Rainbow Motorcycle Club
Encyclopedia
The Rainbow Motorcycle Club (sometimes abbreviated as the Rainbow MC or RMC) is a gay
men's motorcycle club
based in San Francisco, California
. The club was founded in San Francisco in 1971 by Ron Johnson
and Mario Pirami. Some commentators have credited the RMC as being instrumental in the creation of the bear subculture among gay men during the 1980s and 1990s.
and Palm Springs
; Gulfport, Florida
; and in Georgia
. One needn't ride a motorcycle to be part of the club. Rainbows are born Rainbows, and then recognized by existing members of the club.
Unlike many motorcycle clubs where someone who aspires to membership must first serve a term as a "prospect" or "probate" before being granted full membership, the RMC uses the "hangaround" period to determine suitability. Once patched in, the new member serves an indefinite period (generally until the next new member is inducted) as the club "Baby," a status not unlike that of a prospect in other clubs. And it is recently a new tradition to "kick the baby", when greeting him.
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
men's motorcycle club
Motorcycle club
A motorcycle club is a group of individuals whose primary interest and activities involve motorcycles.In the U.S. the abbreviation, MC or MCC, can have a special social meaning from the point of view of the outlaw subcultures, and is usually reserved by them for those clubs that are mutually...
based in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The club was founded in San Francisco in 1971 by Ron Johnson
Ronald Johnson (poet)
Ronald Johnson was an American poet. He was born in Ashland, Kansas, graduated from Columbia University and lived in New York in the late fifties, wandered around Appalachia and Britain for a number of years, then settled in San Francisco for the next twenty-five years before returning to Kansas,...
and Mario Pirami. Some commentators have credited the RMC as being instrumental in the creation of the bear subculture among gay men during the 1980s and 1990s.
Organization
The RMC has one credo: "No Rules, No Committees." It is unusual in the world of motorcycle clubs for having no charter or constitution, no officers and no membership dues.Membership
Initiated members of the club are sometimes referred to as "Rainbows," or (using a portmanteau of "Rainbow" and "brothers") as "Rainbros." Although the club is based in San Francisco, there are also members in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
; Gulfport, Florida
Gulfport, Florida
Gulfport is a city in Pinellas County, Florida and a suburb of St. Petersburg. The population of Gulfport was 12,527 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau was 12,740. Gulfport is part of the Tampa-St...
; and in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. One needn't ride a motorcycle to be part of the club. Rainbows are born Rainbows, and then recognized by existing members of the club.
Unlike many motorcycle clubs where someone who aspires to membership must first serve a term as a "prospect" or "probate" before being granted full membership, the RMC uses the "hangaround" period to determine suitability. Once patched in, the new member serves an indefinite period (generally until the next new member is inducted) as the club "Baby," a status not unlike that of a prospect in other clubs. And it is recently a new tradition to "kick the baby", when greeting him.
Activities
RMC members have engaged in a number of activities, including:- participation in the annual Badger Flat motorcycle run, organized by the Satyrs Motorcycle Club of Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
- participation in the annual French MeadowsFrench Meadows ReservoirFrench Meadows Reservoir is a manmade lake northeast of Foresthill, California United States. on the Middle Fork of the American River. The reservoir is long, wide, with of shoreline....
motorcycle run, organized by the Valley Knights Motorcycle Club based in Sacramento, California. - informal motorcycle runs in Northern CaliforniaNorthern CaliforniaNorthern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
- parties, performances and fund-raising beer busts at venues such as 544 Natoma and the Hole in the Wall Saloon in San Francisco.
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49_mile_scenic_drive Sat 13 March 2010
In popular culture
- In Urban Aboriginals (ISBN 0917342380), Geoff Mains' 1984 study of leathermenLeather subcultureThe leather subculture denotes practices and styles of dress organized around sexual activities. Wearing leather garments is one way that participants in this culture self-consciously distinguish themselves from mainstream sexual cultures...
, the chapter entitled "Celebration of the Hidden Animal" opens with a photograph featuring an RMC patch lying over the drain in a barroom floor
External links
- Rainbow Motorcycle Club homepage
- The Robert Pruzan Papers, including original historical materials about the RMC, at the GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco
- Jack Fritscher's homepage includes writings on RMC history