Language
The Lexicon
The Lexicon preserves the language of the Lifestyle — its words, concepts and traditions. It records meaning; it never prescribes practice. Where usage varies between Houses or lineages, each is set down with equal respect.
Alphabetical
Entries beginning with L
Lady
Traditional title of address used in some Female-Led households and formal dynamics.
Roles
Latex Gloves
Gloves made in latex, often significant within Glove Worship and fetish aesthetic traditions.
Equipment
Leash
A cord, chain or strap connecting a collar or harness to a Handler's hand.
Equipment
Leather
A community, tradition and aesthetic within the broader Lifestyle, rooted in mid-twentieth century gay men's culture and now embracing many identities.
Community
Leather Care
The ongoing care of leather garments and gear to preserve their condition and life.
Practices
Leather Conditioning
The practice of applying conditioners to leather to preserve suppleness and life.
Practices
Leather Contest
A structured competition through which titleholders are selected within Leather culture.
Community
Leather Cuffs
Wrist or ankle restraints made of leather, with attachment points for further bondage.
Equipment
Leather Family
A chosen family formed through Leather ties of mentorship, care and lineage.
Houses
Leather Garments
Garments made in leather, including jackets, trousers, harnesses and vests, central to Leather tradition.
Equipment
Leather Gloves
Gloves made in leather, often significant within Glove Worship and Leather tradition.
Equipment
Leather Preservation
The longer-term care and stewardship of leather items across years and generations.
Practices
Leather Shoes
Shoes made in leather, often significant within Object Devotion and Leather tradition.
Equipment
Leather Titleholder
A person holding a formal title within the Leather community for a defined term.
Community
Leather Vest
A vest of leather worn as an expression of identity within Leather culture.
Symbols
Leatherwomen
Leatherwomen refers to women who participate in Leather culture and identify with its traditions, values, history, and community. The term encompasses diverse identities, including Dominants, submissives, switches, Masters, slaves, bootblacks, educators, activists, and historians, united by their involvement in the Leather tradition rather than by a single sexual orientation or relationship structure.
Community
Leg Binder
A sleeve-like restraint that encloses both legs together.
Equipment
Leg Worship
A form of Body Worship focused on the legs.
Practices
Lesbian Dominance
Tradition of consensual authority practiced within relationships or dynamics between women.
Terminology
Lesbian Sex Mafia
The Lesbian Sex Mafia (LSM) is an educational and social organization founded in New York City in 1981 to support lesbian, bisexual, queer, and transgender women interested in BDSM, Leather, fetishism, and consensual power exchange. It became one of the most influential organizations in the development of lesbian Leather culture and sex-positive BDSM education.
History
LezDom
Common shorthand for Lesbian Dominance within contemporary Lifestyle communities.
Terminology
LezDom Communities
Communities organised around Lesbian Dominance traditions.
History
Lifestyle
A term used within the community for lived, ongoing practice of BDSM, Leather, D/s or M/s beyond occasional scenes.
Terminology
Lifestyle Dominance
Practice of Female Dominance as an ongoing lifestyle rather than a professional or scene-only pursuit.
History
Lifestyle FemDom
Female Dominance integrated into daily life rather than confined to scenes.
Relationships
Lifestyle Gor
The practice of applying Gorean vocabulary, protocol and structure to ongoing consensual relationships in daily life.
Community
Limits
The activities a participant will not or may not engage in, disclosed during negotiation.
Communication
Line
A single rope path within a tie; also, the visual quality of that path.
Practices
Load Bearing
The transmission of weight through rope structures and their anchor points.
Safety
Locking Collar
A collar fitted with a lock, worn to signify a defined dynamic or bond.
Equipment
Lone Wolf
Primal-tradition self-descriptor for a person who identifies with primal or wolf-like framings but does not belong to a formal pack.
Roles
Long Reins
A driving technique in which the handler walks behind a Pony using extended reins.
Practices
Low Caste
In the Gorean setting, castes engaged in trades, crafts and services beneath the High Castes.
History
Low Protocol
A relaxed protocol suitable for daily life, private time and informal gatherings.
Protocol