Some leather SM films and Lyrics

Cruising. Directed by William Friedkin. Performed by Al Pacino. Lorimar, 1980. [G]

The plot of the film, about murders in gay nightclubs, caused many to protest the release of the film. In fact, organized protests by gay groups were planned for the date of the release of the film. The public largely ignored the protests.
Continuity: Steve Burns is in a patrol car with his fellow detectives and points out a suspect. He tells them that the man's name is Skip, but does not know his surname. But in the previous scene the barman tells Burns the suspect's name is Skip Lea

Steve Burns is in a patrol car with his fellow detectives and points out a suspect. He tells them that the man's name is Skip, but does not know his surname. But in the previous scene the barman tells Burns the suspect's name is Skip Lea.

Hiatt, John. "Spy Boy." In Cruising (soundtrack). Lorimar, 1980. [no orientation mentioned]

Lehrer, Tom. "The Masochism Tango." An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer. Warner Brothers, 1959. [no orientation mentioned]

Midler, Bette. "My Knight in Black Leather." Thighs and Whispers. Atlantic, 1979. [no orientation mentioned]

Perversion for Profit. Produced by Charles Keating. Sponsored by Citizens for Decent Literature, Inc. Narrated by George Putnam. 1965. Film about the dangers of pornography, which the narrator says encourages homosexuality, lesbianism, sadism, and masochism. In the middle portion of the film, examples are shown of male physique magazines – where early gay leather art was published – as well as gay and heterosexual SM drawings and photographs. [G and H, with brief references to L]

Bathhouses

Gay men have always been sexually promiscuous and in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the United States.

In other states even in California, homosexual acts were illegal and considered as "crimes against nature."  As a result, men who were caught engaging in sexual acts with each other were subject to arrest and public humiliation. 

In an effort to evade arrest, gay men resorted to finding those little-known "cruise spots" around town where they could meet for sex and not get caught.  These meeting places expanded as the rapidly growing cities of the 20th century created more and more public places where men could be anonymous and intimate with each other.

These places included public parks, alleys, YMCA facilities, public restrooms, train depots, balconies of silent movie theaters, cheap hotel rooms, and bathhouses.  Historical records from the ealy 1900's tell the story of how some bathhouse owners tried to prevent their venues from becoming popular homosexual rendezvous by calling the police or hiring private guards.  On the other hand, there were some bathhouse ownerwho enjoyed the increased profits earned from the patronage of gay men, so they allowed men to engage in homosexual activities as long as they were carried out discreetly.  In fact, one particular 1933 account pointed to the "fat tips" a bathhouse manager could receive from the "patronage of pansies provided their actions do not result in police proceedings.

In the 1970's many bathhouses installed "fantasy environments," which recreated erotic situations that were illegal and dangerous outside the confines of the baths. Orgy rooms at the tubs encouraged group sex, while glory holes recreated the toilets, and mazes took the place of bushes and undergrowth. Steam rooms and gyms were reminiscent of the cruisy YMCAs, while video rooms recreated the balconies and back rows of movie theaters. 

Many bathhouses often took on fantasy rooms. Everything from a full-size model of a Everlast truck where visitors could have sex in the cab or in the rear which served as an orgy room. Even if one preferred prison sex, some offered a fantasy environment featuring a fake prison cell made of rubber bars. 

The list of meeting places included public parks, alleys, YMCA facilities, public restrooms, train depots, balconies of silent movie theaters, cheap hotel rooms, and bathhouses.  Historical records from the early 1900's tell the story of how some bathhouse owners tried to prevent their venues from becoming popular homosexual rendezvous by calling the police or hiring private guards.  On the other hand, there were some bathhouse owners who enjoyed the increased profits earned from the patronage of gay men, so they allowed men to engage in homosexual activities as long as they were carried out discreetly.  In fact, one particular 1933 account pointed to the "fat tips" a bathhouse manager could receive from the "patronage of pansies provided their actions do not result in police proceedings."

Even today, there are bathhouses everywhere. Advertisings for such, can be found in gay magazines around the world and are completely legal. While, sexual conduct can result in incarceration, the stigma is much less than what it was in the past. Some, of the most famous are found in bigger cities like Columbus, OH and such.