WELCOME TO GAOP HISTORY
The Global Association of Outlaw Protection (GAOP) exists as a professional firewall between motorcycle clubs and the political and legal system. We protect, empower, and celebrate the outlaw motorcycle community by shielding riders from profiling, stigma, and hostile legislation, while giving them a credible and united voice.
For Decades, One-Percenters Have Been Left to Defend Themselves Without an Organisation to Speak Specifically For Their Rights.
Groups like NCOM in the U.S., BMF and MAG in the UK, and FEMA in Europe have done important work for the wider motorcycling community, but none were built to take on the unique challenges faced by outlaw motorcycle clubs.
That changed in 2025, when Belinda Wildcard Sharland founded GAOP, a division of Kutte Kulture Ltd. She recognised the urgent need for an organisation that could act as a shield, translator, and advocate, ensuring that the concerns of outlaw clubs are heard, understood, and respected by lawmakers, courts, and media.
GAOP was born from a simple truth: outlaw motorcycle culture deserves protection, dignity, and fair representation. By monitoring regulatory trends, educating riders about their rights, and creating a united front, GAOP stands as the firewall between unfair laws and the community it serves.
GAOP History: The Inspiration
GAOP History: Why We Exist
The roots of GAOP can be traced back to two defining moments. The first was Hollister 1947, when outlaw bikers claimed the 1%er identity and chose to live by their own rules, outside the mainstream motorcycling world. The second was the wave of restrictive laws, from Australia’s Anti-Bikie legislation to more recent acts targeting clubs, families, and associates. These laws have chipped away at human rights and freedom of expression, while branding clubs as criminal organisations regardless of their actions.
For decades, outlaw motorcycle clubs had no collective body to defend them. That changed in 2025, when GAOP was founded to stand as a shield between unfair laws and the community. Our mission is simple but urgent: to protect, educate, and advocate for riders so that outlaw culture is treated with the dignity and respect it deserves.
GAOP is not just about resisting prejudice; it is about building a stronger future. By monitoring legal trends, translating club concerns into professional advocacy, and creating a united voice, we are ensuring that one-percenters are no longer left out in the cold.
It all traces back to Hollister in 1947. The incident may have been overblown in the press, but what followed became legend. When the AMA distanced itself from the chaos, outlaw riders embraced the 1%er identity, a badge of rebellion and independence. From that moment forward, outlaw clubs walked their own path, separate from mainstream motorcycling.
But independence came with a price. While groups like the AMA spoke for the majority, no advocacy body ever rose to represent the one-percenters. For decades, outlaw clubs were left to face harassment, profiling, and political attacks with only their brotherhoods to defend them. The absence of a shield was striking, especially for a culture targeted not for what it does, but for what it represents.
In recent years, the attacks escalated. Laws like the Unlawful Consorting and Prohibited Insignia Act 2021 (Western Australia) and the Criminal Organisations Control Amendment Act 2024 pushed beyond policing individuals, striking directly at clubs, families, and symbols. These laws criminalised association, stifled freedom of expression, and chipped away at culture itself, while admitting little evidence that they would even achieve their aims. Their real purpose was control, suppression, and eradication.
As governments debated these measures, the outlaw community watched and argued among itself, but no united body spoke on its behalf. That silence made one thing clear: the time for action had come. Outlaw motorcycle clubs needed a firewall, an organisation capable of translating their concerns into legal and political language, capable of standing in the halls of power while rooted in the culture it defends.
That concept became GAOP. Born from frustration but built on pride, it exists to protect outlaw clubs from unfair laws, biased narratives, and political overreach. It stands on a simple truth: our culture will not be erased.
Thank You for Reading GAOP History. GAOP is a division of Kutte Kulture Ltd and is a partner of Grim Rider Magazine.
