Tony DeBlase and the Leather Pride Flag

Throughout his life Tony DeBlase contributed to the leather community in a variety of ways. He was born April 3^rd, 1942 in South Bend, Indiana(LAM Oral) and would come to use two aliases of Fledermaus and Richard W. Krousher(LAM Tribute). He used aliases for his fictional work which focused on leather and S and M. Of his many awards “the one DeBlase said he treasured most was the coveted Caligula Award from Chicago Hellfire Club for service to Inferno”(LAM Tribute). DeBlase joined the Chicago Hellfire Club shortly after its inception. “What's more, DeBlase was a major factor in the development of Inferno and in exporting the lessons learned and formulas tested there to other, less experienced SM clubs”(LAM Tribute).

In 1969 DeBlase who was a gay man got married and moved to Chicago. He describes the situation, “I got married in [19]69. The woman had been my secretary while I was museum directory. She had polio as a child and was confined to a wheel chair. Told her I was gay. I loved her very much. We had several good years together”(LAM Oral). He further elaborates,

“The most important thing was that I was writing my dissertation. I had been on an expedition or Iran with the Field Museum. All of my collections that I needed to work on dissertation were in the Field Museum. …And while I had seven job offers in '68, excuse me, '69, in 1970 there were no jobs to be had anywhere. So we went back to Oklahoma, where I did some teaching assistant and the college, while I finished up my dissertation”.

In 1982 he published a collection under his alias Fledermaus which according to LA&M have become “imitated classics of the genre”. He chose the name because of his work outside of leather and S&M. “Its a German word for bat. … Since I was doing my dissertation on bats, and the story was set in a German castle, it seemed like an appropriate name”(LAM Oral).

As time went on DeBlase continued to gain prominence in the community and was credited with his creation of publishing SM techniques. As described

“As the founding publisher of DungeonMaster magazine-49 issues from 1979 to 1994-DeBlase practically invented the field of SM technique publishing, preceded only by Larry Townsend's Leatherman's Handbook. Many of the articles from those DungeonMaster magazines, a major portion of them written by DeBlase himself, remain the best, most extensive or even the only published sources of the information they explain so carefully”(LAM Tribute).

By 1986 DeBlase had divorced and he and his male partner moved to San Francisco and bought the Drummer family of magazines(LAM Tribute). This move furthers his influence in the leather community and his career. And in 1987 he was awarded NLA's Man of the Year award in 1987(LAM Tribute).

In 1989 in Chicago he present a “proposed” idea for a pride flag for the leather community, which was widely adopted and which will be discussed in further detail later. He presented the flag at International Mr. Leather.

In 1990 he was presented with the Pantheon of Leather's Business Person of the Year Award. In 1993, as part of a project for the Leather Archives & Museum, he created the Leather History Time Line, which can still be found online today. Then in 1994 he received the Pantheon of Leather's Lifetime Achievement award and then the Forebear Award in 1997(LAM Tribute).

Another love of DeBlase’s, beyond the scope in which he is normally recognized, was cooking. He was “A renowned gourmet cook, DeBlase was active in various cooking and dining organizations, and felt it was a great honor in 1999 to be permitted to cook for the International Association of Culinary Professionals at his home in Oregon”(LAM Tribute). This is interesting to present as it is easy to forget that the leather and S&M that DeBlase so firmly supported were only one aspect of his personality. And that he can be remembered and defined in way different ways.

DeBlase passed away on July 21, 2000 as a result of liver failure and extended illness(LAM Tribute). A moving quote about his death and more importantly his life is as follows,

“DeBlase the teacher and leather leader, the editor and editorialist, the writer and publisher; Fledermaus the story teller; and Dr. DeBlase the brilliant gourmet cook, scientist and textbook writer will all be long and fondly remembered, but it is Tony, the loyal friend and constant counselor of so many leathermen and leatherwomen who will be most profoundly missed by the hundreds or thousands who had come to depend on him for advice, instruction and comfort”

This quote demonstrates how he will be remember by the community and summarizes his many accomplishments. He lived a life that was full of participation and encouragement.

Tony DeBlase’s most memorable and unique contribution to the leather community was in the form of a leather pride flag. Which he presented on 1989, May 28 to the public for the first time(LAM Timeline). “The original prototype flag is now on display at the Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago”(Indopedia). While the Flag remains under copyright for commercial use, DeBlase openly invited people to put their own spin on the flag. “we welcome members of the Leather/SM community to use the design for flags, banners, pins, T-shirts, printed material, etc. to be distributed free or sold at cost, or to be used for fund raising for not-for - profit causes that benefit leather men and women. No permission is required for these uses”(LAM Pride). This is simiar to the way in which open source or shareware software works, where the creation is initially done by one person but everyone is capable of expanding and reinterpreting it. It is for these reasons the pride flag has come to be an inclusive symbol for the community. “The Leather Pride Flag is a symbol for the leather community, which encompasses those who are into leather, Levi’s, sado-masochism, bondage and domination, uniform, cowboys, rubber, and other fetishes”(CRWFlags). And as importantly “Although the flag is often common in the gay community, it is not a "gay-only" symbol and represents the entire leather community”(Indopedia). The openness of this banner keeps people from being excluded by the flag. Instead they have chosen to make many versions of it.

After the flag was introduced and accepted the first adaptations of it appeared in 1989. The first adaptation DeBlase saw was of a leather pride ornament. He described it as “clear glass balls to which someone had applied strips of cloth in the flags' colors around the diameter of the ornament, and added a tiny red heart on one side”(LAM Pride). Another of the first adaptations was of “a huge flag composed of appropriately colored bandannas filling the window of a leather shop in San Francisco during Leather Pride week”(LAM Pride).

In 1990 there was an Australian version of the flag. This flag featured the original design of the leather pride flag superimposed with a constellation. “Laurie Lane of Leatherworld in Melbourne Australia applied the southern cross constellation from the Australian flag to the Leather Pride flag to create a uniquely Australian version. And in 1991 the Melbourne Leathermen became the first organization to incorporate the leather pride flag design elements into their club colors”(LAM Pride). And in 1991 the International Mr. Leather sash was composed of the flag. Another 1991 version of the flag was a uniquely Toronto version. This version featured “huge Leather Pride Flag with a row of red maple leaves running through the white stripe”(LAM Pride). Later, on June 6^th, 1995 Craig Byrnes came up with a design for the “International Bear Brotherhood Flag” based on Tony DeBlase’s leather pride flag. This design featured “seven fur-colored stripes and a paw-print in the upper left”(LAM Timeline). These versions of the flag demonstrate that while it is a symbol of leather unity it can also be used to express uniqueness within the community. Each of these designs is still recognizable for their likeness to the original but they have been modified to create an individual perspective. In this way an individual or individual group can celebrate both their distinctiveness and their solidarity with the leather community.

The flag was originally created by DeBlase because wanted a symbol for the community. He did not want to distract from the flag itself by trying to draw out the process of creating it. Instead he created that he thought was a prototype and revealed it. The flag was initially surrounded by mild controversy because of how he went about creating and unveiling it. DeBlase explained his process as such,

“For the 20th anniversary of Stonewall I felt that the time was right for the Leather men and women who have been participating in these same parades and events more and more visibly in recent years, to have a similar simple, elegant banner that would serve as a symbol of their own identity and interests. I decided that calling a committee meeting to design it would be counterproductive, so I just did it. I consulted with most of the staff here at Drummer and some of their suggestions were incorporated. I do not expect this design to be the final form, but the basis from which a widely accepted banner will evolve”(LAM Pride).

By creating the flag independently he sought to avoid the controversy that he accidentally sparked. He designed the flag himself in order for it to be accepted by the community as a whole however initially some groups did not take kindly to the flag because they felt that it should have been created by consensus rather than revealed by an individual. DeBlase explains the reaction and his reasoning as “Initial reaction to the Leather Pride flag was mixed. Some, particularly on the east coast, reacted positively to the concept, but were quite concerned, some even offended, that I had not involved the community in helping to create the design. I emphatically did not want to have a design competition, in which each and every losing entry, and all of his/her friends, would oppose the winning entry. Nor did I want to have a design committee”(LAM Pride). Eventually however the design was accepted by the community as a whole as dissenters slowly stopped vocalizing their feelings and time passed.

While the Flag has become a prominent symbol DeBlase has never explained the symbolism behind the design. DeBlase states “I remain glad that I never have explained my reasons for the design elements. As I said in my original presentation "I will leave it to the viewer to interpret the colors and symbols”(LAM Pride). This has forced viewers to interpret the symbolism and theme for themselves which allows the flag to hold specific meaning for each individual. Throughout his life Tony DeBlase has made many contributions to the community but the one is most remembered for is undoubtedly the leather pride flag, which today is a symbol of solidarity within the community. Its alternate versions have allowed different groups to reinterpret the flag in their own way which allows them to express their distinctiveness while still uniting with the community as a whole.

Works Cited:

http://www.leatherarchives.org/collections/oral/tony.htm - LAM Oral

http://www.leatherarchives.org/exhibits/deblase/tony.htm - LAM Tribute

http://www.leatherarchives.org/exhibits/deblase/pride.htm - LAM Pride

http://www.leatherarchives.org/exhibits/deblase/timeline2.htm#1989 – LAM Timeline

http://www.indopedia.org/Leather_Pride_Flag.html - Indopedia

http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/qq-lpf.html - CRWFlags