P R E S S R E L E A S E
Leather Hall of Fame 2021 Inductee List
December 20, 2020
The Leather Hall of Fame (“LHOF”) is pleased to announce the nominees selected for induction to the LHOF in 2021: Jack Jackson, SM Gays and Jack McGeorge.
 |
 |
 |
| Jack Jackson | SM Gays | Jack McGeorge |
Jack Jackson
Jack Jackson was the President of the Eulenspiegel Society (“TES”) from 1973 until his untimely death in 1983. Founded in 1971 by Pat Bond and Terry Kolb, TES was the first political-educational-social SM organization in the US and presumably in the world. Almost 50 years later, TES remains the most active and impressive organization of its kind, producing hundreds of small events every year. That vibrancy and legacy may have never occurred without the early day-to-day leadership and vision of Jack Jackson. Since Jackson’s death, TES has been led by a Board of Directors and other officers. He remains the first and only President in TES history.
Jackson was a professional photographer. His impact extended beyond his role at TES. He openly advocated for SM people long before most others, giving interviews to well-known magazines and inspirational lectures on college campuses. He assisted police investigations of crimes that might have an SM component. As a black man and the beloved leader of a mostly white organization and subculture, his legacy includes opening the door of the leather world to many people of color. His self-awareness and confidence allowed him to be a mentor and friend to almost everyone he encountered, thereby opening that same door to an entire generation of young adults.
SM Gays
Started in London in 1981, SM Gays is specifically dedicated to fostering safe BDSM practices among gay men. In putting the sexual act of SM in its name, the organization differentiated itself from the designations of looks (leather) or cultural practices (motorcycles) and the misunderstandings they might occasion. Modeled after GMSMA (founded in New York the same year) SM Gays’ focus is social, educational and political activity, similar to predecessor groups Eulenspiegel, Janus, and Samois.
In addition to conducting innumerable demos and classes, SM Gays published two booklets in response to the HIV epidemic. In the 1990’s, when the police Spanner Operation arrested and prosecuted sixteen gay men for consensual BDSM in the privacy of their homes, SM Gays provided the critical infrastructure that started Countdown on Spanner, which organized and financed the defense of the men arrested. Now approaching their 40th anniversary, SM Gays is still thriving, hosting monthly educational and social events in and around London.
Jack McGeorge
A community leader of extraordinary productivity, Jack McGeorge was a founding member of Black Rose in DC, and served as its President, Board Chair, Secretary and Co-Chair of Black Rose 10, the annual event. He held leadership positions in five other important and varied community organizations: Master slave Conference, Leather Leadership Conference, Community-Academic Consortium for Research on Alternative Sexualities, National Coalition for Sexual Freedom and Delta International, and was an active member of Eulenspiegel and GMSMA. He was a bondage and M/S enthusiast, and founded a household called the Order for Discipline and Service. A passionate teacher, between 1993 and 2006, McGeorge gave 342 presentations covering 80 topics for 56 organizations and 69 events.
A Marine, Secret Service munitions countermeasures specialist, and international security consultant, McGeorge was a member of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) in Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion. His involvement in the BDSM subculture was reported on the front page of the Washington Post in a Thanksgiving 2002 article seeking to undermine the work of the UN Inspections Program, advancing the goals of the warmongering Bush administration. McGeorge offered his resignation, but the UN's Chief Weapons Inspector Dr. Hans Blix refused it, choosing to remain focused on the mission of weapons inspection. Ever a teacher, McGeorge later gave lectures on lessons he learned weathering the storm of public controversy.
Leather Hall of Fame
The inductees were announced on December 13th as part of Virtual CLAW 7 on Zoom, and included statements from Derek Cohen, Master Bryan and Dr. Gayle Rubin for SM Gays; Viola Johnson and Sir Guy de Brownsville for Jack Jackson; and Dr. Robert Bienvenu, Lolita Wolf, Justin Sabia-Tanis and Alex McGeorge for Jack McGeorge. This was the first time in the LHOF’s history that the son or daughter of an inductee spoke on behalf of their parent.
The 2021 LHOF Induction Ceremony is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, November 28, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. The ceremony will also include the pandemic-postponed 2020 inductions of Jim Ward, Pauline Rėage and MLC Munich.
The Leather Hall of Fame honors and preserves the legacy of the individuals and organizations that have significantly shaped the history of the leather/BDSM communities worldwide since 1950.