LGBTQs who embraced Levi's popular button fly 501 blue jeans were in for a shock when the May 15, 1997 Bay Area Reporter had a cover story on the possibility of San Francisco-based Levi Strauss & Co.
no longer selling the denim items in some establishments. Leather columnist Mister Marcus, aka Marcus Hernandez, broke the news, writing that in 1995 the company began notifying about two-dozen retailers — out of some 3,500 outlets — that they "were not conducive to our brand image." Among those targeted were the Leather Rack in Washington, D.C.