields as diverse as landscaping, chemical engineering, teaching, law, psychology, and hairdressing.

Some are retired. Part of that group dynamic involves participating in a variety of riding and social events throughout the year. When we ride in formation, we are a well-oiled machine. We watch out for people on the road; when we change lanes, we make our presence known. Chaz himself came to the club through the leather community, in which both he and Ed are active.

For some in Empire City, a motorcycle is the ultimate leather accessory, but others just like to ride. Ultimately, though, Empire City is all about riding and brotherhood. Members join and stay for long periods of time—20, 40, even 50 years—and they bond over the freedom, experience, and trust created when riding a motorcycle in a group. And one was the very first party, in December , before he became a member.

ECMC began as a secret organization because it had to. Being openly gay put you at risk for losing your job, your apartment, your family, and friends. Empire City, that suited everybody well. ECMC also predates the influential Stonewall Riots in ; Emil actually participated in Christopher Street Liberation Day, which is now considered the first ever gay pride parade, in When the weekend came, you hooked up with your friends, you went out to the bars, you went to club runs, and you hung out with people that were just like you.