Who Are We?

The St. Longinus Historical Society (SLHS) seeks to fill a gap in the collective effort to preserve the history of body modification and body piercing. Too long has this history been gatekept by organizations and individuals that would rather focus on narrow segments of our history and disregard the current historical moment. This has resulted in an uneven and unrepresentative depiction and preservation of our history. SLHS aims to be a counterbalance to this myopic approach to documenting and preserving our history. The cult of celebrity that permeates the collection and dissemination of materials and information in our culture must cease. We want to preserve this history because we love it, not because we are only interested in furthering our own individual agendas. And we are certainly not driven by a desire for profits. Our projects will engage with the community and tell complicated stories. No more hiding away the racist and misogynist parts of our history that others would rather not engage with out of fear and an inability to take accountability. Our moral and political beliefs are not a hindrance in this endeavor and instead serve as guide posts to direct the projects that we undertake as well as the materials we will be collecting and preserving. As a collective we are staunchly anti-racist, feminist, anti-capitalist, and with these beliefs we hope to bring to our community a fresh voice and perspective in the current ecosystem of body modifications historical preservation.