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Shape-shifters, beings that can change their physical form, are found in many cultures, from trickster gods to fierce warriors. Trickster gods often employ their shape-shifting abilities to aid or educate humans, and more than one shape-shifting god or demi-god is credited with bringing humans the gift of fire. Shamans and warriors, the spiritual and physical protectors of society, often seek animal forms to assume the strengths of those animals to aid in their tasks. Wolves are powerful, social animals that live and hunt together, like humans. The entire pack as a hunting unit can bring down larger game than a lone individual. Everyone in the pack is responsible for the nurturing and education of the cubs, insuring the survival of the group. No wonder humans have taken to them over the centuries. The wolf, in many cultures, was represented in spiritual iconography and ideology, often portrayed as strong, brave, honorable and intelligent. In lore, wolves were credited with rescuing and adopting human children, some of the most famous being Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, and Mowgli from the Jungle Book. Many tribes of Native Americans placed important significance on wolves. Were-wolves are enchanted beings, not necessarily evil, sometimes blessed, sometimes cursed, to walk in two worlds. Shape-shifters, and were-wolves especially, strike a chord with many transfolk. Whether we transition or not, we know what it is like to walk in the skin of another. The Brotherhood of the Were-Wolf grew out of the idea that transleathermen would enjoy their journey in the leather world in the company of people with similar experiences. The pack began to grow to be more than just a good idea when the three founders met. While snowed in at the last True Spirit Conference in 2003, Jake Arthur and Ethan Young met Dale Bogucki and began talking about the idea of an FTM only leather club. It was an idea Jake and Ethan had been discussing for a while. They had already come up with a name, La Fraternitié Du Loup-Garou, a French phrase that means "the brotherhood of the were-wolf." With the addition of Dale to the circle, discussion began in earnest and the pack began to take shape. The Club: La Garou is a traditional levi/leather club whose main focus is transmasculine people who were born female or intersexed and raised female but whose gender identity is masculine. It is also for people who are interested in showing support for transmasculine people in the leather community. We emphasize the spiritual aspects of leather in our activities and our events. We understand the deep spiritual meaning of leather and BDSM, and hold no affliation to any one individual belief system. La Garou's purpose is to provide social and service opportunities in the levi/leather community for transmasculine people and their allies. La Garou's emblem is a transgender symbol in black surrounded by a wolf's head outline, to represent the trans/loup-garou, on a circular yellow field to represent the moon, the catalyst associated with the were-wolf's transformation. La Garou's motto is Courage, Unity, Pride: the courage to be who we are as trans and leatherfolk, the unity to come together with all our brothers and sisters, and the pride in what we do as loup-garou and leatherfolk. |
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