Avatar Club Los Angeles is a members-only club for gay men dedicated to "providing information and education about safe, sane, and consensual bondage, discipline, kinky and sadomasochistic (BDSM) sex between adults." Founded in 1983, Avatar is the oldest gay leather club in Los Angeles and holds regular meetings, educational demonstrations, and public programming. Avatar Club Los Angeles is one of the most well-known clubs for members of the leather and BDSM communities.

Leather culture in Los Angeles dates back to the 1950s and is thought to have its roots in the biker culture that emerged in Los Angeles after WWII. Leather culture is defined by practices and styles of dress organized around activities, sometimes sexual in nature, that involve leather garments and accessories. Leather culture is most visible in gay communities and most often associated with gay men, but it is also reflected in various ways in lesbian, bisexual, and straight communities. The more specifically homoerotic aesthetics of men's leather culture drew on other sources as well, including military and police uniforms. This influence is particularly evident in the graphical illustrations of leathermen found in the work of Tom of Finland.

Many people associate leather culture with BDSM practices. But some do not associate their leather lifestyle with BDSM, and simply enjoy the sensory experience of leather. BDSM is an umbrella term that refers to a spectrum of sexual behaviors and preferences that are grouped under the general headings of bondage and discipline, domination and submission, and sadism and masochism.

Though the club itself is private, Avatar Los Angeles and its member are very active in representing leather and BDSM culture to the public. They participate in pride parades across Southern California, including Christopher Street West Pride Parade in Los Angeles, Long Beach Pride, and Orange County Pride. They also participate in Los Angeles Leather Pride weekends and similar events.

New members are nominated by existing members and approved at member meetings. Members must participate regularly in club activities as well as the social aspects of the group. In recent years, the club has made a concerted effort to expand the diversity of its membership, aiming for a club that "more closely resembles our home-town and the evolving nature of our scene."

References: https://www.avatarla.org/ http://www.leatherpedia.org/leather-culture/