I finished Chapter 11, “Unknown Pleasures”, with it coming in at 8,600 words. It covers roughly 1970-1990, including the rise of aboveground kink organizations like TES, Society of Janus, GMSMA, and PEP, as well as the unfortunate decline of the gay male leather culture due to AIDS and other factors. The second half covers kink’s infection of/appropriation by mainstream culture, through music and fashion.
I don’t feel completely comfortable with saying it is finished, as there are some gaps, such as the history of the National Leather Association, or the glossy era of kink magazines and videos as produced by House of Milan and Harmony. I haven’t found credible sources on those yet.
The different themes of this chapter don’t mesh terribly well. The chronological approach I’ve been using my not be the best way to organize the material, and I am considering shifting to a thematic schema instead. Chapter 9, “Every Woman Adores A Fascist”, already breaks from the chronology and follows a theme throughout the 20th and earliest 21st century.
Next up is the impact of the Internet on kink culture in Chapter 12.
The other big announcement is that, thanks to a friend’s contact, I have been in preliminary talks with a publishing agent, who wanted to see my chapters and help me work up a better proposal.
