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Healthy adults or medical professionals can help the City of San Francisco respond to the coronavirus outbreak in any of several important programs.  Details are here.  Thanks!

 

NOTE:  Although this was a great idea, it was never implemented.  W3e post preserved, just for fun.

 

 

On Saturday, May 9, 2020, the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District will celebrate 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 will feature three exciting contests, which YOU can enter NOW, to win coveted awards, with prizes!

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.  It should look as interesting as it tastes.  Make a short video showing you presenting the beverage, describing it, and sampling it.  

Whoever prepares the most interesting beverage will win the coveted “LCD Best Online Beverage” award, and a prize of $50 to spend at the Eagle, the Stud, the Lone Star, Powerhouse, the Hole in the Wall, Wicked Grounds, or any of the other fine purveyors of beverages in our District.

Contest 2:

Dress up for the event. Your outfit can be an amusing costume or just sexy gear.  It should not expose your genitals, but it does not have to be practical as streetwear. Make a short video of you describing and modeling it.

Whoever shows off the best Leather- Queer- or Kink-themed outfit will win the coveted “LCD Best Online Outfit” award, and a prize of $50 you can spend at Mr. S Leather, Leather Etc., or any of the other fine gear purveyors of our District.

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.

 Whoever prepares the best-looking pastry will win the coveted “LCD Best Online Pastry” award, and a prize of $50 you can spend at the Cake Gallery, or any of the other fine food vendors of our District.

How To Enter:

Your video should be no longer than about 30 seconds, and should be submitted as a standard MP4 file.  No background music, please!  Keep it short, sweet and simple.  We are judging your entry, not your video production skills.

Upload the file to our Dropbox folder.  The file name should be:
[your name, as you want us to mention it] – [the name of your item].mp4

Examples:  “Fred Smith – Frothy Mixture.mp4” or “Lady Tatah – My outfit.mp4“.

Upload a text file with your video (or send an email to arts-chair@SFLCD.org) containing the following info:

• • • The name of your video file;
    • Your full contact information, including a phone number AND a mailing address (in case you win);
    • How you would like your prize (e.g. “bar tab to SF Eagle”, “gift certificate to Mr. S”, “cash”, “donation to BALL Fund”, etc.);
    • If you have any objection to being on the LCD mailing list;
    • If you have any objection to your video being reused on the SFLCD.ORG Web site.

Entries must be uploaded no later than Friday, May 8, 2020, at 12:00 noon Pacific Time.  [Deadline extended!  You now have until 10:00 p.m. Friday!]

Rules:

• Due to time constraints, not all submitted videos may be streamed.
• Scheduled judging times for each contest, and the names of the winning entries, will be announced online.
• You do not need to be watching or listening to win.
• Judging will be by a vote of folks watching the contest, using available online technology.
• In the case of a tie or technical difficulties, the LCD Arts and Culture Committee chair (or their designated judge) will decide the winner.
• All videos submitted become the permanent property of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, along with any and all rights for use.
• In order to support the businesses of the Cultural District, prizes will ideally be provided in the form of gift certificates, purchased by the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District and sent to the winner.
• Winners understand that the purchase, delivery and/or redemption of gift certificates may be significantly delayed due to the COVID-19 crisis or other factors.
• If gift certificates for that business cannot be acquired, or if requested by the winner, a $50 check will be mailed to the winner instead.
• Winners may also have the option of forgoing their prize, and having a donation of $50 made in their name to the BALL fund.

Watch this space for additional rules and details.  Questions?  Please write to arts-chair@SFLCD.org.

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BALL Fundraiser

These contests will all be part of a wonderful online event called BALL GAG!

The event — on Saturday, May 9, 2020, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, will raise funds for 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. All proceeds raised during this event go to BALL. BALL is part of the SF Bay Area Leather Alliance, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

The event will include:

• Live auction emceed by Lenny Broberg;
• Launch of a Silent Auction;
• Kink and drag performances from Justin Hall, Danny Nyugen, Sadie Payne, Star D. Love, Shay Tiziano, and Midori;
• Contests for Best Beverage, Best Outfit, and Best Pastry, hosted by the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District; and
• Other surprises!

To participate in the event, create a free account at twitch.tv, then log on for the event at https://twitch.tv/sfbayarealeatheralliance.

To make a donation directly to BALL or to request assistance, go to https://ball.leatheralliance.org.

To view and bid on silent auction items, go to ball.leatheralliance.org/gag.html.

For more information on the event, go to https://www.facebook.com/events/522082805057165/ or https://ball.leatheralliance.org/gag.html.

For up-to-date information about the BALL Fund, go to https://www.facebook.com/bayarealeather/

For information about the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District, go to their
Web site or Facebook page.

For information about the San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance, go to their Web site or Facebook page.

The event, including live auctions and other entertainments, will raise funds for the Bay Area Leather Lifeline.

Thanks!

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Happy Anniversary!

It was indeed on May 9, 2018 that the Resolution establishing the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District was signed by then-Mayor Mark Farrell.  Since then, our group has

• • become incorporated as a California Non-Profit Corporation,
  • received 501(c)3 status,
  • obtained funds from the City and private developers,
  • hired a Cultural District Manager,
  • done outreach to local residents, organizations, and businesses,
  • advocated for and against local development projects,
  • scouted possible locations for a Leather Cultural / Community Center,
  • participated in parades and street fairs,
  • hosted numerous online events to promote community cohesiveness during COVID-19 crisis;
  • worked with city agencies to create Leather and LGBTQ placemaking along Folsom and Harrison Streets,
  • coordinated with the city’s other Cultural Districts,
  • and begun work on developing our CHHESS  — an essential strategy document that will guide the city in protecting and supporting our neighborhood for years to come.

Grant money has been provided to us for the specific purpose of hosting one or more events to introduce the Cultural District to the neighborhood and community, and – once this darned COVID thing is licked – we intend to do so!

To be sure you hear about it, get on our mailing list.  To be involved in making it happen, and in making sure that our neighborhood once again becomes all that it once was and more, become a member.  Start here.

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At our Diversity / Membership Committee meeeting on 4/2/2020, it was agreed that, during the current COVID-19 crisis, anyone whose income or living situation has been impacted by it is eligible to receive the low-income dues waiver, regardless of other circumstances.  Your free membership is good through December, 2020.

That makes this an excellent time for you to head to our Membership Signup Page.  Members get to vote on Directors at the annual elections in August, and vote on critical matters presented at Special Membership Meetings.  Of course, anyone is welcome to attend and speak at our monthly Directors meetings and Committee meetings.  (Meeting dates and time, and online meeting log-in information can be found on our Calendar.)

If you can afford to pay the full annual membership dues of $15 per year, we hope you will do so, to help cover our administrative costs and to show your support for the Cultural District’s work.  But the important thing is for you to be a member, to add your voice to ours when we discuss community needs and priorities with project developers and city leaders.  

So join today.  And if you do happen to be stuck at home with nothing to do, feel free to explore this Web site — there’s lots of interesting stuff here!

Launch Party

Originally planned to coincide with the second anniversary of the Cultural District on May 9, 2020, the big event at Folsom Street Foundry has been postponed, for the obvious reason.

However, once the current crisis is over, we plan to properly celebrate the world’s first ever official LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District!

The event will be free, and we’ll be offering appetizers from local restaurants. There will be a cash bar, but soda will be free.