The Iconic BLUF man (Calling all Northwest Leather Uniform men!)

Muir cap. Leather uniform shirt. Sam Browne. Tie. Leather breeches or formal Leather trousers tucked neatly into a pair of knee length, high-shine boots. Gloves. Leather patrol or Leather uniform jacket. The clothing worn by men who hold Leather uniform as fetish, commonly referred to as BLUF men.

Recently on the Saturday night prior to the Folsom Street Fair, BLUF men gathered at The San Francisco Eagle. The patio riser provided a perfect gathering place. Considering the number of men who descended on the Eagle that night, we were in a small number, just a few of us wearing the recognizable items that identified each of us as a BLUF man.

When I came out decades ago, the BLUF look was iconic. The artist Tom of Finland had codified the look through his erotic images, along with Etienne and other Gay erotic artists of the seventies and eighties. Muscular men wearing breeches, caps, and big, black boots graced the pages of magazines, bar murals, and posters. Often the men would be shirtless, their black, Leather patrol jackets forced open by bulging pectorals and erect nipples. Punctuating the fetishistic nature of the artwork, the men always sported large crotch bulges, their cocks outlined by the tight Leather of their breeches.

Decades later, the icon of the BLUF man continues to evoke worship, in spite of the dwindling number of actual men who wear the clothing. Even though other fetishes have joined the broad "Leather" umbrella, the muscular man in his tight Leather uniform and boots reigns over the clubs, gatherings, and online publications. In spite of the fact that the numbers of BLUF men are few compared to other Leather fetish types, popularity both online and in clubs continues. After midnight at the San Francisco Eagle, as I waded through a sea of puppies and young harnessed men, I was inundated with requests. "Be my Daddy!" "SIR, take me home. I will be good!" "Fuck, you're hot!" And standing next to my handsome husband on the dias, also dressed in BLUF gear: "I need to tell you guys that you are REALLY hot!" Such accolades, even if primed by alcohol, betray the fact that Leather uniform is alive and well in the fetish lexicon of younger men.

I would like to encourage those BLUF men in Vancouver, British Columbia; Seattle, Washington; Western Canada; and the Northwest United States; to join with us on November 12th, 2016 as BLUF men. If the thought of putting on a pair of breeches, a Muir cap, and Leather boots makes you hard, then you are a BLUF man.

• On Saturday, November 12th at 2:00 PM, BLUF men will meet for a Boots and BLUF Brunch at The Dish, 1068 Davie St, Vancouver, BC. For more about this local favorite, see https://www.facebook.com/DishVancouver/. Full BLUF gear is not required.
• At 9:00 PM, we will meet for a BLUF Pubcrawl, beginning at The Pumpjack, 1167 Davie St, Vancouver, BC. BLUF Dress Code.
• In addition, on Friday, November 11, a Cards Against Humanity get together is planned at a private home for those participating.

If you would like to join other BLUF men in Vancouver, send me an e-mail at internationalleathersir2010@gmail.com. Or find these events on the BLUF calendar at: www.bluf.com.

In Leather!

SIR Hugh