PEOPLE. CULTURE. FREEDOM.
SINCE 1999.OUR HISTORY,
ALIVE.
A community that moves through time.
And keeps writing the future.
THE ORIGINS / ROME
It all begins
with a meeting.
“A community does not begin when someone writes the first minutes. It begins when a group decides it is worth recognising themselves in one another.”
By the late 1990s, Rome already has LGBTQ venues, campaigns and nightlife, but people into leather and fetish lack a recognisable home: more than a venue, a network that can create belonging and connect Rome with Europe.
On 20 January 1999 a group of friends founds Leather Club Roma. Internal sources identify Alfred, a German who moved to Rome, as its founder and first president. The first GeoCities presence appears that same year; in 2000, it is followed by lcroma.com. Since then, the history of the Club and its digital archive have developed together.
Rome finds its name
The first two years lay the foundations. In 2000, during World Gay Pride, LCR organises a major Leather Party at Qube: Rome discovers it can attract an Italian and international audience.
In 2001 the Club becomes a full member of the ECMC, following a provisional period documented by Gay.it. That same year, the Leather Pride Party joins the official Roma Pride programme at Circolo degli Artisti. Sphinx becomes a regular meeting point, and involvement in Mister Leather Italia grows.
Rome develops from a local group into a recognisable organisation: parties bring people together, Pride creates political visibility, and the ECMC connects the Club with a European heritage.
A recognisable identity
In 2002 the historic logo is created and Catacombs takes shape. The sources preserve two milestones: 2002 as the early experimental stage, and 2003 as the first structured leather meeting. The discrepancy records an experiment becoming a numbered recurring event.
Rome Fetish Night brings together a dancefloor, playroom, bootblacking, piercing, tattoos, merchandise and books. In 2003, the Club launches Mister Rubber Italia, linked from the outset with International Mr Rubber in Chicago.
In 2006 the statute is registered and the five-member board model takes shape.
LCR creates more than parties: it builds symbols, rituals, national representation and an association structure.
The Massimo era and a place in Europe
The board page captured by the Wayback Machine in 2010 lists Massimo Fusillo as president from October 2006, with Flavio as vice-president, Claudio Casale responsible for administration and biker activities, Paolo for the website and promotion, and Stefano for events. The current page dates the first board to 2005: the primary document has yet to be found.
In 2007 LCR organises the ECMC BikeRun in Abruzzo. Claudio Casale emerges as a link between leather culture, motorcycling, GAM and campaigns for recognition of couples.
In 2009 Rome hosts the ECMC AGM and Mister Leather Europe, with more than two hundred weekend participants according to LCR. EuroPride follows in 2011 with a stand, exhibition, events and parade float; in 2012 the second LCR BikeRun travels through Tuscany and Florence.
Rome moves from the margins to become a political and social centre of the European leather network.
Fabio Cioni and the transformation of the Club
THE MOTTO / FABIO CIONI’S BOARD · 2012—2018Different People.
Same Rights.
Different people, equal rights: during Fabio Cioni’s presidency, the motto expresses the connection between diverse identities, equal dignity and belonging to the same community.
Fabio Cioni leads the Club for two terms, documented between 2012 and 2018. The task is no longer to prove that Rome can have a leather club, but to transform it without losing its roots.
In 2013 Paolo and Roberto develop the idea of Fetish Pride Italy; the first edition follows in 2014 with Rubber Night, Mister Rubber, BLUF Party, Leather Night, Sneaker Party, cinema, photography, tours and brunch.
In 2016 lcroma.com moves to WordPress. Kinky Napoli begins in 2017: Neri, Mister Leather Italia 2016, becomes a central figure linking leather culture, local communities and association life.
The word “fetish” makes the home larger: rubber, puppy, skin, sneaker, BDSM and BLUF become part of one shared ecosystem.
David, Bunker and #StrongerTogether
On 13 January 2018 David Galoni becomes president, with Chris as vice-president, Marco as treasurer, and Neri and Fabio as board members. A few weeks later, a police inspection interrupts the Mister Rubber Italia event at Bunker; the contemporary QX report correctly dates the incident to February 2018.
The response is #StrongerTogether: the Mister Rubber and Mister Leather elections are rescheduled for the same weekend, and international solidarity becomes part of the community’s identity.
In 2019 Rome again hosts the ECMC AGM and Mister Leather Europe, ten years after 2009, at La Limonaia in Villa Torlonia.
A logistical crisis becomes an enduring idea of community: no part of it stands alone when it is affected.
The pause, Claudio, Neri and the return
The pandemic interrupts events, travel and rituals. LCR responds by revisiting its memories in an article marking twenty years of lcroma.com.
On 9 December 2020, Claudio Casale dies: an early member, treasurer, BikeRun organiser, GAM founder and activist. A scholarship in his memory is established in 2021, focusing on chosen families and networks of mutual support.
On 17 November 2021, Neri dies, having left the board in the spring. Kinky Napoli returns with a weekend dedicated to him. In 2022 Mister Leather Italia returns, alongside a renewed board: David, Alessandro, Marco, Simone and Chris.
Returning does not erase grief: meeting again also means keeping those who are no longer with us present.
Exploring new languages
In May 2023 the Dodo Awards celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Club’s mascot with seven categories, nominations from the European fetish community and online voting. The programme announced for 12–14 May includes dinner, a Welcome Party, the Main Night and brunch.
Dodo Awards 2023: nominees, photographs and programme
Multiverse Fetish Superhero Night debuts on 5 April 2024, conceived within LCR and developed with NerdLGBTQItalia. It welcomes all genders, does not require the traditional dress code, and brings together superhero, lycra, cosplay, leather, rubber, puppy and sneaker interests. Stefano Groggia plays a central driving role.
Within a few months, Multiverse grows from a single night into a Pride Edition and then a weekend. In 2024 the Club also celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary.
Emerging subcultures are not departures from classic leather: they become new rooms in the same home.
A new board, a broader reach
On 8 February, a new board is elected: Simone De Blasio as president, Stefano Groggia as vice-president, Giuseppe Bruno for communication and external relations, Antonello Martone as secretary, and Paolo Compagnucci as treasurer.
Kinky Palermo and Corpi di Carta are launched; the “Gear Up. Play Proud. Stand Out.” manifesto brings consent, self-determination and bodily freedom to the Pride Croisette. LCR also joins the Confederation of European Rubber Clubs.
THE NEW MOTTO / 2025GEAR UP.
PLAY PROUD.
STAND OUT.
Wearing your identity, living it proudly and making it visible: the new motto brings the freedom to be yourself into public space.
On 6 December, Leather Club Roma, Gear Club Portugal, Evidence Fétiche Nice and ILBS found the Southern European League of Fetish Clubs in Rome. Dodo Talks launches on 11 December: a living archive of conversations hosted by Gius and Stefano, with Antonello handling the technical production.
From late 2025 into 2026 the Club also develops themed pre-parties ahead of its main events. In December 2025 the BLUF Pre-Party joins the recent programme as a structured gathering devoted to the BLUF dress code — continuing a BLUF presence at LCR that was already established in earlier years.
LCR moves from joining networks founded elsewhere to co-founding an international Southern European organisation.
Culture enters public space
In 2026 Kinky Roma is launched. The idea is to turn a single Fetish Night into a broader experience: a weekend of encounters, socialising and belonging, following the model of Kinky Napoli and Kinky Palermo. The party remains part of the journey, while the format opens up to the city and offers more opportunities to experience community together.
Multiverse and Dodo Talks connect with the European superhero fetish scene. On 14 February LCR accompanies Pillion at Nuovo Cinema Aquila with a talk on representation, desire and identity.
Kinky Palermo and Kinky Napoli continue with local partners. Mister Leather Italia introduces community nominations, and Luciano wins the title, taking Italian representation abroad as well.
The Roma Pride 2026 political document dedicates a separate section to fetish and kinky identities, consent and depathologisation. On 7 July the Club says goodbye to Joy, Gennaro, Mister Rubber Italia 2017.
In autumn 2026 the same pre-party model extends to rubber with the Only Rubber Pre-Party, a dedicated gathering ahead of the main event.
After years of stands, parties and parade floats, LCR also brings a political voice to Pride that becomes part of its collective document.
The story of lcroma.com
From the first GeoCities pages in 1999 to today’s website: the design and tools change, but the desire to bring our community together remains.
2004The first pages
2008A new CSS design
2016WordPress arrives
2019Twenty years of the Club
2025The group against a black background
2026Today’s hero image
27 years of stories.One click to rediscover them.
The lcroma.com domain arrives in 2000. In 2008 Claudio Pisu redesigns the website using CSS; in 2016 it moves to WordPress. The 2020 redesign, the 2025 graphics and the work undertaken in 2026 mark new chapters for the Club, preserving photographs, guides and memories.
Explore the website’s historyImages and versions from 1999 to 2026
Behind the campaigns
The photoshoots that gave the Club a face: photographs, website images and advertising graphics collected in their archive.
Behind the roles
Alfred represents the pioneering phase; Massimo Fusillo the formal structure and European connections; Fabio Cioni the broader fetish community; David Galoni continuity through #StrongerTogether and the pandemic; and Simone De Blasio the development of networks, local communities and culture.
Alongside the presidents: Claudio for administration, BikeRun and GAM; Paolo and Roberto for Fetish Pride; Neri for Naples; Marco for financial continuity; Chris and Alessandro as vice-presidents; Stefano for Multiverse; and Giuseppe, Antonello and Paolo with their responsibilities on the 2025 board.
This history also belongs to those who wrote newsletters, managed the website, welcomed guests, prepared posters and held a group together through difficult times.
Official records alone cannot preserve a community: photographs, minutes, screenshots, posts and personal accounts are also needed.
ART, IMAGINATION, COMMUNITY
Culture is
part of our history.
Exhibitions, photography, cinema and literature: the projects and articles that tell the stories of our bodies, experiences and languages.
The people who
make history.
From the beginnings with Alfred to the current board: presidents, board line-ups, photographs, articles and interviews are collected on the Board page.
The family tree
of LCR formats.
A map of the Club’s families of activities. The connections show shared areas of interest, rather than a direct lineage between individual projects.
01Gatherings and community
- Rome Fetish Night2000s
- Catacombs2002/03
- Fetish Pride Italyidea in 2013 · launch in 2014
- Dodo Awards ↗2023 · nominations and photographs
- THE EVOLUTION OF THE ROME FORMATFetish NightKinky Roma2026 · from one night to a weekendFollowing the model of Kinky Napoli and Kinky Palermo
02Titles and representation
- Mr Leatherman Italiaco-organisation
- Mister Rubber Italia2003
03Local communities and new languages
- Kinky Napoli2017
- Multiverse2024 → Europe
- Kinky Palermo2025
04Culture and networks
- Corpi di Carta2025
- Dodo Talks2025
- SEL / European networks2025
DIGITAL MEMORY
The website grows
with the Club.
- 01
Our first home on GeoCities
- 02
lcroma.com is born
- 03
Claudio Pisu’s CSS redesign
- 04
The move to WordPress
- 05
The website evolves
LEATHER CLUB ROMA / SINCE 1999
One history.
Many paths.
The people, gatherings and ideas that helped the Club grow. A journey through the milestones of our history.
ROME · COMMUNITY · MEMORY
-
A community takes shape
Founded on 20 January; Alfred is the first president; GeoCities.
-
Rome meets the world
lcroma.com and the Leather Party at Qube for World Gay Pride.
-
The Club joins Europe
ECMC membership and the Leather Pride Party.
-
A recognisable identity
Historic logo; the Catacombs prototype; Rome Fetish Night.
Club identity · G. Manna -
Gatherings become tradition
Catacombs takes shape and the first Mister Rubber Italia is held.
-
A growing presence
A greater role in Mister Leather Italia and at Pride.
From the archive · Catacombs 2004 -
The foundations of the board
A five-member board; the statute; Massimo as president from October 2006.
-
The community takes to the road
ECMC BikeRun in Abruzzo; Claudio connects biker culture and activism.
From the archive · BikeRun 2007 -
A new digital look
The lcroma.com CSS redesign.
-
Europe gathers in Rome
Rome hosts the AGM and Mister Leather Europe.
ECMC AGM Rome 2009 -
The names in the archive
Wayback preserves the Massimo–Flavio–Claudio–Paolo–Stefano board.
-
Pride in public space
EuroPride: a stand, exhibition, events and parade float.
-
New roads, a new president
BikeRun in Tuscany/Florence; Fabio’s presidency.
The motto of Fabio Cioni’s board: Different People, Same Rights.
BikeRun Italy 2012 -
An idea called Fetish Pride
Paolo and Roberto develop Fetish Pride Italy.
-
The project brings people together
The first edition of Fetish Pride Italy.
Fetish Pride Italy 
First edition · Rome, 22 February–2 March 2014 -
People provide continuity
David joins the board; Marco’s long-standing involvement continues.
-
The website changes platform
lcroma.com moves to WordPress.
-
The network reaches Naples
Kinky Napoli is launched; Neri plays a central role.
Kinky Napoli · 18 November 2017 · first edition -
Stronger, together
David becomes president; Bunker; #StrongerTogether.
#StrongerTogether -
Rome returns to centre stage
Another ECMC AGM and Mister Leather Europe in Rome.
ECMC AGM and Mister Leather Europe · Rome 2019 -
Pausing, remembering
The pandemic; twenty years of the website; Claudio Casale dies.
-
Memory becomes commitment
The Claudio Casale scholarship; Neri dies; the return to events.
-
A new chapter for the board
The David–Alessandro–Marco–Simone–Chris board.
-
The time of the Dodo Awards
Dodo’s 25th anniversary, seven categories and nominations from the European fetish community.
-
Twenty-five years, new worlds
Multiverse is launched; twenty-five years of LCR.
Multiverse · 5 April 2024 · Company Roma -
The community opens more doors
A new board; Palermo; CERC; SEL; Dodo Talks.
SEL: the founding announcement · September 2025
THE NEW MOTTOGEAR UP.
PLAY PROUD.
STAND OUT.
Kinky Palermo · 25–27 April 2025 
GEAR UP. PLAY PROUD. STAND OUT. · 2025 campaign artwork -
BLUF Pre-Party
The BLUF Pre-Party joins the recent programme as a structured themed gathering before the main event, continuing a BLUF presence already documented in earlier years.
-
The story continues
Pillion; MLI; local communities; fetish voices in the Pride document.
Roma Pride 2026: fetish and kinky voices
Kinky Roma is launched: Fetish Night becomes a community weekend, following the model of Kinky Napoli and Kinky Palermo.
Kinky Roma · 9–11 October 2026 -
Only Rubber Pre-Party
The themed pre-party model extends to rubber with Only Rubber Pre-Party, a dedicated gathering ahead of the main event.
THE STORY CONTINUES
We write the next chapter
together.
Press
coverage.
Articles, interviews and features about the Club over the years. If you have saved clippings or recordings, write to us: the archive grows with the community.
- Italiani, gente leatherLCR officially joins the ECMC at the Stuttgart assembly and celebrates with the ECMC First Leather Night at Circolo degli Artisti.Read the article (Italian) ↗
- “Rome Fetish Night” per gli amanti dell’hardThe Club’s Rome Fetish Night during Roma Pride week.Read the article (Italian) ↗
- Good As You. Il dolore? Nel sesso fa piacere!A television interview with LCR member Massimo Fusillo, filmed at Sphinx in Rome.Read the article (Italian) ↗
- Roma, passione fetishLCR as a reference point for Rome’s fetish scene, and its float at Roma Pride 2003.Read the article (Italian) ↗
- Fetish Pride: Roma celebra il sesso e le sue diversitàThe announcement of the first Fetish Pride Italy, with an interview with president Fabio Cioni.Read the article (Italian) ↗
- Mr Leather Italia 2017, Paoletti: «Io, papà arcobaleno…»Mr Leather Italia, co-organised by LCR and Leather Friends Italia; LCR among Italy’s three active clubs.Read the article (Italian) ↗
- Roma, forze dell’ordine irrompono nel club Bunker e bloccano l’elezione di Mr RubberThe police inspection at Bunker during the election organised by LCR and the community’s response.Read the article (Italian) ↗
- A Roma l’elezione di Mr Leather e Mr Rubber 2018 con una mostra sull’omogenitorialitàThe rescheduled election is held for the first time in a venue open to the public, Coming Out.Read the article (Italian) ↗
- Si è spento Claudio Casale, figura di riferimento dell’attivismo Lgbt+, leather e biker italianoRemembering Claudio Casale, an early Club member and its treasurer for many years.Read the article (Italian) ↗
- Talk – Queer, Fetish, Kink: identità e inclusivitàThe talk curated by LCR in the official Roma Pride programme.Read the article (Italian) ↗
- Rome LGBTQ+ Neighbourhood GuideThe guide to LGBTQ+ Rome lists LCR as the organiser of Fetish Pride Italy.Read the article (Italian) ↗
EPILOGUE
One home.
Many rooms.
Rome Fetish Night creates the space. Catacombs creates an international gathering. Mister Rubber and Mister Leather build representation. Fetish Pride connects community and culture. Kinky Napoli and Palermo reach new local communities. Multiverse introduces new worlds of imagination. Corpi di Carta and Dodo Talks turn conversation and memory into lasting formats. SEL takes the Club from participant to co-founder of an international network.
Archiving this history is not nostalgia: it means protecting a community’s memory, correcting errors without erasing the evidence, and allowing those who come after us to understand both what happened and why it mattered.
Sources and documents behind this account
Primary sources
The verifiable core of this account. Minutes, meeting notices, posters, photographs and internal testimonies complete the archive.
