Category: Uncategorized

Save the Date: San Francisco to Step Out – Gear On for LeatherWalk 2024 in SOMA on Sunday, September 22

We are thrilled to announce that LeatherWalk 2024 will take place on Sunday, September 22! Mark your calendar, sign up to receive updates, and join us for this annual fundraiser and celebration organized by the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District with production support from our Community Partner, Do Good Stuff.

This year, LeatherWalk is more than just a march. It is an exciting opportunity for community members to help raise $22,000 to support the District’s Leather Legacy Landmarks initiative, which honors the enduring legacy of vital SOMA businesses and venues that have served the community since the 1960s. The District plans to install 77 plaques at historic locations, enabling all to appreciate SOMA’s vibrant past. Key plaques will be featured on the District’s guided walking tours, new dates coming soon.

Walk Details

• Date: Sunday, September 22, 2024
• Starting Location: City Hall, Polk Street Steps
• Time: Gather at 11:00 AM, Program at 11:15 AM, Step Off at 11:30 AM
• Ending Location: SF Eagle Plaza for the Leather Pride Fest
• Ending Time: Approximately 3:00 PM

Gear On. Step Out. Give Back.

Celebrate Our Community — Gear On: Get your Gear On and join fellow leather, kink, and queer community members to celebrate our vibrant heritage, foster community spirit, and encourage authentic self-expression.

Be Visible — Step Out: Step Out with pride and be visible as we walk to protect our leather, kink, and queer spaces. Revel in community, entertainment, and refreshments at each stop on the route. LeatherWalk begins at City Hall and concludes at Eagle Plaza with the raising of the Leather Pride Flag.

Protect Our Legacy — Give Back: You can also choose to Give Back by fundraising as a Walker or making a meaningful donation. Your support will help fund the installation of 77 bronze sidewalk plaques as part of the Leather Legacy Landmarks initiative. This project protects the heritage of leather, kink, and queer businesses and venues in SOMA, enabling all to appreciate SOMA’s vibrant past.

Walk for Fun!
Walkers can sign up for free, and are not required to fundraise. Simply sign-up, gear on, and step out. Registration for Walkers is expected to open on Friday, August 9, 2024.

Walk & Fundraise — Create or Join a Team!
Walkers are invited to give back and register as Fundraisers.  Join your favorite team to help raise funds for the Leather Legacy Landmarks initiative. Individuals, community organizations, and businesses are encouraged to create teams for friendly fundraising rivalries. Registration for Individual and Team Fundraisers is expected to open on Friday, August 9, 2024.

Fundraising Support from Experts
All fundraising efforts will be supported by the knowledgeable technology specialists at Do Good Stuff who will coach and support Team Captains and Individual Fundraisers to reach their fundraising goals.

Stay Informed
Sign up to stay informed and receive updates about this year’s LeatherWalk as a Team Captain, Walker, Fundraiser, Donor, or Volunteer by submitting your information at www.leatherwalk.org.

Special thanks to Do Good Stuff, our generous Community Partner, for providing technology, fundraising, communications, and event production expertise to help the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District reimagine and launch LeatherWalk 2024 to raise vital funds. For more information, visit www.dogoodstuff.consulting

Save the date and spread the word! We look forward to walking with you on September 22!

To assist you in planning your Up Your Alley parties, we always rely on the easy-to-read guide from our friend Andy Wibbels.

You can also access it at http://andymatic.com/dore

Access the full guide at http://andymatic.com/dore.  Have a great weekend!

The SF Recreation and Parks Commission has voted unanimously to name the new park to be built at Natoma and 11th Street Rachele Sullivan Park, the name proposed and advocated for by the LEATHER District!.

The new 1/2 acre park, located just a few feet north of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, will include a half-basketball court, fitness area, children’s play area, and tables and seating throughout.  It is being designed to serve the entire community, of all ages and levels of ability.  A highly visible arts component will be included. The City has budgeted $12,775,000 for the park; construction should start next summer, and it hopes to be open to the public early in 2027.

We have been advocating for the park to be named after Rachele, one of the founders of our Cultural District and a prominent figure in SOMA’s Filipino community. 

The Commission hearing on July 18 included a presentation on the naming process by Erica Waltemade of the SOMA West Community Benefit District,  and moving statements from several of Rachele’s family members.

Other speakers included Cultural District Board Member David Hyman, and Cultural District Manager Cal Callahan, who served on the park’s naming committee and was important in consolidating community support for honoring Rachele in this way.

Letters of support from Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Folsom Street, Soma Pilipinas, the Transgender District, the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District, the Cree First Nations, and us, along with the Commission’s own staff report, were clearly important to the Commissioners.

After a careful review of the process, and with heartfelt acknowledgement of Rachele and her family. the Commission’s vote was unanimous.

Read about the Commission hearing in the Bay Area Reporter, and learn more about the Park Project on the Rec & Park website.

Update:

A heart plaque honoring Rachele has been installed in Eagle Plaza. We thought it appropriate to hold the official plaque unveiling during Leather Week.