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Timely Reminders

There will be no Board meeting in December.

The next online meeting of the Communications Committee will be Thursday, December 12, from 6 to 7 pm.  Communications Committee Zoom link.  Facebook page. Contact the committee chair.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Holiday Market is Saturday, December 14, from 12 to 5 pm, at SOMArts.  Full information.   Facebook page.

The next meeting of the Arts and Culture Committee is scheduled for Thursday, December 19, from 6 to 7 pm.  Arts and Culture Committee Facebook page. Zoom link.   Please contact the Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!

There wil be no Land Use Committee Meeting in December.  The next meeting is set for Monday, January 6, 2025, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. Land Use Committee Meeting Zoom Link. Facebook page.  Contact the committee chair.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District will hold a Town Hall on Saturday, January 11, 2025, starting at 2 pm, at the Folsom Street Community Center, 1286 Folsom Street, in San Francisco. Learn what the Cultural District has been doing, hear our plans for the year to come, and give us feedback.  Your opinions matter to us!  Enjoy refreshments! It’s free, and everyone is welcome!

The next meeting of the Diversity & Membership Committee will be on Thursday, January 13, from 6 to 7 pm.  Diversity & Membership Committee Facebook event.  Diversity & Membership Committee Zoom link.  Contact the Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!

There will be no Board meeting in December.  The next meeting of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Board of Directors will be Wednesday, January 15, 2025, from 6 to 8 p.m. As always, all are welcome to attend, and time is reserved for public comment.  ASL interpretation provided if requested ten days in advance. To participate, use the Board of Directors Meeting Zoom link, or call 1-408-638-0968 and use Meeting ID: 847 8906 0820 and Passcode: 972086.  Facebook page.  Draft agenda (coming soon).  Minutes of past Board meetings. Please contact manager@sflcd.org if you have questions.

The Fundraising Committee meets as needed.  Please contact the Fundraising Committee chair to get on the mailing list for this Committee, or for more info!

A Governance and Legislation Committee meeting will be scheduled when needed. Please contact the Governance and Legislation Committee chair to sign up, or for more info!

The next meeting of the Board of the Friends of Eagle Plaza is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm. Meeting Zoom Link. You can be added to the “Friends of Eagle Plaza” mailing list.  You can make a donation to the Friends of Eagle Plaza. You can like and follow them on Facebook.  You can learn more about the Plaza’s design, construction and stewardship on the Friends of Eagle Plaza website, or you can write to info@eagleplaza.org.

We send out a newsletter each month, right before our Board Meeting.  Do you get it?
If not, view a recent newsletter, then sign up to get it monthly.

Speaking of newsletters, the SOMA West Community Benefit District does a great one, highlighting events — both social and political — affecting our part of the City.  Subscribe to the SOMA West Community Benefit District newsletter.

San Francisco has ten Cultural Districts, each supporting a unique aspect of the City’s cultural mosaic You can learn about the San Francisco Cultural Districts Program, and subscribe to a Cultural Districts newsletter, published quarterly by the Mayor’s Office of Housing & Community Development.

We keep adding links to our Resource Guide page.  Use it!

Threats to our South of Market businesses and institutions can arise quickly, and may require a quick community response.  SOMA Action network sign-up link.

If you have not yet seen it, please read our Statement of Solidarity, and consider what you personally can do to fight racism, injustice, and abuse of police power.

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Safety in SOMA

Did You Know SOMA WEST Has A Safety Patrol? Read below!
SOMA West has a dedicated Safety Patrol, with uniformed Safety Ambassadors on bikes patrolling the neighborhood as part of its Clean & Safe Initiatives. These ambassadors provide a highly visible presence and serve as the eyes and ears of the San Francisco Police Department, helping to deter crime and maintain community safety.
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the Safety Ambassadors handle street disorder response, trespass enforcement, alarm response, security escorts, and referrals to human service programs. Their constant presence and close communication with local police help deter panhandling, crime, and vandalism.
For assistance, call 1.888.415.SOMA (7662):
Dial 1 for Service
Dial 2 for Security
Dial 3 to Leave a Message.

 

Here are a few generic safety suggestions:

  • Pick up a free safety whistle at bars and other venues around the Cultural District!
    • Blow three times if you need assistance.  Repeat as needed.
    • Blow your whistle when you spot danger.
    • If you hear a whistle, move towards the sound.  Call 911 if serious.  Add your whistle to the sounds if safe to do so.
  • Narcan and fentanyl test strips provided by the Cultural District are also widely available.
  • For emergency safety or medical issues, please dial 911.
  • For non-emergency police matters, please call the SFPD at 415-553-0123.
  • For outdoor cleanliness issues please use https://sf311.org/  — The Soma West CBD will receive the notification, and get on it ASAP.
  • For graffiti removal, or other cleanliness- or safety-related services, visit somawestcbd.org/services.
  • If you are visiting from a location without dedicated bike lanes, be extra alert wherever you see green pavement markings.
  • Respect pedestrian crosswalk lights and “no pedestrian crossing” signs.
  • Be respectful and polite to people on the street, but remain alert.
  • Before you leave with someone you meet in a bar, introduce them to a friend, an event host, a bartender, or the door security staff, and listen to any feedback they may offer about them.
  • Do not leave your beverage unattended.
  • Be part of the solution.
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SF Eagle Bar Burglarized 

Intruders gained unauthorized access.
Among the losses were recent bar receipts, employee tips, inventory and equipment. 

San Francisco, CA — On Monday morning (11/18/2024), shortly after midnight, the SF Eagle, a historic and beloved LGBTQ+ establishment, was targeted in a burglary that resulted in significant property damage and the theft of a large sum of cash.

The theft is a heavy blow, not just to the operation of the bar, but to the livelihoods of the staff and the sense of safety. This comes at a particularly challenging time when bar sales slow during the holiday season.

The SF Eagle is working with authorities to investigate the incident and restore the damage as soon as possible. Community support during this challenging time is deeply appreciated. The bar has established a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help recover its losses. For updates or to support, visit: https://gofund.me/096080f3

Owner Lex Montiel expressed his concern for his staff and the community that calls the SF Eagle home: “Our workers rely on the bar for their livelihood. This burglary affects not only the SF Eagle but also the people who make it a cornerstone of our community.”

The SF Eagle is a proud and active member of San Francisco’s Leather and LGBT communities, and a principal location for small fundraisers. In 2024, the Eagle helped more than 50 queer nonprofits raise over $80,000. With more fundraisers set for the coming weeks, the Eagle hopes a GoFundMe (https://gofund.me/096080f3) will help ensure it can reopen in time to support its community partners.

Despite this setback, Montiel emphasized the bar’s commitment to reopening with improved facilities, ensuring it remains a welcoming space accessible for everyone. The SF Eagle has begun plans to establish improved ADA accessibility throughout the bar, which will continue when it has recovered.

For more information, visit https://sf-eagle.com.

UPDATES:

According to a Bay Area Reporter article, an arrest has been made in this burglary, and the SFPD are attempting to recover property.

The GoFundMe campaign, after raising $23,690, has now been disabled by the fund creator.

The Eagle is open for business! The Sunday Beer Bust on 11/24 is in benefit of Team Friendly’s Toy Drive. Please come out and support our queer leather community!

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More Entrepreneur Graduates

We are very pleased to announce that the fifth cohort of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District  Entrepreneur Training Program has nine graduates, who are now (or will soon be) offering their goods and services to our community!

Here is a list of the folks who have completed this 9-week program, in Cohorts numbers 1 through 5.

Cohort 1:
Graduated September, 2022

  • Joseph Valliere — Downtown Armor — Rubber gear, ultimately boots and a kink consignment shop. (facebook, etsy)
  • James Strock — Recreating rubber gear from a new proprietary polymer
  • Jordan Fickel / Patrick Stephenson — BEARPAD — Art brand celebrating big bodies. (art, store, instagram)
  • Gloria Polo — Fire Dragon Photography — Leather/Kink photography (facebook, website)
  • Anna Randall and Richard Sprott — TASHRA – The Alternative Sexualties Health Research Alliance — improving healthcare services to kinksters (website, facebook, instagram)

Cohort 2:
Graduated April, 2023

  • Marcos victor de brito puglielli– House of Puglielli — Custom leather design, sculptural, wearble art (website, facebook, instagram)
  • Dr. Zo Marcos Zotigh — Needle Play Acupuncture — Acupuncture Clinic (website, facebook, instagram)
  • Sumiko Saulson — Mauskaveli — Hand painted wooden paddles, plus jewelry, books and clothing (website, books, facebook)
  • Alejandra Bravo Ducey — Raptrix — Small batch bondage gear for every body (shop, instagram, facebook)
  • Nate Boles — Wylde Honey Productions — Queer erotic artist promotion, production and reproduction
  • Angela Wilson — Cognizant Healing — Intimacy coaching for therapists (website, facebook)
  • Angeli [Daytona] Lata — Murder They Wore — Fetish fashion (website, facebook)
  • Kangcheng Yin — Kuma Club SF — Gay Bathhouse/Sex Club (facebook)
  • Byrd Bannick — ByrdBeaks — Fabric based queer gear and accessories (website, facebook)
  • Chris Hughes — Skunkheart — Queer and kinky TTRPG content (facebook, links)

Cohort 3:
Graduated August, 2023
Jay Budd – Frisky Foxxx Productions (LLC) – ethical pornography and infotainment.
May Fendell – SINNAttire – latex and cosplay clothing
Jasmine Robinson and Shelby Baizar – B.Tourmaline – Events, merchandise and resources serving Black Queer and Trans populations (Instagram)
Lilith Spillz – Lilith Spillz – custom kink accessories from reclaimed materials (website)
Michael “Spike” Sandberg – Leather Legends – Leather consignment service and shop
Isabella Delan Kalfen (Izzy Delan she/her) – Babygirl Inc. – custom industrial gear and jewelry
Rochelle Benjamin – Pans Labrnth – Kink & leather clothes, gear, and wigs
David Khalili – Rouse Relational Wellness – sex and relationship wellness center (website)
Diablo & Amande – AfterDark Productions, LLC – Event venue for the kink and alternative-sexuality communities (website)
Adrianne zi – TBD – Writing drawing painting kinky art
Brad Schwab – JetPup – Colorful and playful clothing and accessories for the pup play community (website)

Cohort 4:
Graduated October, 2023

Aaron Joseph – Cumply – Experimental kink and fetish items (website) 
Michael Devin – Doppelbanger Toys – Custom made sex toys modeled after real people (website)
Daniel Brusilovsky – TBD – High-end kink furniture and accessories
Jocelyn Garibay – The Communal Toy – Handmade, high quality, safe kink furniture (website)
Alexandra Cardinale-Weinberg (Sasha) – Rocket Ready Apparel – custom themed collars and harnesses, and resin accessories (website, etsy)
Conrad Park – BOBA Munch – kink community (website)
Jessica (JessJess) Mumper – Beyond the Rainbow Events – a welcoming and enjoyable environment for themed immersive events (links)
Amy Dacker – Kink Konnectress (?) – Matchmaking, dating coaching, and background and reference checking for Kink, BDSM, Queer, and Poly communities
Neri Cafri – TBD – Second hand leather and kink gear 
Jesse West – Big Mood Network, LLC – Creative urban infill for community arts & entrepreneurial outlets
jacqueline cosgrove – QBL (QuadrupleBottomLine) – A space for workshops, parties and exploration of kink, sex positive and restorative play

Cohort 5:
Graduated November, 2024

  • Lior Ray Ayalon  – The Spooky Haus – A transgender artist collective, working in a variety of mediums, including leather, acrylic, resin, chain, and printmaking.
  • Sura Hertzberg – Eros and Psyche / Sex & Psychedelics – A magazine on the intersection of sex and psychedelics (e.g. kink, BDSM, and playing with shadow), bringing the community together for educational, playful, and interactive events around these topics.
  • Francisco Grajales – Stingy Thuddy – Hand crafted kinky gear for horny people.
  • Eve Minax – Eve Minax Consulting/MX Productions – Demystifying BDSM by showing personal growth seekers how to be more confident, compassionate, kid-ass kinksters.
  • Dylan Peet – VENEER – A leather consignment and queer fashion boutique.
  • Hallie Mayo – Stained Glass Mommy – Queer kinky stained glass art (butt plugs, poppers bottles, and other kink related sun catchers).
  • Victoria Victrola – Blue Victrola – Event hosting specializing in music, tea, picnics, charcuterie, and whimsy.
  • Bronica DeCarlo – Bronica Blue Art – Kink themed jewelry, like butt earrings, big rings that have kink-related statements on them, and similar items, many hand sculpted and molded.
  • Anna Sthesia – Hidden Function – Queening chairs and other BDSM/kink objects, hidden in plain sight and discreetly disguised as “normal,” high-end home furniture.

The District is proud to be able to help leather community folk start and build their businesses.

Learn more about the program, or sign up for the next Cohort.