Play on the Plaza: July

PLAY ON THE PLAZA! 

Saturday, July 13, Noon to 5pm
At Eagle Plaza
(12th Street, Folsom to Harrison)
Wear your Gear!

Join us for Play on the Plaza, designed to ignite some spark in your life!  Every second Saturday of the month we feature a different local bay area BDSM, Kink, Leather or LGBTQ group right on Eagle Plaza!  

Vendors! Gear Swap! Entertainment!

Impact Play Area
Impact Play Host: Society of Janus
Spanking Benches and Crosses will be available!

Free Admission!  Donations welcome!

This is an adult (18+) event.

Our Fetish Vendors for July
List coming soon!

KINK / FETISH VENDOR MART
Vendor Info

GEAR SWAP
Make room in your closet or dungeon!
Bring leather or kinky gear, toys, or clothing to sell or donate!
Gear Swap Info

Volunteers Needed!
Sign up!

See who else is coming by checking Plura (formerly known as Bloom)!

Impact play is welcome (with consent!)
Alas, sexplay is not welcome.

Volunteer Season!

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District always needs volunteers, but during the high season (June – September) the need is intense.

  • We can use all kinds of help with our Play on the Plaza events, on the second Saturday of each month.
  • We will have information tables or booths at all the major events:  at the Dore, Folsom and Bearrison Street fairs, and at beer busts, art shows and other occasions.
  • Other ways to help include sitting on one of our standing Committees, or being available at short notice for special projects.
  • Please check out our Volunteer Opportunities and Signup page, join our Volunteer Notification Mailing List, or write to manager@sflcd.org!

Walking Tours Offered


The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District is once again offering free walking tours of our fascinating and historic neighborhood.

Attendees tour SOMA for 90 minutes, learning how SOMA (South of Market) began attracting leather bars in the ’60’s, about the raucous exploits of the ’70’s when motorcycles lined the streets outside popular bars, and about today’s bar and clubs.

The tour runs about 90 minutes, and there are no hills.

Visit the SOMA Tours page for dates and other details, and to register.

CHHESS Report Finished

We are delighted to have completed the Cultural History, Housing, and Economic Sustainability Strategies (CHHESS) Report of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District.

The Report is the result of years of research and community engagement (thank you to everyone who took part in the focus groups or surveys) and work with City departments!

The Report was presented at a Board of Supervisors Committee hearing  on June 13, 2024, and received a unanimous Committee endorsement.  It will be voted upon by the full Board of Supervisors on June 25, and is expected to be signed by the Mayor shortly before after that.

At that Committee hearing, Bob Goldfarb, the Executive Director of the Cultural District, was presented with a Certificate of Honor by Supervisor Matt Dorsey, to recognize Bob’s “unwavering dedication and exceptional leadership” as a “steadfast champion for the city’s vibrant leather community”.

We invite you to read the report in full; however, the contents of the report were also presented at an open community forum on November 29, 2023.  You can view the presentation video, the presentation slideshow, or the presentation slideshow as a PDF.

 

Timely Reminders

 


The next online meeting of the Communications Committee will be Thursday, June 13, from 6 to 7 pm.  Communications Committee Zoom linkFacebook page. Contact the committee chair.


The next meeting of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Board of Directors will be Wednesday, June 19, from 6 to 8 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, use the Board of Directors Meeting Zoom link, or call 1-408-638-0968 and use Meeting ID: 847 8906 0820 and Passcode: 972086.    Facebook page.  Draft agenda (link coming soon).  Minutes of past Board meetings. Please contact manager@sflcd.org if you have questions.


The next meeting of the Arts and Culture Committee is scheduled for Thursday, June 27, from 6 to 7 pm.  Arts and Culture Committee Facebook page.  Please contact the Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!


There will not be an Erotic Storytelling Hour in June.  Come back in July to hear some provocative, graphic, sexy, titillating, and funny stories (and more) from selected writers of our community, hosted by award-winning author Sumiko Saulson. It’s fun, it’s naughty, it’s online.   Erotic Storytelling Hour information pageFacebook PageZoom link, Videos of some of our past evenings!  (Be 18+!)


The next online Diversity & Membership Committee meeting is set for Thursday, July 4, at 6 pm PDT.   Diversity & Membership Committee Zoom link. Facebook page.  Contact the Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!


The next Play on the Plaza is Saturday, July 13, from 12 noon to 5 pm, at Eagle Plaza (12th Street, between Folsom and Harrison). Vendors! Entertainment! Gear Swap!  Music!  Impact Play!  Play on the Plaza info. July 13 event info.  Facebook page coming soon.


The next online meeting of the Land Use Committee Meeting is set for Monday, July 8, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Land Use Committee Meeting Zoom Link. Facebook page.  Contact the committee chair.


The Fundraising Committee meets as needed.  Please contact the Fundraising Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!


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


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


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.  Subscribe to the SOMA West Community Benefit District newsletter.


San Francisco has ten Cultural Districts, each supporting a unique aspect of the City’s cultural mosaic You can learn about the San Francisco Cultural Districts Program, and subscribe to a Cultural Districts newsletter, published quarterly by the Mayor’s Office of Housing & Community Development.


We keep adding links to our Resource Guide page.  Use it!


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


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.


The next meeting of the Board of the Friends of Eagle Plaza is scheduled for Wednesday, June 12, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.  You can be added to the “Friends of Eagle Plaza” mailing list.  You can make a donation to the Friends of Eagle Plaza. You can like and follow them on Facebook.  You can learn more about the Plaza’s design, construction and stewardship on the Friends of Eagle Plaza website, or you can write to info@eagleplaza.org.

New Park Updates

We are very excited about the new Park that is being constructed by the City at Natoma and 11th Street, just a few feet north of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District.

Proposed eleventh and Natoma new park aerial view of existing buildings

The new park will include a half-basketball court, fitness area, children’s play area, tables and seating throughout.  It will offer folks a respite from the dense, urban environment, among lush plantings.

The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department solicited community input into naming the park, and we proposed that the park be named after Rachele Sullivan, one of the founders of our Cultural District and a prominent figure in SOMA’s Filipino community.

Several other names were proposed, including options to honor various representatives of the Leather, Filipino, and Disabled communities.

In two rounds of community surveys, Rachele Sullivan’s name emerged as the clear favorite, garnering more votes than all other options combined.

We believe that honoring Rachele Sullivan is a profoundly good choice, as she was a woman who proudly embodied the intersection of the queer, leather, Filipino, Indigenous, and disabled communities.

The final naming decision will be made by the Recreation and Park Commission.  At this time, we do not know when the hearing and vote will take place. (June 20, 2024 is one possible date.)  Please watch this page and/or join our SOMA Action Network, and we will let you know when and if your presence or other advocacy is needed.

 

Golden Dildeaux Awarded

The Woodys Awards Ceremony was held at the San Francisco Eagle on the evening of April 27, and the nominees, along with their friends and supporters, filled the Eagle patio to enjoy the finale of the Golden Dildeaux Award season, and to see who would get a Woody.  

2024 GOLDEN DILDEAUX AWARDS by Fire Dragon Photo

Hosts Dolan Wolf and Andres Campos carefully read the lists of nominees, and cheers greeted each award winner as they came forward to receive their statuettes, each accompanied by a golden envelope and a certificate confirming their victory.

District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey and Cultural District Director Bob Goldfarb contributed comments and drag performer Coco Buttah provided entertainment during breaks in the awards.

After all the awards were presented (see list of winners, below), a special additional Woody was given to Ben Perez for being the most successful fundraiser in a single category.

Overall, the 2024 Golden Dildeaux raised $14,877 for the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, which will be used to help keep SOMA kinky and queer.

The award celebration capped weeks of active and imaginative campaigning by nominees, leading to some spirited friendly competitions, and resulting in a diverse and enthusiastic group of award recipients.

View Fire Dragon Photo Gallery

Website (www.firedragonphoto.com)
Facebook (@firedragonphoto)
Instagram (@firedragonphotographer)
FetLife (@firedragonphoto)

View Photos by Dot

The Cultural District sends its thanks to the SF Eagle, Lex Montiel, Jeff Johnson, DJ Spazatronica, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Coco Buttah, Ken Berard, Mike Labriola, Lou Grosso, Jack Folchi, Cultural District Board members and volunteers, all the gracious and good-spirited candidates, and to everyone who voted.  

Here are the winners:

  Category Name Description Winner
1 The TOP of Them All The “They Who MUST BE OBEYED” Award Sumiko Saulson  Mauskaveli
2 Best in RUBBER The “Slippery When Wet” Award Austin LaCrosse
3 BEST LOOKING ASS in the Bay Area The “Full Moon” Award Joshua Munoz
4 QUEEREST OF THE QUEER The “Over the Rainbow” Award Star D
5 Best PUPPY HANDLER The “FETCH!” Award Mama Kat
6 FIERCEST FEMME The “Sexy Siren” Award Reika Minxie
7 Best LEATHER FASHIONISTA The “Brazen Runway” Award Kara P
8 Your FAVORITE SILVER FOX The “Hot Daddy” Award Dandy Buckley
9 Best IMPACT PLAYER-BOTTOM The “Black & Blue” Award Eric See
10 The HOTTEST CIGAR SMOKER The “Smoke Ring” Award Ray Middling
11 GOLDEN SHOWER Lover The “Fire Hydrant” Award David Hyman
12 Most VERSATILE Player The “Orange Hankie” Award Benji Michalek
13 Best CUDDLE BEAR The “Honey Pot” Award Daniel Huggybear Cherry
14 Best BOOTBLACK The “Spit Shine” Award Sky Russell
15 Biggest PIG The “Hole Hog” Award Pig Zero
16 HORSE HUNG Stud The “Dick of Death” Award Steve “Ox” Geist
17 Best PUPPY The “Best in Show” Award Pup Jake
18 BUTCHEST WOMAN The “Serious Swagger” Award Val Langmuir
19 NOVICE PLAYER of the Year The “Rookie” Award Raquel Stratton
20 Favorite BARE CHEST CALENDAR Guy The “Man of the Month” Award Ben Perez
21 Best Power FISTING-BOTTOM The “Golden Gape” Award Kevin Stone
22 Best INSTIGATOR The “Troublemaker” Award Drew Ward
23 Best Drag or Burlesque Performer The “Big Slay” Award Jamie Synn
24 BEST SEX in the Bay Area The “Orgasmatron” Award Austin LaCrosse
25 Biggest Fundraiser The “Wolf of Folsom Street” Award Ben Perez

 

March with Us in the Leather Contingent!

Photo of Leather Contingent in 2022 Pride Parade by David Hyman

Friends of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, and all members of the kink community, are invited to march with the Leather Pride Contingent in the Pride Parade on Sunday, June 30, 2024.

The latest info we have is that the Leather Contingent will be right in the middle of the parade.  Marchers should arrive between 11 am and 12 noon, and should gather in area N2, on Main Street between Mission and Howard Streets.  

Sign up for the Leather Contingent

Parade Update as of 6/20/2024:

Parade Plans as of 6/17/2024

Be sure to get your pin when you arrive at the start of the parade.
It will let you skip the line when you go to Leather Alley

Be sure to greet our distinguished Leather Marshals:

Please contact robert@sfbunny.com with questions about the Leather Contingent.

See you at the parade!