by Ambrosio. This was first published on Ambrosio's site and has a free to distribute license. Abrosio dedicated this article to Beverly M. in Austin.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6
• Part 7

In summary -- play nice. BDSM is about playing games, and in the best games everyone has fun.

Further Reading and Sources

This article is only meant to be a starting point. For further study here are books and links:

Further Reading Etiquette in General

• Etiquette by Emily Post: This is an online republication of the 1922 edition of Emily Post's 627-page first edition  Etiquette in Society, in Business, in Politics and at Home (

  The 1922 edition is the most highly recommended book for High Procotol.

  )
• U. S. Flag Protocol (Title 4)
• George Washington's "Rules of Civility and Decent Behaviour In Company and Conversation"
• Cardinal Newman On Being a Gentleman
• Passage from Jane Austen's  Northhanger Abbey

Further Reading on Etiquette and Protocol in a BDSM and Leather Context

• The Manners and Traditions Section of "Ambrosio's BDSM Site"
• "Etiquette for the Scene" by Rose
• " Civility and Incivility in the Scene" by Chris M 
• "A Proposed 'Pansexual Protocol'" by Ambrosio
• "To Share or Not to Share?" by Rowan Ste. Julian
• "Commandments: Ten Rules for Dominants / Ten Rules for Submissives" (from the SOJ)
• A Leather Bar Hanky Code
• For further reading, there is an etiquette guide for alternative sexuality and lifestyle situations including but not limited to BDSM: Campbell, Drew,  The Bride Wore Black Leather ... and he looked fabulous!    Greenery Press: Emeryville, 2000.

Links About the Old Guard

More on the "Old Guard"

• The Old Guard History, Origins and Traditions By Guy Baldwin, M.S. (from The Ties That Bind)
• Old Guard? If You say so. By Joseph W. Bean
• The Myth of the Old Guard By Jack Rinella from his  Leather Views site.
• Old Guard, New Guard By Gayle Rubin
• Multiple Tops: Master, Mistress and Daddy Makes Three By Master L.J.E. An Old Guard view of 'Net Generation polyamoury.
• Marginalia on the Old Guard, Leather Traditions, and BDSM History By Ambrosio
• Rover's column in the December 1973 issue of California Scene Magazine: Earliest documented use of the phrase "old guard" in a Leather context.
• "Old Guard" Links on the  Manners and Traditions page.

• Mistress Constance: A Lecture on Etiquette at the PEER TNG Tea Party. January 24, 2004
• Townsend, Larry.  The Leatherman's Handbook: The Silver Jubilee Edition (Masquerade Books: New York, 1997) Introductions by Jack Fritscher, Ph.D., Victor Terry, and John Preston

Even More BDSM Etiquette, Scene Traditions, and Leather Protocol Links

• Please see  http://www.EvilMonk.org/A/manners.cfm

Polite Behavior for Vampyres

• "The Black Veil V.2: A Voluntary Code of Conduct for Vampyres/Vampires" by Michelle Belanger

Related Articles by Ambrosio

• "Meeting Someone Else into BDSM"
• "Some Notes on Safety for Meeting Online and Off"
• "An Open Letter to a Novice Domme"
• "Perverted Vocabulary: a Glossary of Terms Used in BDSM"
• "Some Notes on Netiquette and 'Net Basics"
• "Marginalia on the Old Guard, Leather Traditions, and BDSM History"
• "A Proposed 'Pansexual Protocol'"

Recommended Books

• Campbell, Drew and Donna Barr  The Bride Wore Black Leather ... And He Looked Fabulous!: An Etiquette Guide for the Rest of Us. ( Greenery Press: Emeryville, 2000.) This book includes some information on Leather protocol but that is not its main focus. It covers a wide spectrum of alternative lifestyles including but not limited to Pagan, Wiccan, Gay, Lesbian, Transgendered, and Polyamorous.  Buy it on Amazon.com
• Post, Emily.  Etiquette: The Blue Book of Social Usage (

  The 1922 edition is the most highly recommended book for High Procotol.

   It's available on-line at  http://www.EvilMonk.org/A/epost.cfm)
• Schwartz, Oretha D.,  Service Etiquette 4th edition. The definitive book on U.S. military protocol and etiquette.  Buy it on Amazon.com
• Townsend, Larry  The Leatherman's Handbook: Silver Jubilee Edition. (Larry Townsend Publishing: 2000) Both a historical document about the Gay Leather scene in the 1970s and also a useful guide to the leather lifestyle.  Buy it on Amazon.com