David Hyman – Page 42 – LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District

(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.)

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!

View “Teaser” Video

Go to the Fair!

Volunteers needed:

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:

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)

May 9, 2020May 25, 2020

Contest Results

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.

All the funds raised — over $5,500 — went to the Bay Area Leather Lifeline (BALL), a fund to help kinksters and leather folks in the SF Bay Area who need immediate assistance due to sudden income loss during the COVID-19 crisis. BALL is part of the SF Bay Area Leather Alliance, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

To make a donation directly to BALL or to request assistance, visit ball.leatheralliance.org

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”.

Cherry wood smoked chocolate martini recipe:

- - - 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. 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!

February 5, 2020February 5, 2020

Friends of Eagle Plaza to Meet Again Soon

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.

The Friends of Eagle Plaza is forming its Board of Directors and writing Bylaws, which will determine how the Plaza will be managed and used. THis is a great opportunity to get involved in that process!

You have seen Eagle Plaza under construction. Join with the FoEP to prepare for the grand opening, and all the events that will happen there in the years to come!

Info about Eagle Plaza can be found at https://www.facebook.com/groups/friendsofeagleplaza/ or http://www.eagleplaza.org/friendsofeagleplaza .