Author: AdminSFLD

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Timely Reminders

The next online meeting of the Communications Committee will be Thursday, January 9, from 6 to 7 pm.  Communications Committee Zoom link.  Facebook page. Contact the committee chair.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District will hold a Town Hall on Saturday, January 11, 2025, starting at 2 pm, at the Folsom Street Community Center, 1286 Folsom Street, in San Francisco. Learn what the Cultural District has been doing, hear our plans for the year to come, and give us feedback.  Your opinions matter to us!  Enjoy refreshments! It’s free, and everyone is welcome!

The next meeting of the Diversity & Membership Committee will be on Thursday, January 13, from 6 to 7 pm.  Diversity & Membership Committee Facebook event.  Diversity & Membership Committee Zoom link.  Contact the Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!

The next meeting of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Board of Directors will be Wednesday, January 15, 2025, 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 (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, January 23, 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 next meeting of the Land Use Committee is set for Monday, February 3, 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!

The next meeting of the Board of the Friends of Eagle Plaza is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Meeting Zoom Link. 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.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Anniversary Block Party will happen on Saturday, May 10, 2025, from  12pm – 3pm, in Ringold Alley,  Mark your calendar now, and watch for full information.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Night Market will happen on Saturday, June 21, 2025, from 5 to 10 pm.  Mark your calendar now, and watch for full information.

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.

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Safety in SOMA

Did You Know SOMA WEST Has A Safety Patrol? Read below!
SOMA West has a dedicated Safety Patrol, with uniformed Safety Ambassadors on bikes patrolling the neighborhood as part of its Clean & Safe Initiatives. These ambassadors provide a highly visible presence and serve as the eyes and ears of the San Francisco Police Department, helping to deter crime and maintain community safety.
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the Safety Ambassadors handle street disorder response, trespass enforcement, alarm response, security escorts, and referrals to human service programs. Their constant presence and close communication with local police help deter panhandling, crime, and vandalism.
For assistance, call 1.888.415.SOMA (7662):
Dial 1 for Service
Dial 2 for Security
Dial 3 to Leave a Message.

 

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.  Repeat as needed.
    • Blow your whistle when you spot danger.
    • If you hear a whistle, move towards the sound.  Call 911 if serious.  Add your whistle to the sounds if safe to do so.
  • Narcan and fentanyl test strips provided by the Cultural District are also widely available.
  • 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.
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Board Elections Coming Soon

We are a membership organization; our members elect our Board of Directors and our President. Three Board seats (each for a three-year term) and the Board President (for a one-year term) are elected each year.

You could be on the ballot. Now is the time to consider running.

Nominations open on July 3, 2024, and close at 5:00 pm Pacific Time on Friday, August 2, 2024.  

Being a Director of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District means having a voice in the future of our South of Market neighborhood: helping it to thrive during current challenges and remain the vibrant, safe, and uniquely kinky space we all love and enjoy.

For more information, or to nominate yourself, please review the full information on our Nominations Page.

Full information

Nomination Form

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Erotic Storytelling Hour!


Erotic Storytelling Hour

Between 2020 and 2024, the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District regularly hosted an hour of erotic, sexy, and funny readings by local (and sometimes internationally-known) writers.

The events were curated and hosted by Sumiko Saulson, a Bram Stoker Nominated poet for their 2022 collection The Rat King: A Book of Dark Poetry (Dooky Zines), and an award-winning author of Afrosurrealist and multicultural sci-fi and horror whose latest novel Happiness and Other Diseases is available on Mocha Memoirs Press.

Initially created to provide social connection during the pandemic, the Hour continued, providing an audience (and a small stipend) to local authors, and offering listeners a window on the variety of kinks and pleasures that bring joy to our diverse queer community.   

Erotic Storytelling Hour Video Archive (18+ Only)

Info about all our wonderful Erotic Storytellers!

If you enjoy listening, please become a member of the Cultural District: https://join.sflcd.org