Author: David Hyman

The Leather Contingent for the 2023 pride Parade on June 25 is now being organized by Robert Makowka, taking over from Jason Husted who has coordinated it for many years.

All members of the kink community are invited to join the contingent and march in the Parade in their proudest gear.

At least 14 volunteers will be needed to act as Contingent Monitors, and the training video for the parade is now available.  If you wish to volunteer, you must watch the video at:

Here are a few important dates to mark in your 2023 calendar:

• LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Board Meetings:  5/17, 6/21, 7/19, 8/16, 9/20, 10/18, etc.
• SOMA Second Saturdays:  6/10, 7/8, 8/12, 9/9, etc.
• Vote for Pride Parade Leather Marshals:  June 4
• Leather Contingent in SF Pride Parade: June 25
• SF Eagle Leather Pup Contest:  July 22
• Up Your Alley Street Fair:  July 30
• LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Annual Meeting:  August 16
• Bay Area Cub Contest:  August 20
• Mr. San Francisco Bear 2024:  August 17-20
• SF Bay Area Leather Alliance Weekend: September 7-10
• Mr. SF Leather and Mx. SF Leather Contests:  September 9
• LeatherWalk 2023:  September 17
• Leather Pride Fest 2023:  September 17
• Leather Week:  September 17-24
• Folsom Street Fair:  September 24
• Bearrison Street Fair:  October 14

All dates are subject to change.

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Pride Pop-Up Art Show

at Heron Arts
7 Heron Street
Exhibition Dates: June 2nd- June 14th, 2023
Opening Reception: June 2nd, 6-9 pm
Facebook Page is here

Heron Arts, in collaboration with The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District and Oasis Arts is pleased to announce the group exhibition Pride Pop-Up Show.

The exhibition will be a salon style show featuring artwork by local LGBTQ artists and will be a celebration of the beginning of Pride month, as well as a celebration of the cultural heritage of the LGBTQ+ community in the SoMa neighborhood where Heron Arts is located.

The exhibition will be on view at Heron Arts from June 2nd until June 14th, 2023. The opening reception for Pride Pop- Up Show will feature DJ Trevor Sigler and Oasis performer Kochina Rude.  The reception takes place on Friday June 2nd, 2023, from 6-9 pm and is free and open to the public.

Participating Artists:

Adam Caldwell, Aleckzander Anthony, Alex Prestia, Diego Gomez, Dorian Katz, Elliott C Nathan, Favianna Rodriguez, Gloria Polo, J Manuel Carmona, Jonesy, Josh Katz, Justin Hall, Kegan Marling,  Phil Chanin (Glitter Moonbeam), Serge Gay Jr., and Tanya Wischerath.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District is proud to partner with Heron Arts and Oasis Arts in creating this event, with invaluable assistance from Soma West CBD.

Heron Arts was founded in 2013 by Mark Slee, an active member of San Francisco’s creative community, organizing events since the mid-2000s. He is joined in 2015 by director Tova Lobatz, who is pursuing ambitious programming that encompasses installations and experiential, interactive environments, alongside traditional gallery exhibitions. Collectively they hope to provide San Francisco with a fresh outlook on contemporary beauty in the arts.

Oasis Arts supports artists through collaboration, development, and mentorship by providing tools, venue space, resources and equipment to enable LGBTQ and BIPOC artists to create innovative and diverse art.

Partnering with Oasis Nightclub and leveraging the seven year history of the queer arts scene. Oasis Arts will elevate diversity and bring vibrant art to the community by embracing participation across generations, cultural backgrounds, and individual expressions.  They are committed to uplifting the voices of the historically suppressed, disenfranchised, and forgotten LGBTQ and BIPOC community by providing a platform to present artistic expression.

Heron Arts is located at 7 Heron St, off of 8th Street near Harrison, in South of Market San Francisco.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District is launching the third cohort of its Entrepreneur Training Program, a 9-week program to help leather community folk start and build their businesses.

The program is led by Eddie Tang of Above Consulting, a seasoned San Francisco business consultant, and features Zoom-based group sessions and one-on-one consultations.  At the end of the 9 weeks, participants will present their business plan to a panel of local business leaders, experts, and potential funders.  Those who complete the program will each receive a $500 grant to help with their startup costs.

Two cohorts of this program have now graduated; the third cohort will began on Thursday, June 22, 2023.

If you wish to apply for this program, please complete this application form.   Click here for full info!

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District and Kochina Rude offered a free and open-to-the-public Narcan Training & Overdose Prevention Workshop, on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at the SF Oasis, 298 11th Street, in San Francisco.

The training was provided by Kochina Rude with support from Randy Maupin and taught the 45 attendees how to Identify an overdose, administer nasal naloxone (Narcan), and practice harm reduction in gay nightlife.

Free Narcan and fentanyl test strips were provided to attendees, along with “I Carry Narcan” badges.

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