Fresh Cut
“I have an older gay brother that lives in London, I used to visit him often from Ireland and I would get to meet a lot of very eclectic and interesting members of the queer community there through him. One couple I met in London in particular shaped my interest and immersion into what being a skinhead really meant – Sal and Mat. Sal was a bisexual skinhead woman and Mat was a bisexual skinhead man and a couple that were very much fringe and punk but also dynamic and very sexual, and dare I say really really unapologetically in your face. When I met them first as a very naïve 17-year-old they scared me but also really intrigued me and in ways I wasn’t fully aware attracted to – Mat in particular. They could clearly see on my visits to London that I really liked them and connected with them, and even though I was at that point unsure of my own sexuality they were very free to engage and guide me as I learned more about being a skinhead and what it really meant to be an outlier on society, but one that stands up for the underdog. They put me in my first docs, bleachers, check shirt and bomber jacket and brought me out clubbing. To a young and pretty innocent Irish man, it was very liberating and empowering. I remember how the first time I put on my first bomber jacket and docs how much of a hard on I had, which Sal and Mat noticed immediately. That couple saw in me someone who could flourish if given the right encouragement and opportunities. I learned so much from them and while I never had a sexual relationship with them, there was a sexual connection, but I think I was way too young for them at the time.
As I moved into my twenties in Dublin and fully realized my own sexuality, I began to connect with some other gay skinheads here too and having older members of our queer community teach me about our queer culture as well as what being a skinhead really means allowed me to really grow into it and become confident in myself to be able to wear my docs, my bleachers and my bomber jackets with pride, be visible, be a presence on the scene and take no bullshit from anyone. It’s very liberating. And even though I am probably an inherently shy individual, as soon as I am in my skin gear, I feel strong and confident…. And yes dominant too (ha ha more on that later I am sure!). I also met my husband while in skingear and he was attracted to it majorly so that was the best bonus.”
Skinheads vs Boneheads.
“You cannot begin to imagine my level of disgust and revulsion when I think how skinhead culture has been bastardised and perverted by white supremacist racists and homophobes. When I first began my skinhead journey I wasn’t really aware of the white supremacist and racist skinheads, I suppose because I was linked with the true skinheads that are diverse and accepting, working class and liberal, I was in somewhat of a bubble that was disconnected especially with what was emerging in the US. But as I moved into my twenties and became more aware of societal problems both nationally and internationally, the nature of those racist and white supremacist skinheads I soon learned about. To me, and to true skinheads, gay or straight, that honour the origins of the subculture, being white supremacist, racist and homophobe go completely against what being a skinhead really means. Skinhead culture began to emerge in working class mixed diverse communities in south London in the late sixties as a counterculture to conservatism. The mixed communities of working-class white British, Afro-Caribbean and east African and Asian immigrants in the likes of Brixton, and in particular the Jamaican immigrant community, came together to form skinhead culture as a collaborative counterpoint to increasing conservatism while also deteriorating standards of living and high unemployment. The origins of ska music which is a central component of punk and skinhead culture have their roots in the Windrush generation coming from the Caribbean to Britain in the fifties and early sixties. Skinhead culture was also a counterbalance to the hippie movement – not that there was any animosity to hippies, it was just a different form of anti-conservatism.
One of my greatest pleasures is when I see men of color in skinhead gear, reclaiming it from the racist twats. I love making bleachers and gifting them to my own POC gay male friends as it’s my way of passing on the culture while also helping them understand how it was taken away by the racists and homophobes who would have us regress as a society by sixty years.”
Wot’s He Like?
“When I travel to the US and attend events there and I wear my skinhead gear, mostly I either get positive or curious reactions from our community. I often have to spend time with older members of the community explaining the origins of it and how it actually aligns well within our queer community. Obviously, there is a fetish element to it as well and some people fetishise skinhead culture and admire it and want to play with skinheads but then don’t become part of it. That’s fine to me, I don’t get offended and neither do I feel objectified. However, if someone has an impression that I am racist and will only play with white cis gay men of a certain type, I soon relay that is definitely not the case and they need to strip away whatever assumptions they have about being a gay skinhead. I think one of my favorite moments destroying that little assumption was actually the two of us (Ed: Con & Darkqwolf) together standing outside the front of the Congress Hotel at IML 2019, both of us in skinhead gear and very clearly putting on a show for the crowd.
One of the horniest moments was when I actually had my head shaved fully, clippered and wet shaved, when I was 22. It was a transformative moment and very sexual and very very horny. I was fortunate to have an older skinhead playmate who wanted me to incorporate my love of bondage with becoming a full skinhead. Well he handcuffed me and legcuffed me to a chair in full skinhead gear, duct tape gagged me, gave me poppers and force-shaved my head. The whole scene lasted only about an hour but at the end of it I was completely shaved and while I was technically in a sub role in the scene I felt incredibly dominant and confident and turned on by the whole process. Suffice it to say the next few hours of play were intense. I have actually replicated that scene a number of times as the top.
Outside of the scene, it can be interesting getting public transport when in my gear, now I wear my docs and bomber jacket practically every day to and from work, but I only wear my bleachers when heading out for a meet with friends or a drink or a fetish night. The looks I get can be quite amusing, ranging from fear to actual anger. However, I don’t go looking for a fight so generally people stay away from me. Ha if only they knew I am quite a shy and introverted guy most of the time.”
Leather’s A Skin
“When I talk about what the ethos of a skinhead is, my fundamental point is that you are there to stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves. That being a skinhead is about standing up to oppression and allowing everyone in society to live and be free to be themselves. I am not out to turn everyone into a skinhead, I am there to enable people to be their truest selves, almost like I am a guard dog for our queer community. In particular, I am very protective of our trans and non-binary community and really do my best to support them and protest with them whenever I can. And when we think back through our collective past and how the leather community evolved, it is very much aligned. It was very much an easy transition for me to incorporate being a leatherman into my existence because the ethos is very similar. I often state that I am a skinhead leatherman. I do not believe they are mutually exclusive but actually just two facets of the same jewel – right rough diamonds, but diamonds, nonetheless.
I understand the stigma which unfortunately has arisen because white supremacists bastardised the skinhead subculture. But we also see racism and misogyny / misogynoir in our own queer community, which really really gets my back up. Seeing gay guys with racists tattoos or fetishizing nazi paraphernalia, absolutely disgusts me and is an anathema to my ethos as a gay skinhead leatherman.”
Wankers and Cunts
“As I mentioned earlier, I often must explain skinhead culture, which is absolutely fine and mostly a good experience when people understand the origins. I am sure most will be surprised it originated with Jamaican immigrants in Brixton London in the sixties, but that’s the reality of it. I have had many bad reactions, but mostly through disapproving glares or some thrown out insults. However, the worst experience I had was believe it or not in my Irish small town, which you’ve visited with me. Once in my late thirties I was in my gear walking down the main street as I had done many many times over the years with never a bother, when some random what I can only call out-of-town scumbag starts shouting at me that I was racist and homophobe and had no place in the town. Now I was walking amongst some very outwardly queer friends, so it really didn’t make sense. Usually, I would give the middle finger, say fuck you and walk on, but this time I grabbed one of my queer mates and shouted “If I am so homophobic why would I do this ya twat” Then snogged the face off my mate in the middle of the street while my queer mates clapped and whistled, so did many passersby. The little scumbag soon ran away when I turned to face him with a very angry demeanor.”
Proper Skin vs Poser Twat
“Ok ok so this can really really rile up some skinheads, when people wear the gear without understanding the culture at all. Me, I mostly let them away with it. But I will often press them to understand that co-opting a skinhead’s attire just to make yourself look more interesting or appeal sexually is not a good thing. For some I understand maybe it’s their first foray into skinhead culture and they want to learn more or be accepted and that to me is to be encouraged. But I do remember one time, coincidentally at IML, when I had someone who was very clearly a circuit queen approach me in front of friends and asked to buy my bleachers from me because he thought they would look great on him. When I declined and he asked me where I got them and I said I made them myself, he asked me to make him a pair and he’d pay, again I declined and said I only make them for friends / brothers / sisters within our community. His response was I should be making them as a business. At that point I just said to him he clearly had no understanding of what skinhead culture was, nor did he want to, so move along. If I recall correctly, he called me a European snob at that point and walked away. Still find it amusing years later.”
Love The Skin You’re In
“I think the confidence it instills in me, the attitude it has given me, and obviously a lot of great kinky sex over the years. I have met so many people across the queer / fetish community over the last two decades because of me being fundamentally a skinhead right from the start of my queer journey. Being a leatherman came in my early thirties and it added new dimensions to my journey. I am lucky to be blessed with a husband and boys and many kinky playmates over the years all thanks to that first day I met Sal and Mat when I was 17 and it sparked something in me.
Honestly, we don’t bite and not all of us are into ska music ha ha. But do please leave your assumptions aside and learn about the true origins of what being a skinhead is, because if you do, you’ll understand how it can have a very positive impact on our queer community.”
Author: As told to DRUMMER by Con aka Sir Con aka Bndgfckr (Recon)
Photo Credit: PIGtures: Author Self-Taken Image