Derek Cohen on Operation Spanner - The Fireside Chat Series

Derek Cohen is the founder of SM Gays ( and one of the founders of and a former trustee of The Spanner Trust ( which aims to decriminalise consensual BDSM and to defend the rights of consenting adults.

In this interview, Derek talks about the founding of SM Gays, how Operation Spanner politicised the group, and how he tried but ultimately failed to help defend the 3 men at the centre of Margaret Thatcher's "Operation Spanner".


Inside Leather History: A Fireside Chat is produced by Douglas O’Keeffe and Mistress Joanne C. Gaddy (the “Producers”).The Chats seek to capture the memories, reflections, and experiences of leaders in the leather and/or LGBTQ communities. With a deep and heartfelt regard for the importance of our history, it is the intent of the Producers to collect, preserve, and appropriately share the stories of our forebears and others who have made significant contributions to the leather and/or LGBTQ communities. This is done through a series of recorded interviews.

LGBTQ,Leather,Fetish,History,Alternative Sexuality,