Author: David Hyman

The Up Your Alley Fair is back in its full-strength version!

Sunday, July 31, 2022
11 am – 6 pm

Head for the infamous corner of Folsom and Dore.

Dive into San Francisco’s notorious, kinky, leather block party!

Wear your gear, your leather, or your birthday suit; just come out and help keep SOMA kinky and queer!

Visit the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District booth, next to the Folsom Street Merchandise booth
at the corner of Folsom and Dore.

Visit folsomstreet.org for info.

Check out the Andymatic Up Your Alley/Dore Weekend Party Guide 2022 for more fun.

Bring proof of vaccination, and an open mind.

Clementina Street’s New Glimmer 

A new sculptural lighting installation by local artist Josh Hubert, entitled “Glimmer”, is now on display on Clementina and 8th Street, in the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District of San Francisco.

Stop by (after dark, for true impact), and see this delightful creation, which not only brings art into our District, but also adds light for greater public safety and activation.  We are told that there are some final details still being worked on, and that when completed, the lights will be fully programmable for special occasions like holidays and events.

Glimmer may be seen as a companion piece to Shimmer, another colorful and kinetic work currently on display at the intersection of Kearny and Broadway in North Beach.

Glimmer was made possible by the SOMA West Community Benefit District, with the cooperation of the owners and managers of the adjacent buildings, Google Webpass and SF Moto.

The image above (provided by SOMA West) only gives you a general idea of the thing; really, go and see it yourself!

A fascinating interview with key staff and volunteers of the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District was conducted on July 14 by Vas Kiniris, Business Development Director for Next-SF, as part of the “Square Celebrates SF Cultural Districts” series.  

The panelists — Shayne Watson, Jonathan Ojinaga, Bob Goldfarb, and Cal Callahan — talked about the work of the Cultural Districts in preserving local cultures, shared some fun historical tidbits about SOMA, and shared about how they would spend an ideal afternoon (and evening!) in the District.

You can watch the recordings of the webinar here:

• Highlights Reel:  https://youtu.be/IeojFbR-jyg
• Full Recording:  https://youtu.be/41dCrpNx49Q

San Francisco LGBTQ+ Pride returned to the streets, with a two-day in-person celebration in Civic Center and the historic Pride Parade down Market Street on Sunday.

The dates were June 25-26, 2022, the theme was “Love Will Keep Us Together”, and of course the LEATHER and LGBTQ Cultural District was there, marching in the parade with the Leather Contingent and hosting a booth at the Celebration.

Here are a few pictures and videos of the Leather Contingent in the Parade, taken by David Hyman