Last weekend, members of the Pittsburgh leather community welcomed the Empire City Motorcycle Club to a dinner in Bloomfield. The club is one of the nation’s oldest all-riding motorcycle clubs organized by and for gay men. The dinner, held at G’s on Liberty, drew numerous members of the leather, bear, and pup community.
Based in New York City and formed in 1964, riding adventures and travel to other cities have long been key to ECMC’s success. This off-season visit to Pittsburgh was a first and came a week after a visit to Harrisburg for the Pennsmen’s run.
“It was not ECMC’s first visit to Pittsburgh. As a riding club, most of our activities take place in the summer months, and don’t necessarily involve visits to cities or other clubs,” explains local ECMC member Lewis Kwett, who organized the event with his partner Tim Moore. “Tim and I wanted a chance to introduce our ECMC brothers to the Pittsburgh community, not just Three Rivers Leather Club, but also Barons of Steel, Fort Pitt Bears, Steel City Pups, Bear Friends of Pittsburgh, current and past title holders, and friends.”
The visiting club and many at the dinner capped off the evening with a visit to P-Town, where TRLC held its “Jail and Bail” bar night.
Photos by G. Michael Beigay.
