Tricking the Fuzz
From the late 1940s until the early 1960s, erotic communities whose activities did not fit the postwar American Dream drew intense persecution."
-Gayle Rubin, Thinking Sex, 1992
The popular image of a motorcycle club is that of an outlaw, and this image doesn't change when the club is made of gay men. In fact, the combination brought more police scrutiny. In Original Pride, one member of the Satyrs recalls, "The Satyrs started as a secret organization, [at meetings] minutes would be taken but no names would be used...in case the records got taken by the police. It was a Gestapo-state mentality," and this was for good reason, as bar raids were not uncommon, and even now, gossip suggests that the LAPD has set up a post from one of the few remaining leather bars designed to catch drunk drivers--though the methods of policing queer spaces have changed, the fact of them has not.
Motorcycle clubs are not known for their friendly relationship with the police, and police raids at gay bars a common practice of the LAPD, the joint identity of "gay motorcyclist" put them under increased scrutiny.
-Link off to Drummer article?
-If 1970 Pride Parade is involved, link to it
-better picture, possibly a ToF
Happy Trail: Fuck the Police
This page has paths:
- Introduction H. N. Lukes