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Long Island Leather & Roses History
Before Long Island Leather N Roses existed, a small group of
people met to discuss BDSM-related topics and issues at Lady's Lori's Castle in
Farmingdale, New York. One person facilitated the group.
When the Castle closed in October of 1997, some of the members of the group
continued to meet on Monday nights at the Dunkin Donuts on RT 110 in
Farmingdale. There were about 7-10 of us that met weekly for coffee, donuts and
discussion. New members joined. The discussion at Dunkin Donuts was a loosely
organized and relaxed atmosphere. We called ourselves the "Long Island Leather
Munch" (LILM)
As we continued to meet, it became clear that a more structured meeting agenda,
including BDSM topics and possible demonstrations were desired. Since Dunkin
Donuts was not conducive to such items, we started to look for another location.
One of our members knew the owner of an establishment in Huntington who was
willing to host our group. Thus, we came to meet at Thunders. We gained new
members almost immediately after joining the Internet community. These new
members became a very important part of our group. They also helped with
introducing yet still more members to the group. It wasn't long that we were
filling the room. The Founders of this new group facilitated the weekly
discussions.
Time passed and we realized that we had become much more than a munch group. We
needed a more suitable name. We asked the members for their input, and it was
decided that our new name would be "Long Island Leather N Roses".
As we experienced the inevitable "growing pains", it became clear that if our
group was to survive and flourish, a more concrete structure was required. Due
to personal obligations, some of the original Founders were not able to
facilitate the meetings. New members were asked to help moderate LILNR. So the
new name of the facilitators became "The Coordinators".
Shortly thereafter, there were requests for membership cards. We held an open
contest for a logo. We received a number of different and creative ideas. The
members that were present at a previous meeting voted on the logo that we now
use. Although the logo has been modified, it continues to represent the original
piece.
Since then, LILNR has been involved in numerous discussions, demonstrations, and
social activities. Over time, a great many of our members have become true
friends and family, participating in many areas outside of our weekly meetings.