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Tony DeBlase, full name Robert Opel Anthony F. DeBlase (1942-21 July 2000) was an American mammalogist, specializing in the biology of bats. He was philosopher, a lecturer, a writer and publisher most known for his advocacy of leather culture and leather sex and is famous for having designed in 1989 the Leather Pride flag making him a gay icon. His proposed design of black, blue and white stripes with a red accent — originally a heart was accepted worldwide as introduced by him.

Under the pseudonym Fledermaus, in 1982, he wrote The Fledermaus Anthology, a collection of stories that became classics of the genre. He was a publishing pioneer particularly in the S&M culture and founded and published the magazine DungeonMaster enlarging his influence by purchasing the Drummer family of magazines, leading it to the peak of influence by the early 1990s. DeBlase was one of the founders of The Leather Archives & Museum (LA&M) and served as its Vice President of the Board of Directors from 1992 until his death in 2000. He was also a renowned gourmet cook.

Accolades
DeBlaze was often honored including:
 * 1987: National Leather Association (NLA) Man of the Year award
 * 1994: Pantheon of Leather's Business Person of the Year award
 * 1997: Pantheon of Leather Lifetime Achievement
 * 1997: Forebear Award

He also won the coveted Caligula Award from Chicago Hellfire Club for his service to the club in the development of Inferno.

Death
DeBlase died in Portland, Oregon in 2000. There was a special memorial celebration of DeBlase's legacy during International Mr. Leather 2001.