This may have included Japanese rope bondage, a kind of BDSM involving ropes that followed the same lines of the harness. These leather bars got their start during World War II, when soldiers were sent over seas, and came back with a taste for the things they saw while they were there. Full leather could mean leather underwear, chaps, straps going all the way down, in a look that was meant to be both aggressive and progressive. Leather was so popular at one point that there were even leather bars and clubs with looks that went far beyond a simple harness. Leather has always been part of the gay community, since bands of gay men broke off from the idea that gays were somehow naturally feminine, and chose leather as their emblem for a more manly, masculine look. It's not the most common look-button up shirts and khakis are still by far more prevalent, but you see them often enough that it's not uncommon. So why do some gay mean wear harnesses? And does it have a particular meaning when you see it?
Harnesses are a popular item you see adorning many gays at pride festivals and parties.
