There is so much happening in San Francisco’s South of Market area this week, in advance of the Folsom Street Fair, that we don’t have room to list everything on our home page!
Rachele Sullivan Plaque Unveiling
A heart plaque honoring Rachele Sullivan has been installed in Eagle Plaza. We thought it appropriate to hold the official plaque unveiling during Leather Week.
Rachele, who died in 2022 at the age of 54, was a cis straight ally and leatherwoman, one of the founders of our Cultural District, and a prominent figure in SOMA’s Filipino community. Rachele also served on the board of Folsom Street, helping to launch Venus’ Playground, the women’s space at the Folsom Street Fair.
Please join the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District and Friends of Eagle Plaza on Tuesday, September 24, at 6 pm, in Eagle Plaza (in front of the San Francisco Eagle, 398 12th Street) to share your memories and stories of Rachele.
![](https://sfleatherdistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/RachelePin-final.png)
Artwork for Park
Artwork Proposals for Rachele Sullivan Park
![One of the three proposals for the fence of Rachele Sullivan Park](https://sfleatherdistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/11th-Natoma-Board-JMC-06-300x225.jpg)
The San Francisco Arts Commission is conducting a review process to choose a proposal for artist-designed fence panels for the perimeter of Rachele Sullivan Park, running along 11th Street between Minna and Natoma Streets.
Three artists/artist teams were chosen as finalists by a Public Art Review Panel to design site-specific proposals for this artwork opportunity. The artists/artist teams are: Juan Manuel Carmona, Ricardo Estella and Ethel Revita of Creativity Explored, and Jenifer Wofford.
Juan Manuel Carmona was one of the team that painted the Oasis mural “Showtime” and was one of the artists who displayed their work at the Pride Popup salon show last year with Heron Arts.
Please take a few minutes to review all three proposals, and provide your feedback to the Commission:
Comments may also be submitted via email to sfacpublicartcomment@sfgov.org.
The deadline for comments is 5 pm on Monday, September 30, 2024.
Public comments will be considered as part of the Final Review Panel meeting where the Panel will recommend one proposal for implementation. Please note that public comments do not constitute a vote.
The Final Review Panel meeting will take place remotely and will be open to the public. Watch this page, or www.sfartscommission.org, for meeting date and agenda.
For more information, please contact: sfacpublicartcomment@sfgov.org, or (415) 252-2100.
For more information on the Rachele Sullivan Park Project, please visit the project page.
Meet the Board!
The Cultural District’s annual elections took place in mid-August.
We would like to introduce our new board, existing staff, and historian as well as acknowledge our outgoing Directors.
Timely Reminders
Leather Week is September 22 – 29, 2024.
The next meeting of the Arts and Culture Committee is scheduled for Thursday, September 26, from 6 to 7 pm. Arts and Culture Committee Facebook page. Zoom link. Please contact the Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!
The Folsom Street Fair is Sunday, September 29, 2024, from 11 am to 6 pm. Folsom Street page.
The next online Diversity & Membership Committee meeting is set for Thursday, October 3, 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 online meeting of the Communications Committee will be Thursday, October 10, from 6 to 7 pm. Communications Committee Zoom link. Facebook page. Contact the committee chair.
The next Play on the Plaza is Saturday, October 12, from 12 noon to 5 pm, at Eagle Plaza (12th Street, between Folsom and Harrison). Vendors! Entertainment! Kink/Leather Gear Swap! Music! Impact Play hosted by Alta California Leather Corps (ACLC)! Spanking benches and crosses provided by The Communal Toy. Play on the Plaza info. October 12 event info. Play on the Plaza Facebook event.
The next meeting of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Board of Directors will be Wednesday, October 16, from 6 to 8 p.m. This is our Annual Meeting, and will welcome our newly-elected Board Members and new President. 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 (coming soon). Minutes of past Board meetings. Please contact manager@sflcd.org if you have questions.
The next online meeting of the Land Use Committee Meeting is set for Monday, October 14, 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, September 11, 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.
Volunteer Season!
The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District always needs volunteers, but during the summer, the need is particularly intense.
- We can use all kinds of help with our Play on the Plaza events, on the second Saturday of each month.
- We will be hosting two beer busts in September, promoting LeatherWalk.
- We will have information tables or booths at major events: including the Folsom Street and Bearrison fairs.
- 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!
Rachele Sullivan Park!
The SF Recreation and Parks Commission has voted unanimously to name the new park to be built at Natoma and 11th Street Rachele Sullivan Park, the name proposed and advocated for by the LEATHER District!.
The new 1/2 acre park, located just a few feet north of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, will include a half-basketball court, fitness area, children’s play area, and tables and seating throughout. It is being designed to serve the entire community, of all ages and levels of ability. A highly visible arts component will be included. The City has budgeted $12,775,000 for the park; construction should start next summer, and it hopes to be open to the public early in 2027.
We have been advocating for the park to be named after Rachele, one of the founders of our Cultural District and a prominent figure in SOMA’s Filipino community.
The Commission hearing on July 18 included a presentation on the naming process by Erica Waltemade of the SOMA West Community Benefit District, and moving statements from several of Rachele’s family members.
Other speakers included Cultural District Board Member David Hyman, and Cultural District Manager Cal Callahan, who served on the park’s naming committee and was important in consolidating community support for honoring Rachele in this way.
Letters of support from Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Folsom Street, Soma Pilipinas, the Transgender District, the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, the Cree First Nations, and us, along with the Commission’s own staff report, were clearly important to the Commissioners.
After a careful review of the process, and with heartfelt acknowledgement of Rachele and her family. the Commission’s vote was unanimous.
Read about the Commission hearing in the Bay Area Reporter, and learn more about the Park Project on the Rec & Park website.
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 was presented at a Board of Supervisors Committee hearing on June 13, 2024, and received a unanimous Committee endorsement. It was then unanimously approved by the full Board of Supervisors. The resolution adopting the CHHESS Report was signed by the Mayor on July 3, 2024.
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.
The CHHESS Report is the result of years of research and community engagement, and the Board extends its thanks to everyone who took part in creating it, including the organizers and participants in the focus groups and surveys, the research and drafting of the Report’s recommendations, and the extensive work with City departments to make it a reality!
Safety in SOMA
Here are a few generic safety suggestions:
- Pick up a free safety whistle at bars and other venues around the Cultural District!
- Blow three times if you need assistance.
- Narcan and fentanyl test strips provided by the Cultural District are also widely available.
- Please view this Overdose Prevention in Nightlife – Training Video, featuring Kochina Rude
- For emergency safety or medical issues, please dial 911.
- For non-emergency police matters, please call the SFPD at 415-553-0123.
- For outdoor cleanliness issues please use https://sf311.org/ — The Soma West CBD will receive the notification, and get on it ASAP.
- For graffiti removal, or other cleanliness- or safety-related services, visit somawestcbd.org/services.
- If you are visiting from a location without dedicated bike lanes, be extra alert wherever you see green pavement markings.
- Respect pedestrian crosswalk lights and “no pedestrian crossing” signs.
- Be respectful and polite to people on the street, but remain alert.
- Before you leave with someone you meet in a bar, introduce them to a friend, an event host, a bartender, or the door security staff, and listen to any feedback they may offer about them.
- Do not leave your beverage unattended.
- Be part of the solution.
Play on the Plaza: September
PLAY ON THE PLAZA!
Saturday, September 14, Noon to 5pm
At Eagle Plaza
(12th Street, Folsom to Harrison)
Wear your Gear!
Join us for Play on the Plaza, and 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!
SF Queer Leather Happy Hour
15 Year Anniversary Block Party
Impact Play Area
Impact Play Host:
Queer Leather Happy Hour
Spanking Benches and Crosses will be available,
provided by:
![The Communal Toy](https://sfleatherdistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/TheCommunalToy_Color-Text-Cross-Logo-300x232.png)
IMPACT PLAY Host: Queer Leather Happy Hour! Special 15 Year Anniversary.
Special Performances: Twisted Windows
Demo schedule:
1:30pm – Shay Tiziano
2:00pm – DangerBones & elizamante
2:30pm – Naturalturn & Jade_Viper
3:00pm – Squeeks & Jackson
3:30pm – Alicia T-Corn & KleineVosje
4pm – Shay & Angel
Spanking benches and crosses available for signup, provided by Communal Toys.
Kink/Leather Gear Swap: shop, consign or donate items.
Kink/Fetish Gear & Art
Find new gear or art from our vendors!
Aphy Charcoal
Artwork by Cricket
Downtown Armor
Filthy Studios
Hernandez Chiropractic
Legacy Tarot
Leather Legends
RR Modern
Two Bald Guys Art
Free Admission! Donations welcome!
This is an adult (18+) event.
KINK / FETISH VENDOR MART
Vendor Info
GEAR SWAP
Shop for a deal!
Bring leather or kinky gear, toys or clothing for consignment or donation.
Gear Swap Info
See who else is coming by checking Plura (formerly known as Bloom)!
Consensual impact play is welcome
Alas, sex play is not
LeatherWalk 2024 is Coming!
Step Out for LeatherWalk 2024 – City Hall to SOMA on Sunday, September 22
View: LeatherWalk 2024 Schedule
LeatherWalk 2024 will take place on Sunday, September 22. Join us for this annual fundraiser, celebration and march for visibility.
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Gather at 11:00 am – City Hall, Polk Street Steps
Step Off 11:30 am
Ends at Eagle Plaza at 3:00 pm during the Eagle’s Leather Pride Fest
Register for / Donate to LeatherWalk 2024!
LeatherWalk is an exciting opportunity for visibility and fun, as community members help raise $22,000 to support the District’s Leather Legacy Landmarks sidewalk plaques initiative, honoring iconic SOMA locations that started serving the community in the 1960s. We plan to install plaques at 77 historic locations. Key plaques will be featured on the District’s guided walking tours, new dates coming soon.
Watch: Sister Roma Invites you to LeatherWalk 2024!
Bring Your Kink. Step Out. Give Back.
Add LeatherWalk to your Google Calendar
Celebrate Our Community —Bring Your Kink: Get your gear on (or don’t!) and join fellow leather, kink, and queer community members to celebrate our vibrant heritage, foster community spirit, and encourage authentic self-expression.
Be Visible — Step Out: Step Out and be visible as we proudly walk to protect our leather, kink, and queer spaces. Revel in community! Entertainment, and refreshments stops from City Hall to Eagle Plaza for the raising of the Leather Pride Flag.
Protect Our Legacy — Give Back: Choose to Give Back by fundraising or donating. Your support helps fund the bronze sidewalk plaques in our Leather Legacy Landmarks initiative.
Walk for Fun!
Walkers register (free) and aren’t required to fundraise. Simply sign-up, bring your kink (if you like), and join the fun!
Walk & Fundraise!
Help raise funds for our Leather Legacy Landmarks sidewalk plaques.
Create or Join a Team!
Individual fundraisers, community organizations, and businesses are encouraged to create Teams for friendly fundraising rivalries.
Register to join or create a team!
Or Sit and Donate!
Donations are always welcome from the comfort of your home or phone.
Donate to the Leather Legacy Landmarks Initiative
Donate to the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District!
Fundraising Support from Experts
These fundraising efforts are supported by the knowledgeable technology specialists at Do Good Stuff, who will coach and support Team Captains and Individual Fundraisers to reach their fundraising goals.
Volunteer for LeatherWalk 2024
We look forward to walking with you on September 22!