Proving leather elders can have fun, raconteur Peter Fiske is the
leatherman everyone wants to sit next to at supper. His memoir
shines when Peter meets iconic Drummer coverman Coulter Thomas,
and unpacks the comedy and tragedy of their beautiful love story.
Thank the godz, Peter lives it up to write it down!
- Dr. Jack Fritscher, founding San Francisco editor-in-chief of
Drummer, author of Profiles in Gay Courage: Leatherfolk, Arts, and Ideas
In this companion piece to My Leather Life: The Early Years, Peter Fiske
recalls the decades bookending the millennium. He remembers
the impact of AIDS; San Francisco's 15 Association lost half its
membership in a single year's time. From his adoration of IML
Coulter Thomas and his admiration of Alan Selby to his contempt for
the Reagan administration and his later re-invention as an activist
ally in the struggle for trans inclusion in men's leather, Peter's
passion and frisky personality emerge. Richly supplemented with
photographs, this one belongs on the bookshelf of every dungeon.
- Jordy Jones, Ph.D Author of The Mayor of Folsom Street: The Auto/
Biography of "Daddy" Alan Selby, aka Mr.S
A moving book by an inspiring man! This second volume of Peter
Fiske's My Leather Life is full of exciting adventures, committed
activism in the face of both injustice and heartbreaking loss, the
joys of deeply connected BDSM and community camaraderie, and
profound love. Fans of leather history will be especially captivated
by Peter's lively tales of The 15 Association and his passionate
narration of the struggles to reshape gay male leather as welcoming
for men who are trans.
- Jacob Hale, Professor of Philosophy, California State University
Northridge
When one thinks of leathermen, thoughts often immediately turn
to cowhide and kink. With the second part of My Leather Life, author
Peter Fiske opens up a portal to the lesser discussed aspects of the
men who wear the black: hearts and spirituality. Peter brings forth
his time with the love of his life, Coulter Thomas, even though it's in
the dark time of AIDS in San Francisco. And later in the book, Peter
finds himself making a spiritual connection that he uses to inform
his life, from his political activism to his advocacy for transgender
rights. It's the continuing story of a life usefully lived by a man who
remains a living legend. Giants still walk the Earth, and with My
Leather Life: The Later Years, Peter Fiske lets us all know that you need
never slow down.
- Tim Brough, editor of Rubber Rebel and Vulcan America
