Author: David Hyman

We hope you participated, and had fun. 

Look for us again at the FOLSOM STREET FAIR.  

If not, see below for info about what you missed…. 

---

Are you already at Up Your Alley?  Then 

Click here to enter the KEEP SOMA KINKY Arcade!

(Open Sunday, 7/26/2020, 11 am to 6:00 pm PT)

---

It’s the last Sunday of July, and that means it’s time for UP YOUR ALLEY!

And this year its in YOUR Alley!

Dance naked with the folks of Joie de Vivre, cruise via Recon or Nasty KinkyPigs, browse through a 3D vendor mart, enjoy DJs, Dancers, Demos, and…

Visit the 100% Interactive, 100% Kinky, 92.5% fun:

“Keep SOMA Kinky” Arcade

(Why only 92.5% fun?  Well, we have one Zoom breakout room set aside for serious discussion and opinion-sharing about the future of our neighborhood and community.)

So enter at 

UPYOURALLEY.ORG

and look for us in the “Cruise / Play” Area.

(If you have already entered the fair, great!  Click here to enter the Arcade.)

---

Sign Up to Volunteer!

View “Teaser” Video

Go to the Fair!

---

The Arcade Experience

When you enter the arcade via Zoom, you will be welcomed into the “Keep SOMA Kinky” Lobby, where the Host will make light banter with all guests.  Feel free to chat with other guests via public or private text chat.    From time to time, the Host will launch a round of:

SOMA Trivia:  Guests answer questions to earn points:  One point for a True/False question, three points for Multiple Choice, or five points for Jeopardy-style.  Keep going until you get one wrong.  The points you’ve earned will be remembered, and the high score each hour wins a prize!

Of course, you can’t win unless you’ve given your name and email address (via private chat) to our RoomMaster, who also can help you select and enter any of our currently-open Kinky Rooms.

At any given time, we might have available:

KSK Discussion:  A serious room, hosted by kink community leaders, where we discuss topics like “SOMA after Covid”, “BDSM and BLM”  or “A Leather Community Center?”  We want your opinions!

BDSM Demos:  Living-together couples (or individuals, or pods of any size) demonstrating their favorite ways of playing.   Questions or suggestions from guests MAY be responded to if you ask nicely.

Porn Riffing:  A volunteer will screen-share classic or specially-favorite kinky porn, with the sound off, and invite guests to join them in “riffing” (a la MST3k) with snarky comments or dialog.

Private Play:  Feeling submissive?  Negotiate with a dominant-looking stranger in the Lobby, then ask the RoomMaster to transport you both into a private Consent Cubicle, where you will be expected to obey their orders.  (Keep it safe, sane and consensual, people!)

You can leave and return to your assigned Breakout Room as often as you like.  (Or ask the RoomMaster to reassign you to a different room.)  Stay as long as you like, unless we get close to 100 people in the Arcade, in which case you may get booted out.  Thanks for playing!

Sound like fun?  It will be! Please RSVP on our Facebook Event –And while you are there, invite your friends!
As you know, Up Your Alley is going virtual this year, with an interactive multimedia online festival on Sunday, July 26, 202, from 11 am to 6 pm.  There will be stages with music and gogo dancers, a cruising area, a vendor space, and so on.

And somewhere in the “Edutainment” midway you will find the “KEEP SOMA KINKY” Arcade, created by the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, staffed by volunteers like you!

Sign Up to Volunteer!

View “Teaser” Video

Go to the Fair!

---

Volunteers needed:

Sign Up to Volunteer!

Optional Volunteer Practice Sessions: 
Saturday, 7/25/2020
Starting at 2:00  and 6:00 p.m., and lasting as long as needed.
To participate, join the Zoom Meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89666872534?pwd=emxyM2s0alBCUnpOR1FyVUJBM3I1UT09. 
You can also call in at 1 408 638 0968 US (San Jose) and enter Meeting ID: 896 6687 2534, Password: 949928 if you just want to chat.
Additional Practice Sessions can be scheduled on request.

We need volunteers to act as a Lobby Host and QuizMaster.  Lobby hosts will greet guests as they enter, and host the SOMA Trivia Quiz.  Hosts should be relatively glib and friendly, and at least a little familiar with SOMA history and leather culture.   

We need volunteers to act as a RoomMaster.  RoomMasters should be experienced with Zoom Breakout Rooms, private chat, and other Zoom features.

We need Discussion Leaders for the KSK Discussion Room.  Each leader should sign up for a specific one-hour time slot and a specific topic, so we can announce schedules online.  (Additional co-leaders may be assigned to some discussions.)  Volunteers will be given co-host status before entering the room, so that they can mute unruly guests, etc.  Volunteers should be good listeners; if they are opinionated and/or well-known and respected in the community, even better.

We need BDSM demo volunteers.  We are particularly looking for couples or pods who are already playing together during Shelter in Place.  Individuals who can do creative scenes alone, and couples who are capable of demoing BDSM without violating SiP safety, are also welcome.  You can do an erotic / kinky encounter, a skill-share session, or anything in between.  Timing is flexible:  while we would like folks to commit to a specific time block, volunteers need to simply enter the Arcade and identify themselves to the RoomMaster, who will give them co-host status, create the Breakout Room for them, and after a few minutes begin to admit guests into that Room.

We need volunteers to act as Porn Riffing hosts.  Volunteers should have a fair amount of suitable porn on their computer, and be comfortable using Zoom to screen-share it.  Porn used should NOT be recent, modern, commercial porn where our showing it might violate copyright:  Older, even vintage kinky porn would be ideal.  A slideshow-style display of still images would also work.  Ideally the volunteer should be capable of riffing on the porn, at least sufficiently to get guests doing it.

All volunteers need to be comfortable knowing that screen-capture or recording by guests of their participation is possible.  Volunteers are urged to dress interestingly, and to provide suitable real or virtual backgrounds for themselves.   This will be an adult (18+) space, so self-censorship is not required.  

Volunteers who sign up using the link below will receive emails with details of how to log on and enter the Arcade.   Additional materials for volunteers are available here:

• • • Tips for Volunteers
    • Scripts for Lobby Hosts (QuizMasters) and RoomMasters

If you would like to volunteer, please click here:

Sign Up to Volunteer!

If you have problems with the Volunteer Form…
Or if the slot you want is full…
Or if you have questions or concerns…
Or have ideas to suggest…
Or want to discuss details of your participation…

…Please contact David Hyman directly via
email (arts-chair@sflcd.org),
phone or text (1-415-652-6790), or
Facebook (facebook.com/davidhyman415).  

 

---

Submit Your Questions!

Oh yes, we also need questions for the trivia quiz.  They can be True/False, Multiple Choice or Jeopardy Style (Answers/Questions), and they can cover SOMA history and geography, our clubs and bars, artists, musicians or other important people,  movies, culture, BDSM practices and safety, etc. etc.  Send me as many as you can.  Please be sure to include the answers.  

//

Teaser VIDEO Script:

(carnival music under)

Step right up, folks and enter the “Keep Soma Kinky” Arcade.  Fun for everyone over 18.  Play a game of SOMA Trivia and win a prize!  Watch a live BDSM demo from the comfort and safety of your own computer.  Join a serious discussion about the future of our neighborhood!  Make like Tom Servo and riff on some classic kinky porn!  Or, if you’re really daring, hook up with a total stranger and enter a Consent Cubicle for a  one-on-one  lesson in obedience!   It’s all free, brought to you by the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District.  It’s the “Keep SOMA Kinky” Arcade!  Step right up!

Ferris wheel footage courtesy of Videvo
Music “Circus Tent” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

On Saturday, May 9, 2020, the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District celebrated its second anniversary, joining with others in the Bay Area’s queer, leather and kink communities for an online celebration called BALL Gag.  The event featured live and silent auctions of dozens of leather-themed items, emceed by Lenny Broberg, plus performances from Midori, Justin Hall, Danny Nyugen, Sadie Payne, Star D. Love, Shay Tiziano, and Eye Zen Presents.

The BALL Gag event also included three exciting contests,  for Best Beverage, Best Outfit, & Best Pastry, sponsored by the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District in celebration of its 2nd anniversary!

Contest 1:
Prepare a special beverage for yourself.  It can be hard or soft, hot or cold, served in a crystal goblet or a dog dish.  Make a short video showing you presenting the beverage, describing it, and sampling it.  

Contest 2:
Dress up for the event. Your outfit can be an amusing costume or just sexy gear.  Make a short video of you describing and modeling it.

Contest 3:
Prepare a birthday cake, cupcake or any other pastry or dessert.  Make a short video of you presenting your pastry, describing it, and sampling it.

Contest Results:

The coveted “LCD Award for Best Beverage” went to Patty,  IMsL 2014 and the beverage “Cherry Wood Smoked Chocolate Martini”.

• • • • In a shaker with some ice mix equal parts white creme de cacao and vanilla vodka.
      • On a surface that can handle fire (such as a marble slab), gather a small pile of cherry wood chips.
      • Using a kitchen torch or another butane source (such as a cigar lighter), set the cherry wood chips on fire then extinguish the flames by placing an overturned martini glass over them capturing the smoke.- 
      • Once filled with the smoke, flip the glass over and quickly pour the cocktail in the glass.
      • Ideally you place some flat over the top of the glass (like a plate) and trap the remaining smoke in with the liquid to better infuse the drink (I did not do this step in the video for the sake of time).
      • When it looks like the smoke has been absorbed into the drink, garnish with the chocolate of your choice and enjoy!

The winner of the coveted “LCD Award for Best Outfit” was Purple Anon and her Diamond Rope Harness.

The much-lusted after “LCD Award for Best Pastry ” went to Bob Goldfarb for his concoction, the De-floured Chocolate Cake.

Defloured Chocolate Cake
(Modified from David Lebovitz, Ready for Dessert)
Makes one 9-inch (23-cm) cake; 10 to 12 servings

• • • • Cocoa powder, for preparing the pan
      • 10 ounces (280 g) 70% chocolate (e.g. Valrhona Guanaja), chopped
      • 3/4 cup (6 ounces/173 g) salted butter (e.g. Lurpak or Plugra), cut into pieces
      • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (e.g. Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla)
      • 6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
      • 1/2 cup (100 g) plus 2 tablespoons (30 g) granulated sugar
      • 2 tablespoons (20 g) cocoa nibs (optional)
      • confectioners’ sugar, for dusting the cake (optional)
      • Mini Handcuffs, 2”x3” Leather Pride flag, Mini Leather jacket, Mini aluminum butt plug, and slivers of a LGBTQ Pride flag sticker for decoration!

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (175° C).  Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch (23-cm) spring-form pan, dust it with a bit of cocoa powder, and tap out any excess.
   2. Place the chocolate, butter and espresso in a large heatproof bowl.  Set over a small saucepan of simmering water and using a spatula, stir until the chocolate and butter has melted and the mixture is smooth.  Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the vanilla; set aside.
   3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks and the 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and creamy, about 1 minute.
   4. Place the egg whites in a clean, dry bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites on low speed until they begin to hold their shape.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 g) granulated sugar and whisk on high speed until the whites hold soft peaks.
   5. Fold the beaten egg yolks into the melted chocolate mixture, then fold in half of the whipped egg whites.  Fold in the remaining whites, folding just until there are no visible streaks of egg whites. Don’t overfold.
   6. Pour the batter into the prepared spring-form pan, sprinkle with cocoa nibs (if using), and bake until the cake feels as though it’s just barely set in the center, about 25 – 30 minutes. (It shouldn’t feel too firm.)  Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
   7. Run a knife around the sides of the cake to help loosen it from the pan. Release the sides of the pan and dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar (if using).
   8. Slide the cake onto a cake plate.
   9. Place decorative items on top, serve.

Congratulations to you, and thanks to all the contestants who mixed, dressed or baked, and to everyone who watched, voted, and donated during BALL Gag.  And Happy Birthday to the LCD!

The FRIENDS OF EAGLE PLAZA will meet on Tuesday evening, February 25, 2020, from 6 to 8 pm, at the SF Eagle, 398 12th Street, in San Francisco.

Anyone 21+ is welcome, even if you haven’t been involved up to now.

An interesting question was posted to the Facebook Page, and since other folks may have similar concerns, I thought it might be useful to post it here, with my reply. 

Question:
I hope you can help me with a few questions as I try to figure out how to participate in the District.

I have looked on Facebook, leather Alliance website and sfleatherdistrict.org, but I’m still confused about how to find information on policies of the district.

For example, where do I find minutes of the last board meeting? Also, Bob announced at the last general meeting that the Manager (CEO) needed to be in place by September 9, but aside from a personal phone call from Bob, I have seen no public statements about the position or selection process. Where can I find an update?

I’m also very eager to learn about the process for hiring consultants, which seem like critical resources on the critical path for the District. Is the board making progress on recruiting procedures to assure transparency in the process os recruiting diverse and well qualifies applications for this position?

Finally, why does the district emphasize the Mission and Vision Sections of the Purpose section of the Bylaws, omitting the Principles Of Governance Sub-Section , which focus on public benefit and participating in a “transparent, inclusive, collaborative, accountable and viable manner.”?

I’m impressed that committee chairs’ email addresses are widely available, but it seems the communication strategy is quite private, and organized access to historic documents regarding the District’s procedures and policies may not be as easy to find. I hope this is due to my lack of technical savvy and you can point me to where I can find historic archives.

Answer:
Thanks for asking. Let me try to give you some answers.

There is a lot on the Web site, so it can sometimes be hard to find stuff. A good place to start is the Welcome page. This page has lots of useful links , such as to the Meetings page (which has links to minutes and videos), and the Bylaws,  where you can find all the policies we have officially created to date.  Expect links to any additional policies or procedures documents to be included here, and also announced widely.

Board meetings are open to the public, and are announced on our Calendar and Web site, and via emails to folks on our email list. Minutes of Board meetings will be made public once they are approved by the Board, typically at the following meeting. They will be linked from the home page of the Web site as that happens.

A Cultural District Manager has been selected, and their name will be made public as soon as the hiring letters are signed. They have already started attending meetings to get up to speed. The selection process was discussed in detail at the last two community meetings, and the Job Description and other details were on the Web site. (To avoid confusing folks, those links are no longer on the site, but the JD is still viewable at jobs.sflcd.org).

Hiring our consultants is high on the priority list of activities for the new Cultural District Manager and Board, and the search for qualified consultants will be broadly publicized, I am sure.

I don’t know how to fully answer your “Why…” question; The Vision and Mission Statements were approved at an early Community Meeting, and have been very broadly publicized and used whenever we are asked for our “Mission”. Other parts of our Bylaws are also very important to us, and are in no sense “omitted”.

Regarding access to documents, I have regularly encouraged folks to sign up for their own sflcd.org account, which allows them to easily browse the documents on our organization’s GDrive at https://drive.sflcd.org. (“For easier access to our files and email, you can request an “@sflcd.org” email account by writing to help@sflcd.org.”)

The Gdrive holds shared drives and folders for our various Committees and Projects, Our new Board Secretary plans to make it a priority to re-organize those documents, renaming many of them more consistently and identifying older, deprecated, and draft versions as such.

Folks without an sflcd.org account still have access to most of the documents in the Drive, but may need to find a link to them, either on our Web site, in old emails, or by requesting such a link from a Committee chair, Board member, etc.

Let me add that your active participation in the District is as important now as before the Board was elected, and that regular public reporting (via email blasts, posts on our Facebook page, etc.) will be a priority for the Board (as well as being mandated by our Bylaws and city policies).  Please watch for specific invitations to join new Committees as they are formed, and please do contact us directly (e.g. at President@sflcd.org or board@sflcd.org) about matters that you feel require our attention, projects that you would like to provide leadership on, or anything else.

I hope this is helpful. Thanks very much for your question. Unless you object, I plan to post your question, and this reply, to our Web site. Best regards,

David Hyman
Outreach Committee Co-Chair