LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District

The Cultural District notes with deep sadness the passing of Rachel Sullivan, a long-time community leader.

 

 

A nice tribute can be found here:  https://www.facebook.com/Folsom-Street-147246855245

We hope to have our own remarks here soon.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District
Folsom Street
& the SOMA West Community Benefit District
present
SOMA Second Saturdays!
GAME DAY

SOMA Second Saturdays:  GAME DAY!
February 12, 2022, noon to 5 pm
Folsom Street Community Center
145 9th Street (between Mission and Howard), in San Francisco

Games may include: Kinky Pictionary Taboo SOMA Trivia UNO Dare! Cards Against… Your Own Favorites!  A smoke-free event

Please bring proof of vaccination and Mask Up.

Applicable COVID-19 precautions enforced. Event will be moved to Zoom if circumstances dictate. Free snacks and non-alcoholic beverages! Donation requested.

Volunteers Needed!
Help out!
Two shifts, 11:30 to 2:30 or 2:00 to 5:00
You’ll be with another volunteer.
Contact manager@sflcd.org to sign up!

Upcoming Second Saturdays:
March 12, 2022:  Movie Day!
April 9 and beyond:
SOMA Second Saturday returns to the streets!

Find out who else is going and join the chat with Bloom! 

Our archive holds over a year of video recordings from our Erotic Storytelling Hours.

We want to preserve your favorites.

Check out the archive, then click here to send us the DATE and READER of your favorites.

Watch for a “Best Of” video, coming soon, based on YOUR preferences.

Thanks!

Our archive holds over a year of video recordings from our Erotic Storytelling Hours.  We want to preserve your favorites. Check out the archive, then click here to send us the DATE and READER of your favorites. Watch for a “Best Of” video, coming soon, based on YOUR preferences. Thanks!

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The next online meeting of the Communications Committee is set for Thursday, January 13, 2022 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm.  Join via Zoom here.  More info is here, or contact the committee chair,  Bob Brown!

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The next meeting of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Board of Directors will be held on Wednesday, January 19, 2022, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. As always, all are welcome to attend, and time is reserved for public comment.  ASL interpretation provided if requested ten days in advance. To participate, join the Zoom Meeting  here, or call 1-408-638-0968 and use Meeting ID: 847 8906 0820 and Passcode: 972086.  The draft agenda can be viewed here. More info is here.  Please contact manager@sflcd.org if you have questions. Minutes of past Board meetings can be reviewed here.

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The next online meeting of the Fundraising Committee is set for Tuesday, January 25, 2022, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Join with Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89554242702 or call 1 408 638 0968 and use Meeting ID: 826 2422 3540.  More info here.  Please contact the committee chair to get on the mailing list for  this Committee, or for more info!

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We host an Erotic Storytelling Hour every other Tuesday.  Our next one is Tuesday, January 25, 2022, from 8 to 9 p.m,  Come hear some provocative, graphic, sexy, titillating, and funny stories (and more) from selected writers of our community.

 It’s fun, it’s naughty, it’s online.  Click here or here for more details and Zoom link, and click here to see videos of some of our past evenings!  (Be 18+!)

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The next Arts and Culture Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 27, 2022, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Join with Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89554242702 or call 1 408 638 0968 and use Meeting ID: 895 5424 2702.   More info is here. Please contact the committee chair, David Hyman, to get on the mailing list for  this Committee, or for more info!

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The next online Walking Tour Subcommittee Meeting is set for Wednesday, February 2, 2022, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.  Join at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88470691792 or call 1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose) and enter Meeting ID: 884 7069 1792..  Help us create an Internet-based Walking Tour of noteworthy past and present locations in our South of Market neighborhood. More info here.   View the draft agenda here. 

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The next online meeting of our Diversity and Membership Committee is set for Thursday, February 3, 2022, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Join via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87865884248 , or call 1 408 638 0968 and use Meeting ID: 878 6588 4248.  RSVP is not required.  More info is here, or contact the committee chair, Gene Edmond! We hope you can join us!

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The next online Land Use Committee Meeting is set for Tuesday, February 8, 2022, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Zoom into the meeting here. More info is here, or contact the committee chair.

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The next meeting of the Ad Hoc Gateway Committee will be scheduled as needed. For more info, click here or contact Committee Chair Bob Brown.

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A Governance and Legislation Committee meeting will be scheduled when needed. Please contact the committee chair, Bob Brown, to sign up, or for more info!

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The space formerly known as “SF Catalyst” is  now Transform1060!   You can help keep this important leather/kink/fetish community space open and thriving:  make a pledge now to attend an event, volunteer at an event, or host an event in the first 60 days of of 2022.  And, if you can, contribute to their Capital Campaign here.

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The Second Annual Bearrison Street Fair will be held on Harrison Street at 11th Street on Saturday, October 15, 2022.

Bearrison — a collaboration between the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc., (SPI) and the Bears of San Francisco (BOSF) — is an inclusive event for all members of the adult LGBTI+ community, which promotes body positivity for all and builds a more supportive, welcoming, and inclusive bear scene by representing a diverse arena of cultures.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District was proud to have been a Presenting Sponsor of last year’s Fair; pictures from that event are up on their web site. 

This would be a great time to sign up for one of their volunteer teams.

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We send out a newsletter each month, right before our Board Meeting.  Do you get it?
If not, view a recent newsletter here, then sign up to get it monthly here.

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Speaking of newsletters, the SOMA West Community Benefit District does a great one, highlighting events – both social and political — affecting our part of the City.  Check it out and subscribe here.

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San Francisco has eight Cultural Districts, each supporting a unique aspect of the City’s cultural mosaic.  Links to each of them are here. For more in-depth coverage, you can subscribe to a newsletter, to be published quarterly by the Mayor’s Office of Housing & Community Development.  

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Do you own or manage a building or business in our Cultural District?  Does it have some history relevant to our queer and kinky communities?  Do you want to learn more about it?  Look here.

And while we have your attention, building owner/manager:  Would you like a mural on your building?  We would like to make it happen for you!   Decorate The Streets

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If you just learned about San Francisco’s LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District…. Welcome!

Please explore below for information about the Cultural District.  If you are not already receiving email from us, please click here to be kept informed about our meetings and activities.

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Threats to our South of Market businesses and institutions can arise quickly, and may require a quick community response.  Sign up here to join our SOMA Action network.

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Do you have opinions?  Sure you do, but we mean specifically do you have opinions about SOMA and kink and the future of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District?    Please share your opinions using our Community Input form!

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If you have not yet seen it, please read our Statement of Solidarity, and consider what you personally can do to fight racism, injustice, and abuse of police power.

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The next meeting of the Board of the Friends of Eagle Plaza is scheduled for Wednesday, January 12, 2022, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.

Zoom into meeting at Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89493852487 or call 1-669-900-6833, and use Meeting ID: 894 9385 2487.  To be added to the “Friends of Eagle Plaza” mailing list, click here.  To make a donation to the Friends of Eagle Plaza, click here,  To stay up to date, like and follow them on Facebook.  To learn more about the Plaza’s design, construction and stewardship, click here or write to info@eagleplaza.org.

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Transform1060 is a leather/kink/fetish community space at 1060 Folsom Street, formerly the social and educational space called SFCatalyst. It will be outfitted as you remember with upgrades in the works.

The space’s new operation team has finalized a new lease on the space, a crucial step the transition from its previous management by the San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance,.  The team is actively recruiting folks to host events there, as well as donations to their Capital Campaign. 

You can read more about the space — its history, the ongoing transition, the new management team, and the values that will guide its operations — at their new Web site, transform1060.org, or their Facebook page. A Press Release is also available, with with important details and quotes from team members Christopher Wood and Leigh Ann Hildebrand,.

The Transform1060 team is asking for active community involvement, urging folks to commit to attending an event, volunteering at an event, or hosting an event in the first 60 days of 2022.

They are also seeking donations to help retire the substantial back-rent debt, to begin making space and accessibility improvements, and to weather COVID-19 surges or other emergencies.  Learn more or make a donation at transform1060.org/home/donate/.

This fundraising campaign replaces the SFCatalyst Patreon campaign, which will no longer go towards operation of the 1060 Folsom space.

The survival of this space ensures that kinky folks from all of our communities will continue to have a safe space in SF to gather, play, teach, and learn.  The new team is committed to providing event facilities to a broad spectrum of the San Francisco Bay area’s fetish and kink communities, with an intentional focus on increasing services to and participation of historically excluded and under-represented people.  

The Second Bearrison Street Fair will be held on Harrison Street at 11th Street, on Saturday, October 15, 2022.

Now is the time to sign up for one of their volunteer teams.

Later, we will be recruiting you to be a vendor, be a sponsor, have your organization be a beverage partner, or volunteer to help out on the day.

Still later, we will encourage you to buy your VIP tickets in advance.

Of course, any time is a good time to check out the photos of last year’s event on their web site.

Because the  Bearrison Street Fair is, above all, a good time!

Did you enjoy 

Santa Second Saturday?

Come see pictures here!

 

 The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District is pleased to announce that Bob Goldfarb, President of the District, has been offered and has accepted the new position of District Executive Director. As such, he has resigned from his seat on the Board of Directors, which he has held since 2019.

Goldfarb’s move from the Board of Directors to an executive staff position necessitated other moves within the Board. To that end, the new roster of Board officers includes:

• Bob Brown (formerly Vice President) has been elected President
• Eric See has been elected to serve as both Vice President and Secretary
• Val Langmuir will remain as Treasurer

The Board will appoint another member to the vacant seat to serve the remainder of the term.

Board President Bob Brown observed, “I look forward to continuing to work with Bob Goldfarb, in our new capacities, in continuing to preserve our heritage, expand our branding, and provide economic development for existing and new businesses in the coming year.  We’ve had a successful year and there is much more to come.”

You can reach Bob via email at either Bob.Goldfarb@sflcd.org or Executive-Director@sflcd.org (ExecDir@sflcd.org also works).  Mail sent to President@sflcd.org will now go to Bob Brown, with other addresses redirecting as appropriate.  Please see sfleatherdistrict.org/board/ for full details.

For more information, contact, manager@sflcd.org. 

On Tuesday, October 5, 2021, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the first reading of the ordinance to designate  landmark status for the San Francisco Eagle Bar!  One more vote is required, and is expected next Tuesday, October 12.

On Sunday, September 19, more than 200 people welcomed a treasured tradition back to the streets of SOMA.  LeatherWalk 2021 was a resounding success, raising both spirits and funds.

We stopped at Oasis, Hole in the Wall, Powerhouse, Azucar Lounge, Wicked Grounds, Leather Etc., Mr. S Leather, Ringold Alley, and Lone Star Saloon before arriving at Eagle Plaza for the Leather Pride Fest, hosted by the SF Eagle.

Check out the story in the Bay Area Reporter.

The Golden Gate Guards are having an on-line leather silent auction hosted by 32auctions.com.  This is a golden opportunity for you to add to your leather collection.

They have more than 120 items, including high quality leather boots, chaps, jackets, pants, vests, accessories and even some BDSM equipment. Many items are in excellent condition, while some show gentle wear.

Check it out at 32auctions.com/2021GGGLeatherAuction. 

The Auction is now OPEN, and is scheduled to close on Friday, September 17, 2021 at 09:00 PM PDT.  You will need to create an account at 32auctions.com in order to bid for the auction items.

This online event is to raise funds for the Golden Gate Guards, a leather-Levi, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, open to both men and women, that serves the San Francisco Bay Area. They host safe, sane, and enjoyable events for those with an interest in leather, Levis, motorcycles and uniforms, while raising money for other non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations.  They have a lot of fun, too!

An entertaining and informative conversation called “B.A.R. Talks 5: Living in Leather” with Race Bannon, Scott Brogan, Gayle Rubin, Rich Stadtmiller, and Graylin Thornton, held online on September 2, 2021, can be viewed on the Bay Area Reporter’s Facebook page, or below.:

Representatives of the new owner of 729 Bush Street, the site of the now-closed Nob Hill Theater, will hold a public meeting on Tuesday, August 17th, from 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. to present draft plans for a proposed renovation of the building to create a surgical center with dwellings above, reaching a height of 50 feet. The façade of the existing building will be retained.

The public meeting is being held to showcase the history of the theater and solicit feedback from members of the public. 729 Bush Street housed the Nob Hill Theater, a prominent gay adult theater and gathering place from circa 1968 to 2018.

You can attend the meeting via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86153240322 (or call +16699009128,,86153240322#), or view a copy of the presentation and submit comments at 729bush.com. All comments will be shared with the SF Planning Department, and considered as plans for the site are finalized.  Questions may also be sent to nobhilltheaterhistory@gmail.com.

A full press release about this can be viewed here.

No one reading this needs to be reminded of the importance of being vaccinated against COVID-19.  It’s essential for your personal health and safety, it’s essential to our community, and now it’s essential if you want to get a drink.

Throughout SOMA (and elsewhere), bars, clubs, private parties and others are increasingly requiring patrons to provide proof of vaccination, or extremely recent negative COVID-19 test results.   (See the SF Eagle’s detailed page on the subject.)

So when you visit SOMA, please bring proof of vaccination.  The original paper vaccination record will do, but for faster service (and to make life easy for the door personnel), consider getting an official State of California Digital COVID-19 Vaccine Record right on your smartphone.

And if you aren’t yet vaccinated, please click here for info on how you can get it.  It’s free, it’s easy to get, it’s safe, and, oh yes, it might just save your life.

With the planting of the landscaping on the eastern side of 12th Street, Eagle Plaza now appears virtually complete.   A variety of trees and flowering shrubs now populate the space, and a reinforced Leather Pride Flag flies overhead.

Chairs and tables will soon be available on the Plaza during daylight hours, and it is expected to be converted to a pedestrian zone.   After that, expect to see more frequent programming bring activity and interest to the Plaza, perhaps including art shows, farmers’ markets, celebrations and other events.

One small construction project remains, a “curb cut” and ramp in the middle of the Plaza.   We also await the installation of additional plaques to honor and thank the generous donors who made Eagle Plaza possible.

Perhaps most welcome of all is the fact that the SF Eagle bar is now open on a regular schedule (Fridays 2PM – 2AM, Weekends: 11AM – 2AM), with a full range of events (including its legendary Sunday Afternoon Beer Bust).  [Note that the SF Eagle, along with many other local bars, is now requiring patrons to present proof of CV-19 vaccination, or a very recent CV-19-Negative test result.  See details here.]

We hope the entire community will take advantage of this civic amenity!

 

As reported in the  Bay Area Reporter, San Francisco Democrats have elected city native Honey Mahogany as the first transgender and first Black chair of the local party. The first trans person in the U.S. to chair a local Democratic Party, Mahogany is now one of the party’s highest-ranking transgender officials in the state and country.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District congratulates Mahogany, who is also chief legislative aide for our District Supervisor Matt Haney, part of the Stud cooperative, a co-founder of the Transgender District, and a long-time friend of our community and organization,

The local queer and kinky community has been working over the past year to help protect the San Francisco Eagle Bar by having it designated an historic landmark.

On May 19, 2021, the Historic Preservation Commission voted, 7-0,  to recommend to the Board of Supervisors Landmark Designation of the San Francisco Eagle Bar as an individual Article 10 Landmark.  The matter now goes back to the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor for a final ok.

Many letters and emails of support for this designation were received by the Commission, and several folks also called into the hearing to endorse the action.

Thank you for your help!  Please consider joining our Save SOMA Action Network now, to be kept informed when we need you again.

It appears that someone posing as our Board President, Robert Goldfarb, is sending out emails asking people to buy gift cards and send pics of the cards with the code exposed.

This is a common type of scam.  No one associated with the Cultural District would ever ask anyone to do such a thing or wire money or anything of the sort.

If you’re getting these emails, please delete them.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District’s leadership is deeply pained by the racist violence which continues in this country.

We stand in solidarity with Black and Brown people and their allies worldwide who are peacefully expressing their outrage at racism, injustice, and abuse of police power.

We stand in solidarity with the protesters engaged in powerful actions to demand justice, accountability, and systemic change.

Only by standing together will it be possible to put an end to the senseless brutality we have witnessed for too long.

The Leather and LGBTQ communities have a long history of collective strength in times of crisis and now we invoke that strength to call for freedom and fairness for all oppressed communities.

We call on the entire community to work together to dismantle ingrained systems of inequality wherever they are found.  It will be a long journey to the end of institutionalized racism, but our community will act with strength, purpose, and solidarity until we see that day.

Black Lives Matter.

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Community members have encouraged contributions to some of the organizations listed below.  Although the Cultural District has not reviewed these suggestions, and cannot specifically endorse them, we do urge our community to support the hard work of achieving safety, freedom and fairness for all oppressed communities.

• • National Bail Fund Network
  • Bay Area Anti- Repression Committee Bail Fund
  • People’s Breakfast Oakland
  • San Francisco’s Transgender District Fund
  • Anti Police-Terror Project
  • The Bail Project™ National Revolving Bail Fund 
  • Protest & COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund for Community Bail & Bond Funds 
  • Minnesota Freedom Fund 
  • Reclaim The Block
  • Black Visions Collective
  • Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice Project
  • Center for Black Equity

Other Lists of Resources:

• • SF Queer Nightlife Fund
  • Northstar Health Collective
  • Tools For Fighting Racism In The Leather Community
  • Website Planet: List of Black-Owned Businesses

Hi.  Thanks for your interest in the “LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District”, created by the City of San Francisco to honor, support, and protect the unique and special culture that has flourished in the South of Market area.

We encourage anyone with an interest in the leather or kink community to learn about this project, and participate however they can.

There are lots of ways to get informed and involved:

• Read this brief introduction.
• View our brochure.
• Visit our “About us” page.
• Become a Member of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District – or at least get on our mailing list – to be notified of meetings and other events, join a committee, or volunteer your skills.
• Attend one of our semi-annual  Membership Meetings.
• Attend (as a guest) one of our monthly Board Meetings.
• Consider joining one of our important Committees, including the Arts and Culture Committee, the Communications Committee, The Governance Committee, the Land Use Committee, or the Diversity and Membership Committee.   
• Share your opinions about our community’s needs, and our organization’s priorities, either using one of our open surveys, or by participating in a Focus Group or personal interview. 
• Read the Resolution as approved by the Board of Supervisors, and signed by the Mayor on May 9, 2018, here.
• Read the Vision and Mission Statements for the Cultural District here.
• Read our full organizational Bylaws, here.
• See a list of our current Board of Directors, here.
• View a map of the Cultural District here.
• Check out our calendar of Cultural District meetings and events, here.
• Like and follow the SF LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District on Facebook.  
• Join our Group on Fetlife.
• Follow @sfleatherdist on Twitter or Instagram.  
• Write to our group’s elected President, Robert Goldfarb, using the email address president@SFLCD.org or more generally to info@SFLCD.org.  

Let’s see what we can do to make this happen, and make it happen right!