Unity Town Hall Announced

LGBTQ+ Black Lives Matter
Unity Town Hall

October 17th & October 18th, 1:00 – 3:00 PM

We live in a period where social contradictions have been laid bare by the racism in our communities: ongoing murder of black people by police, mass incarceration, high unemployment, lack of access to health care, climate crisis, voter suppression, a broken system of education, and COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on Black, Indigenous and POC communities. As same-gender-loving and LGBTQ+ community members let’s unite to make things right.

In this virtual town hall panelists and participants, will break out in small groups to explore:

      • Where does it hurt? The injury to the individual and community from racism, internalized oppression and unconscious/implicit bias.
      • How addressing anti-black bias will benefit all people. Who benefits from crises if unchecked? Who benefits when we “other” each other?

REGISTER ONLINE

Organized by Openhouse’s Leadership Council on Queerness, Race, and Privilege – a member-initiated working group
Openhouse

Friends of the Lyon-Martin House Formed

Members of LGBTQ+ communities in the Bay Area have formed a Friends of the Lyon-Martin House group to preserve the longtime home of pioneering lesbian activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon on Duncan Street in San Francisco, which recently sold for $2.25M. Lyon and Martin purchased the property in 1955 and lived there together until Del Martin’s death; Phyllis Lyon lived on in the house until her passing earlier this year.

A “Friends of the Lyon-Martin House” team has been created, including Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, the GLBT Historical Society, and San Francisco Heritage, to ensure that this property is designated a San Francisco Landmark and preserved as one of San Francisco’s most iconic cultural sites.

Check out the new website for the Friends of the Lyon-Martin House: https://www.friends-of-the-lyon-martin-house.com/.

While on the site, you can sign a letter to the Board of Supervisors and Historic Preservation Commission, which will be submitted to the Board of Supervisors in advance of their 10/19 hearing.

Please share the website and letter — created by Grete Miller — with your communities.  Thank you.

Happy Folsom Street Fair Sunday!

We hope you enjoyed the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District’s 

Keep SOMA Kinky Arcadefeaturing our first-ever Fetish Runway!
on Sunday, September 27. 2020 

Hope to see you in person next year!

Click here for our Schedule

Click here for the Folsom Street Fair Web site


Click here for Arcade Info

Click here for Full Fetish Runway Rules


Meet our celebrity Masters of Ceremonies :

AJ Huff 
AJ Huff is a kinky, diverse, rubber and leather fetishist. He’s the current elected Mr. Rubber San Francisco 2020 and also the incumbent Mr. Powerhouse Leather 2019.
11:00 am – 1:30 p.m.
Ashlé Blow
Member and lover of San Francisco’s Queer and kink communities.
4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
mrPam
Award-winning gay adult filmmaker and GayPornMama
1:30 – 4:00 p.m.

    “KEEP SOMA KINKY” ARCADE SCHEDULE:

      

    Activity 11 am – 12 noon 12 noon – 1:00 1:00 – 2:00 2:00 – 3:00 3:00 – 4:00 4:00 – 5:00 5:00 – 6:00
    Master of Ceremonies AJ Huff:
    11:00 to 1:30
    Mr. Pam:
    1:30 to 4:00
    Ashlé Blow: 
    4:00 to 6:00
    SOMA Trivia with Cash Prizes Main Room Main Room Main Room Main Room Main Room
    Fetish Runway Main Room Main Room
    Control and Consent Play  Consent Cubicles Consent Cubicles Consent Cubicles Consent Cubicles Consent Cubicles Consent Cubicles
    Porn Riffing MST 2020 Room MST 2020 Room MST 2020 Room MST 2020 Room
    Fetish Runway Participants 1:45 Prep in Green Room
    2:00 Present in Main Room
    4:00 Judges Deliberate in Green Room

     

    Present your Kinky Creation on the Fetish Runway!

    Do you like to design, build, or model erotic or outrageous outfits or gear?

    Do you enjoy creating kinky toys or fetish items, and showing them off?

    Then step up and join our Fetish Runway, at the “Keep SOMA Kinky” Arcade, an interactive, 18+ part of the Virtual Folsom Street Fair, coming to you online on Sunday, September 27, 2020!

    See full info about the “Keep SOMA Kinky” Arcade here.

    You may enter in either or two ways:  “Enter with Video” or “Present Live on Zoom”.

    Enter with a Video — Deadline Extended! 

    To enter with a video, prepare a video in MP4 format, and upload the file by no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 24, 2020 Saturday, September 26, 2020.

    • The video should last no more than 30 seconds.   If you are including a performance or demonstration, keep it under two minutes.
    • Background music is permitted.
    • The video should display your most creative, erotic or kinky creation, and (if you wish) demonstrate how you like to wear it and use it.
    • Your creation may be an entire outfit, a garment, a toy, or any kind of fetish object.
    • We will be looking at all the creations and declaring winners in four categories:
      • Most Creative
      • Most Outrageous
      • Most Erotic
      • Best in Show
    • You may give credit (verbally or in titles) to anyone involved in the creation or presentation, including logos or links to Venmo accounts, Web sites, etc.
    • Viewers will all be 18+, so self-censorship is not required; however be aware that your video will be shown on the Internet, so privacy cannot be assured.
    • The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District reserves the right to edit your videos for length or content, and is not responsible for technical glitches.
    • You may enter as many times as you like.  Your entries may be separate, or presented as part of a themed “fashion line”.
    • Videos will be presented in our Fetish Runway, which starts at 2:00 pm on Sunday, September 27, 2020, as part of the “Keep SOMA Kinky” Arcade at the virtual Folsom Street Fair.
    • Entries may also be displayed on our Web site after the Fair, unless you request otherwise.
    • Please upload your video file to our Dropbox here, and send an email to arts-chair@sflcd.org with:
      • The name of the file you uploaded,
      • Your name (as you wish to be identified during the Fetish Runway),
      • The name of your creation (if any), and
      • Any text that you want us to read to introduce your video.
    • You may enter both with a video and live via Zoom.  You may submit multiple videos, but only one live presentation.
    • Winners will be selected entirely at the discretion of our panel of judges, and will be announced in the Arcade at approximately 5:30 p.m., and posted on the LCD Web site.

    Enter Live via Zoom

    • To participate Live via Zoom, enter the Folsom Street Fair virtual event and make your way to the “Keep SOMA Kinky” Arcade (i.e. follow the link to join our Zoom meeting).  You must arrive between 1:45 and 2:00 pm, on Sunday, September 27, 2020.
    • Send a chat message to the Zoom host to let them know you wish to participate.  The Zoom Host will send you into the “Green Room” (a dedicated Zoom breakout room for presenters.)
    • The Presenter Manager will greet you in the Green Room, and will ask you:
      • how you would like to be introduced,
      • your email address (so we can send you our thanks, along with any award or prize you earn),
      • if you want us to pause recording and NOT capture your presentation, and
      • if you want us to provide background music.
    • Get ready.  Make sure your camera is lined up, that your internet connection is solid, that the lighting is good, that no one else is visible in the background, etc.  Have any props ready at hand.
    • When it is your turn, we will invite you to leave the Green Room, and rejoin the main Zoom meeting.  Unmute yourself.  We will “spotlight” your camera, and introduce you.
    • Take about 30 seconds to show off your outfit, garment, toy, fetish item, etc.  If you need to demonstrate any special features, take no more than 2 minutes total.  Have fun.
    • We will be looking at all submitted creations and declaring winners in four categories:
      • Most Creative
      • Most Outrageous
      • Most Erotic
      • Best in Show
    • Viewers will all be 18+, so self-censorship is not required; however be aware that you are  being shown on the Internet, so privacy cannot be assured.
    • Our hosts reserve the right to mute you or cut off your camera, and we are not responsible for technical glitches.
    • Unless you request otherwise, your presentation may be recorded and displayed on our Web site after the Fair.
    • After your presentation, feel free to post some text in the Zoom chat window to give credit to anyone involved in the creation or presentation, share links to Web sites or Venmo accounts, etc.
    • You may enter both with a video and live via Zoom.  You may submit multiple videos, but only one live presentation.
    • Winners will be selected entirely at the discretion of our panel of judges, and will be announced in the Arcade at approximately 5:30 p.m., and posted on the LCD Web site.

    Our Celebrity Judges:

    Sumiko Saulson
    Author and Host of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Erotic Storytelling Hour
    Carynn Milne
    Boutique Manager of Dark Garden Corsetry

    Katherine Rose
    Reigning Grand Duchess of San Francisco
    (seen here with harnessed subject)

    Timothy Valdivia
    Reigning Grand Duke of San Francisco