View the Candidates Night zoom meeting, held on August 9, 2023:
Note: Candidates spoke in the following, randomly-generated order: Ben Chavez Gilliam, Dominique Rosa Leslie, Skunkheart, Alecia, Sean Moriarty, Reika Faust, Eric See, Samuel Gray, Val Langmuir, and Diablo.
These are the folks who have nominated themselves for the open seats on the Board of Directors, and for the office of President:
Below are the Candidates’ Statements.
Visit https://sfleatherdistrict.org/nominations/ for full nomination and election details.
Nominees for Board of Directors
Sean Moriarty
Residence: San Francisco
Eligibility: Having a history of activism in alignment with the Organizations’ Mission and Vision.
Represents: Families, Artists, Elders, Nonprofits.
Candidate’s Statement:
As a life long San Franciscan I feel that the district is an important part of what makes the city special. I am hoping that I can help the district continue to thrive in the following ways:
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- Supporting the artistic community that tell the story of the district.
- Helping to bring in a new generation to provide leadership for the future.
- Assisting the board and community members with the necessary governmental interactions that keep the district viable.
- Fostering and supporting community focused business and non for profits.
- Helping in out reach to other organizations and groups that share our values.
- Embracing all members of our extended community during these very difficult political times.
We are all very busy with our lives and work but I feel the district is worth the effort we all put into it.
Sean Moriarty
Date Submitted: 7/16/2023
Residence: San Francisco
Eligibility: Having lived or worked within the boundaries of the District, Having a history of activism in alignment with the Organizations’ Mission and Vision.
Represents: Artists, Elders.
Candidate’s Statement:
Dominique is a mixed-race, disabled, transwoman who is 65 years old and moved to San Francisco in 1977 from the East Bay to be involved in the Punk Rock scene and has been involved on and off in the Leather/Kink communities since then. She is sober and active in her recovery and in the recovery community for over 23 years. She was involved in BASiL(Bay Area Sober in Leather) and is a titleholder, “SF Sober Kinkster 2018″” She is self-employed at Rediscovery Coach. This coaching business focuses on assisting the Kink and LGBTQIA+ communities that are dealing with issues of substance use, abuse, recovery, and harm reduction..
I’m a member of the Leather, LGBT Cultural District and have been involved on a committee, as well as participating in the formation of the District. She often participates in events of The Exiles and is a member of the Society of Janus. She often volunteers at play parties, as well as volunteering for major events of Folsom Street including the Folsom Street Fair, and Up Your Alley. Events.
She has experience on Boards, being one of the first two trans people to serve on the Board of San Francisco Pride.
She is active in the Leather, and LGBT Cultural Districts’ Erotic Storytelling Hour, having read her erotica many times for them.
She is deeply committed to the District’s mission.
Dominique Leslie(she,her)
dominique.leslie@gmail.com
415-216-3367
https://www.rediscoverycoach.com/
Date Submitted: 7/16/2023
Residence: Berkeley
Eligibility: Having a history of activism in alignment with the Organizations’ Mission and Vision, Having served reliably on one or more of the Organization’s committees for at least one year.
Represents: Nonprofits.
Candidate’s Statement:
As the current vice-president and secretary, I would l like to continue for one more term on the SF LCD board
Date Submitted: 7/19/2023
Residence: San Francisco
Eligibility: Having lived or worked within the boundaries of the District, Having a history of activism in alignment with the Organizations’ Mission and Vision,, Having served reliably on one or more of the Organization’s committees for at least one year.
Represents: Elders, Nonprofits.
Candidate’s Statement:
I am completing one three-year term on the Board, and as a member of the Diversity & Membership Committee. I am running for re-election because I feel passionately about our District, I want to continue to help however I can, and I think being on the Board is a good way for me to support the mission of the District. Thanks for considering my candidacy.
Date Submitted: 7/19/2023
Skunkheart / Grok Amiri / Emily Loretta Flummox / 15 other names
Residence: Oakland
Eligibility: Having lived or worked within the boundaries of the District, Having a history of activism in alignment with the Organizations’ Mission and Vision.
Represents: Artists
Candidate’s Statement:
A lifelong kinkster (my primary sexual identity is “submissive”) who is on the planning committee of ELSE (organization for non-cisgender kinksters), BABKA (Bay Area Bisexual/Pansexual Kink Alliance), and founding member of what is now BAKAII (Bay Area Kink Access and Inclusion Initiative), I have volunteered with the District for several years, including at SOMA Second Saturdays, Leather Walk, and Folsom and Bearrison Street Fairs, and have hostixed one episode of the District’s Erotic Storytelling Hour and read on numerous more.
After graduating successfully from the District’s Entrepreneurial Program as a professional Dungeon Master and TTRPG content creator interested in collaboratively telling and preserving kinky history and culture, I realized that I would enjoy helping the district of which I am increasingly proud (I got to carry the District’s banner at Pride in 2022) grow ever more. I bring to this effort skills and ways I learned as a resident caretaker of Wolf Creek Radical Fairy Sanctuary, my history of volunteering at what my Sir calls “an insane amount of events”, and a dedication to my transcestor Emily Pagano / Butch Minton (who performed at Mona’s 365 and other clubs throughout the mid 20th century). It is my honor to honor this transcestor by working to further representation and inclusion of trans people in everything I do, and I hope to honor the District by doing so as part of their efforts to preserve, enhance, and advocate for the continuity and vitality of our kinky and queer communities.
Date Submitted: July 21, 2023
The Nominating Committee notes that this candidate is partnered with a current Board member. This is permitted by the District Bylaws. However, IRS rules discourage non-profit Boards from doing this, so it may somewhat complicate meeting procedures.
Residence: San Bruno
Eligibility: Having lived or worked within the boundaries of the District, Having a history of activism in alignment with the Organizations’ Mission and Vision.
Represents: Families, Artists, Elders, Nonprofits.
Candidate’s Statement:
Reika has been an active member of the San Francisco Leather community for over a decade. She has spent countless volunteer hours hosting and organizing events, teaching educational content, and strives to assist in the creation of safe spaces for our community. She has held director roles in Society of Janus and The Exiles, where her primary focus was welcoming new individuals into the kink/leather community – providing resources to assist individuals on their own self-exploration journey.
Reika desires to contribute her time and energy to the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District with the hope of building a thriving district that centers its community’s needs to promote growth, acceptance and diversity.
Date Submitted: July 24, 2023
Residence: Hayward, CA (Business in SOMA)
Eligibility: Having lived or worked within the boundaries of the District, Having a history of activism in alignment with the Organizations’ Mission and Vision.
Represents: Families, Artists, Businesses, Nonprofits.
Candidate’s Statement:
I am standing for election to the Leather and LGBTQ cultural district. I am asking for your vote.
I identify as PoC, neurodivergent, and disabled. I have a history of leading, organizing, and advocating in the leather/kink scene that goes back over a decade in the Bay Area including:
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- Co-founded AfterDark Events, a POC, femme, queer, neurodivergent, and disabled led group that organizes exciting, curated, vaccinated events grounded in consent culture.
- Volunteering extensively with the Society of Janus at their events including designing and managing the COVID-19 testing protocol at their Ignite parties.
- Volunteering at other events held in a variety of spaces under different organizers.
- Organizing multiple Unity and Recess fundraisers for a distressed local dungeon.
- Running booths at Leather Alley distributing information and talking to new people about kink.
- Dungeon monitoring numerous events, including being head DM at Dark Odyssey Surrender last year.
With the skills and experience I bring to the table I hope to contribute to the district’s success by creating more opportunities for advancement, growth, and entertainment while honoring our values of respect, integrity, and service. Some ways I plan to do this are by:
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- Finding venues and organizations that will support the growth of new leaders in the kink community.
- Assisting local organizations and community-oriented businesses to grow and thrive.
- Helping enhance events organized by the district, so they can be more successful for vendors, attendees, neighbors and the district.
- Helping with any other district business as appropriate.
Thank you for considering my candidacy. I look forward to being of service.
Date Submitted: 7/27/2023
Residence: Daly City
Eligibility: Having lived or worked within the boundaries of the District, Having a history of activism in alignment with the Organizations’ Mission and Vision.
Represents: Families , Youth, Elders, Nonprofits.
Candidate’s Statement:
Thank you for consideration of my Candidacy. I am a Leatherman and have been one since I first entered the Ramrod a Levi-Leather bar in SOMA in 1978. I am currently the Chair of the GLBT Historical Society Museum and Archives (GLBTHS) in San Francisco. In 2001 I got to know Chuck Renslow at IML, who gave me a great appreciation for leather history with his establishment of the Leather Archives Museum in 1991. When he died in 2017, my emphasis changed from LGBTQ Non-Profits such as Project Angel Heart and HRC to the importance of memorializing kink and leather in the history of our community. Many in the mainstream community shunned the value of kinksters as a part of our collective LGBTQ history, but writers such as Gayle Rubin and Tony DeBlase gave it the dignity it deserved.
Currently, I am working with the GLBTHS and the SF Eagle during Leather Week in September to do a booth and exhibit on the importance of preserving leather clothing, for history or as a “hand me down” to a younger person who cannot afford a $2000 Mr. S Leather outfit but who wants to belong. I remember putting on my first leather vest and boots-it changed me. I care about the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District and was a $5000 donor to help establish Eagle Plaza. I have a strong business background and extensive non-profit committee and board-level experience, and I look forward to adding some value to the district.
Date Submitted: 7/28/2023
Residence: San Francisco
Eligibility: Having a history of activism in alignment with the Organizations’ Mission and Vision.
Represents: Families, Artists, Elders, Nonprofits.
Candidate’s Statement:
I am humbled to be considered for the Leather & LGBTQ Cultural District Board of Directors.
First and foremost, I wholeheartedly support and advocate for diverse representation on this board, including trans, non-binary, non-gendered, women, BIPOC, and Latinx candidates. I believe all leadership should reflect its members, rather than the establishment. As a queer woman, I am excited for the opportunity to serve on the Board and foster the growth and inclusivity of the LCD.
I moved to San Francisco in 2017, and as a relative newcomer to San Francisco I may not be familiar to folx – but I am deeply committed to bringing my experience to this Board to foster this vibrant leather and LGBTQ+ community.
I was born in Flint, Michigan, but Chicago is where I found myself, my family, and built my community. I founded a radical body acceptance group and began my fat activism. I organized and facilitated sex-positive events, creating inclusive spaces for queer, kinky, and gender-nonconforming peoples. In solidarity with multiple movements, I mobilized and worked on behalf of the Slut March, Women’s March, Black Lives Matter, and TPAN AIDS Ride.
In the corporate sphere, I led and strengthened my companies’ LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group and Gender Equity in Tech ERG.
Professionally, I have 25 years of experience in Marketing, Branding, and Creative Direction across diverse industries, including Technology, Sports, Advertising, and both for-profit and non-profit sectors. I’ve also spent over 15+ years in management roles, gaining valuable insights in team building, leadership, strategic planning, and budget management.
The LCD represents a rich tapestry of history, diversity, and acceptance, reflecting our city’s progressive spirit. If elected, I will work to uphold and expand upon the values that have made the LCD a shining example of inclusivity and self-expression.
Date Submitted: 7/28/2023
Residence: San Francisco
Eligibility: Having lived or worked within the boundaries of the District,
Having a history of activism in alignment with the Organizations’ Mission and Vision.
Represents: Residential tenants, Artists, Elders, Nonprofits.
Candidate’s Statement:
Thank you for the opportunity and your time. My name is Samuel Gray (aka DJGRAY) and I would like to serve on the Leather District Board. I’ve been a long time SF LGBTQ community member since the late 80’s. I’ve DJ’d at many bars and restaurants in SOMA, worked in LGBTQ nonprofits and also served on the SF Pride Board 2016-2019. I’m so happy the city has put together the district programs and feel called to serve the Leather Districts development. I would like to focus my strengths on advocacy for sustainable long term housing and small business projects specially for Queers 50+. Promoting financial literacy programs, and advancing DEI relations. And, preserve oral n written history of the loving Queer Kink culture that is the BDSM n Leather LGBTQ Community.
It was the summer of ‘89 for Folsom Street Fair when I got my first taste of the calm in the chaos…how splendid. The Queer S/M Leather and Alternative scenes in SOMA were flourishing. I had found my groove and I’ve been part of the Bar/Club n Leather community since. I’m passionate about keeping that vibrant memory alive and strengthening the tradition for generations to come.
Date Submitted: 7/28/2023
Nominees for President
Residence: San Francisco
Candidate’s Statement:
The South of Market Area (SOMA) has always been and will remain a
very special place for the Leather and Kink Communities. For the past 5
years, I have been working with the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District
to ensure that it remains that very special place. As President of the
Board, I want to make sure that we continue to support our artists,
continue to support new and existing kink oriented business, and remind
the world of our history and heritage. With this in mind, I ask you to
continue to support me in my bid for the Office of the President of the
Board of the San Francisco LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District.
Date Submitted: 7/13&28/2023
Nominees: Please contact nominations@sflcd.org