Collection Guide
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Avatar Club Los Angeles records
Coll2021-004
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Table of contents
Contributing Institution:
ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Title: Avatar Club Los Angeles records
Creator:
Avatar Club Los Angeles
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2021-004
Physical Description:
38 Linear Feet
36 boxes.
Date (inclusive): 1972-2013
Abstract: Avatar Club Los Angeles is a members-only club for gay men dedicated to "providing information and education about safe, sane,
and consensual bondage, discipline, kinky and sadomasochistic (BDSM) sex between adults." Founded in 1983, Avatar is the oldest
gay leather club in Los Angeles and holds regular meetings, educational demonstrations, and public programming. The collection
contains documents, educational materials, correspondence, membership records, photographs, videos, computer disks, ephemera,
and textiles.
Language of Material:
English
.
Avatar Club Los Angeles is a members-only club for gay men dedicated to "providing information and education about safe, sane,
and consensual bondage, discipline, kinky and sadomasochistic (BDSM) sex between adults." Founded in 1983, Avatar is the oldest
gay leather club in Los Angeles and holds regular meetings, educational demonstrations, and public programming. Avatar Club
Los Angeles is one of the most well-known clubs for members of the leather and BDSM communities.
Leather culture in Los Angeles dates back to the 1950s and is thought to have its roots in the biker culture that emerged
in Los Angeles after WWII. Leather culture is defined by practices and styles of dress organized around activities, sometimes
sexual in nature, that involve leather garments and accessories. Leather culture is most visible in gay communities and most
often associated with gay men, but it is also reflected in various ways in lesbian, bisexual, and straight communities. The
more specifically homoerotic aesthetics of men's leather culture drew on other sources as well, including military and police
uniforms. This influence is particularly evident in the graphical illustrations of leathermen found in the work of Tom of
Finland.
Many people associate leather culture with BDSM practices. But some do not associate their leather lifestyle with BDSM, and
simply enjoy the sensory experience of leather. BDSM is an umbrella term that refers to a spectrum of sexual behaviors and
preferences that are grouped under the general headings of bondage and discipline, domination and submission, and sadism and
masochism.
Though the club itself is private, Avatar Los Angeles and its member are very active in representing leather and BDSM culture
to the public. They participate in pride parades across Southern California, including Christopher Street West Pride Parade
in Los Angeles, Long Beach Pride, and Orange County Pride. They also participate in Los Angeles Leather Pride weekends and
similar events.
New members are nominated by existing members and approved at member meetings. Members must participate regularly in club
activities as well as the social aspects of the group. In recent years, the club has made a concerted effort to expand the
diversity of its membership, aiming for a club that "more closely resembles our home-town and the evolving nature of our scene."
References:
https://www.avatarla.org/
http://www.leatherpedia.org/leather-culture/
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
Photographs and videos in the collection may not be duplicated or published. References to members of the club must be first
name and last initial only, no last names may be used. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must
be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian
Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright
holder, which must also be obtained.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Avatar Club Los Angeles acquired through a series of donations between 2011-2018.
[Box/folder #, or item name], Avatar Club Los Angeles Records, Coll2021-004, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries,
University of Southern California.
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the California State Library. Collection processed by
Beth McDonald, 2021.
The collection contains documents, educational materials, correspondence, membership records, photographs, videos, computer
disks, ephemera, and textiles related to the business, events, and members of the Avatar Club Los Angeles.
The collection is arranged in five series. Series 1: Records; Series 2: Educational Materials; Series 3: Photographs and Negatives;
Series 4: Media; Series 5: Realia and Textiles
Subjects and Indexing Terms
BDSM (Sexual behavior)
Fetishism (Sexual behavior)
Gay men -- California -- Los Angeles
Gay men -- Sexual behavior
Gay men -- Societies and clubs
Leather lifestyle
Sadomasochism
Sexual health