LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District

One of the goals of the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District is to make the history of the neighborhood more visible and accessible.  We are working on a number of projects — leather-themed crosswalks and pole banners, for example — which require lengthy planning and permitting through various City agencies and departments. 

One of our most challenging projects is to install plaques — durable graphic displays on buildings or sidewalks — that tell the story of important locations.  Two of those plaques are soon to appear on buildings that are undergoing renovation.  The plaques will be installed and maintained by the building owners, as a condition for their construction permits.

The first to be installed will be this plaque, to go on the building at 367 12th Street, overlooking Eagle Plaza:

Next will be this plaque, at 323 10th Street, the former site of the beloved Stompers Boots.  For more history and imagery of Stompers, visit the website maintained by Larry Faulks at https://southoftheslotsf.com.

The Cultural District continues to research and catalog the sites of SOMA that are part of our community’s identity and heritage.  We will let you know when these plaques are installed, and when others are planned.

You can support this effort by donating to us.

Sunday Streets SOMA returned on August 21, 2022, removing all traffic along Folsom Street from 9th to Spear, from 11:00am to 4:00pm, to give neighbors and visitors over 1.5 miles of fun for the whole family.

The LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District and Folsom Street partnered to host the block of Folsom Street between 8th and 9th Streets as the Kinky and Queer Block of Sunday Streets.

Hundreds of folks came by to visit our vendors, enjoy entertainment and demos on our stage, and view the work of local artists.

12:00 -12:30 – Readings by the legendary Carol Queen, Executive Director of the Center for Sex and Culture
12:30 – Mooooo and MaidMiki – rope bondage performance
1:00 – Beatrix
1:30 – Ivy Limieux and Bottom__Tyde – mummification and birthday spankings
2:00 – Danny Thanh Nguyen – single tail demo with roses
2:30 – KnottyRell and Barbary – impact play performance
3:00 – VERA!

Vendors included ByrdBeaks, Mauskaveli, House of Haven Crafts, JesseJae,, Needle Play Acupuncture, and Photos by Gooch.

Artists included Dirk Alphin, Rocky Angel, Austin Boe, Josh Katz, Gloria Polo, and Nikki Violanti.

The block had a sign suggesting it was for 18+ only.

Meet up before, during, or after with Bloom. https://bl.ooo/m/kinky-and-queer-block-of-sunday-streets-soma

Volunteers were invited to sign up to help with Sunday Streets events here, and to mention “LEATHER” as their organization affiliation., or contact  manager@sflcd.org for information and other options.  

This event was only one of six Sunday Streets in 2022, each offering beautiful mile-plus-long routes in historic neighborhoods of San Francisco between April and September, made possible by the nonprofit Livable City organization.

Join us for the LeatherWalk Launch Party on Tuesday, August 30, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm, at the SF Eagle, 398 12th St. 

We will celebrate LeatherWalk 2022 with treats from Mamabear’s Kitchen, entertainment, and an update about the plans for the September 18 main event, LeatherWalk 2022.

We are pleased to present VERA! and Nitrix Oxide for your entertainment.

RSVP if you like at https://www.facebook.com/events/1207610366699704.

Please educate yourself about Monkeypox. Start at sf.gov/monkeypox. Additional links are on our Resource page, here.