Larry Townsend (27 October 1930 – 29 July 2008) was the American author of dozens of books including ''Run, Little Leather Boy'' (1970) and ''The Leatherman's Handbook'' (1972), published by pioneer erotic presses such as Greenleaf Classics and the Other Traveler imprint of

Olympia Press Olympia Press was a Paris-based publisher, launched in 1953 by Maurice Girodias as a rebranded version of the Obelisk Press he inherited from his father Jack Kahane. It published a mix of erotic fiction and avant-garde literary fiction, and is b ...

. ''Leatherman's Handbook'', with illustrations by

Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

, was among the first books to popularize

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

among the general public.

Biography

Born Michael Lawrence Townsend, he grew up as a teenager in Los Angeles, where his neighbors included Noël Coward,

Irene Dunne Irene Dunne (born Irene Marie Dunn; December 20, 1898 – September 4, 1990) was an American actress who appeared in films during the Golden Age of Hollywood. She is best known for her comedic roles, though she performed in films of other gen ...

, and

Laura Hope Crews Laura Hope Crews (December 12, 1879 – November 12, 1942) was an American actress who is best remembered today for her later work as a character actress in motion pictures of the 1930s. Her best-known film role was Aunt Pittypat in ''Gone ...

. He attended the Peddie School and was stationed as Staff Sergeant in charge of NCOIC Operations of Air Intelligence Squadrons from 1950 through 1954 with the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...

in Germany. Completing his tour of duty, he entered into the small, underground LA leather scene where he and

Montgomery Clift Edward Montgomery Clift (; October 17, 1920 – July 23, 1966) was an American actor. A four-time Academy Award nominee, he was known for his portrayal of "moody, sensitive young men", according to ''The New York Times''. He is best remembered ...

shared a lover. With his degree in

industrial psychology Industrial and organizational psychology (I-O psychology), an applied discipline within psychology, is the science of human behavior in the workplace. Depending on the country or region of the world, I-O psychology is also known as occupational ...

from UCLA (1957), he worked in the private sector and as a probation officer with the Forestry Service. He began his pioneering activism in the politics of

homophile Terms used to describe homosexuality have gone through many changes since the emergence of the first terms in the mid-19th century. In English, some terms in widespread use have been sodomite, Achillean, Sapphic, Uranian, homophile, lesbian, g ...

liberation in the early 1960s. During this time he met Fred Yerkes (August 27, 1935 - July 8, 2006), who would become his companion of 43 years. In 1972, as president of the '

Homophile Terms used to describe homosexuality have gone through many changes since the emergence of the first terms in the mid-19th century. In English, some terms in widespread use have been sodomite, Achillean, Sapphic, Uranian, homophile, lesbian, g ...

Effort for Legal Protection' which had been founded in 1969 to defend gays during and after arrests, he led a group in founding the H.E.L.P. Newsletter, the forebear of '' Drummer Magazine'' (1975). He lived in the Silver Lake neighborhood of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, the center of the Los Angeles leather scene (the equivalent of the

SoMa Soma may refer to: Businesses and brands * SOMA (architects), a New York–based firm of architects * Soma (company), a company that designs eco-friendly water filtration systems * SOMA Fabrications, a builder of bicycle frames and other bicycle ...

neighborhood in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

). As a writer and photographer, he was an essential eyewitness of the drama and salon around ''Drummer'', which often excerpted his novels. Townsend's signature "Leather Notebook" column appeared in ''Drummer'' for twelve years beginning in 1980, and continued in ''Honcho'' to 2008. His last novel
''TimeMasters''
was published April 2008. His last writing wa
''Who Lit up the Lit of the Golden Age of Drummer''
an introduction t

(June 2008).

Honors

In 1995 Townsend received the Steve Maidhof Award for National or International Work from the

National Leather Association International National Leather Association International (NLA-I) is a BDSM organization, based in the United States with chapters in various cities in the United States and Canada. It was founded in 1986 as the "National Leather Association" (NLA), as a nationa ...

. In 2002 Townsend received the Forebear Award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards. In 2016 Townsend was inducted into the Leather Hall of Fame.

References

External links

Spill a Drop for Lost Brothers: Larry Townsend, author, ''The Leatherman's Handbook''
by

Jack Fritscher John Joseph "Jack" Fritscher (born June 20, 1939) is an American author, university professor, historian, and social activist known internationally for his fiction, erotica and non-fiction analyses of popular culture and gay male culture. A pre- ...

. (This article won the 2009

’s Cynthia Slater Non-Fiction Article Award)
Who Lit up the "Lit" of the Golden Age of ''Drummer''

Leather ''Dolce Vita'', Pop Culture, & the Prime of Mr. Larry Townsend

''Los Angeles Times'' obituary

Larry Townsend Collection (MS 1975).
Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Townsend, Larry 1930 births 2008 deaths BDSM writers American gay writers Leather subculture LGBT people from California Peddie School alumni 20th-century LGBT people