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, was desired. Since Dunkin Donuts was not conducive to such meetings, 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 before 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 events outside of our weekly meetings.
