Chapter 7 Summary and Analysis

The Hell's Angels often wear leather, but more usually wear denim. The leather-clad look of motorcyclists is entirely practical—leather is durable in a road accident and exposed skin shreds easily on asphalt. The leather-wearing motorcycle outlaw is often confabulated in the public mind, and particularly in the San Francisco area, with the homosexual leather-clad, so-called biker scene. Homosexual bars often feature motorcycle themes and bar patrons dress the part in pristine leathers. Actual motorcycles, though, are rare or non-existent. The public and the media often view these two social phenomena as two sides of a coin. It is common to hear psychology experts discussing the repressed homosexuality or sadomasochism of Hell's Angels. This confusion is simply invalid. It is not true and completely irrelevant. Although a motorcycle is an obviously sexual symbol, the Hell's Angels are no more homosexual...