Samois was a groundbreaking lesbian BDSM organization founded in San Francisco in 1978, widely recognized as the first openly lesbian S/M group in the United States—and among the earliest of its kind anywhere. Its emergence marked a decisive moment in the articulation of lesbian sexual autonomy, consent-based power exchange, and the right to self-definition within feminist and queer communities.

Origins and Context

Samois arose during a period of intense ideological conflict within feminism, often referred to as the “sex wars.” While many feminist circles of the 1970s rejected BDSM as inherently patriarchal or abusive, a growing number of lesbians—particularly butch/femme-identified women—argued that consensual power exchange could be ethical, liberatory, and deeply affirming.

The group was named after Story of O author Pauline Réage’s fictional setting Roissy/Samois, reclaiming language that had often been used to marginalize women who expressed erotic power, submission, or authority.

Leadership and Influential Figures

Among Samois’s most influential members was Gayle Rubin, later renowned as a cultural anthropologist and theorist of sexuality. Rubin’s involvement helped situate Samois not merely as a social group, but as an intellectual and political intervention into how sexuality, consent, and power were discussed in academia and activism.

Other members included activists, writers, and community organizers who would go on to shape lesbian and queer discourse for decades.

Education, Safety, and Visibility

Samois was notable for its explicit emphasis on consent, communication, and safety—principles that would later become foundational across BDSM communities more broadly. The group:

• Hosted discussion groups and skill-sharing workshops
• Created peer-education structures rooted in mutual accountability
• Advocated publicly for lesbian sexual self-determination

In 1981, Samois published the influential booklet What Color Is Your Handkerchief?, a practical guide explaining BDSM interests, symbols, and communication practices. This text became one of the earliest educational BDSM publications written by and for lesbians, and it circulated widely beyond the group itself.

Cultural and Historical Significance

Samois challenged multiple boundaries at once:

• Within feminism, by asserting that BDSM and feminism were not inherently opposed
• Within queer communities, by insisting that lesbian sexuality could include structured power exchange
• Within emerging BDSM cultures, by centering women’s voices, ethics, and lived experience

Though the group formally dissolved in the early 1980s, its influence persisted—laying groundwork for later organizations, safer-sex frameworks, and consent-based models that now define ethical kink practice.

Legacy

Today, Samois is recognized as a foundational ancestor in:

• Lesbian BDSM visibility
• Consent-centered erotic ethics
• The legitimization of kink as a subject of serious feminist and scholarly inquiry

Their work helped ensure that future generations could speak openly about desire, power, and responsibility—without apology and without erasure.

In the lineage of Leather, Samois stands as proof that stewardship, consent, and courage were not the sole province of men’s clubs or postwar bar culture—but were also fiercely claimed, taught, and defended by lesbians who refused to be silent.