Bay Area Reporter :: Leather-kink News

Puttin' a polish on leather alley

June 22, 2022 | by BAR staff

People stopped by Ringold Alley in San Francisco's South of Market district Saturday, June 18, to celebrate the revival of the leather space.

Jack Fritscher's 'Profiles in Gay Courage'

by Hank Trout
May 31, 2022

Jack Fritscher's newest book, "Profiles in Gay Courage: Leatherfolk, Arts, and Ideas, Essays and Interviews," is an illustrated collection of thirteen essays celebrating "authentic leatherfolk founders, icons, and superstars" in our recent history.

Tax status leads to scrutiny of leather nonprofit

by Eric Burkett
May 4, 2022

The San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance may not have had its financial house in order when it served as fiscal sponsor for the successful Queer Nightlife Fund that helped LGBTQs who lost their jobs during the COVID pandemic.

50 years in 50 weeks; 2013's heroic hunks

by Jim Provenzano
Jan 27, 2022

This week, we're showcasing two admirable men in very different community subcultures, because we can. Filmmaker James Broughton and leatherman Andy Cross were featured in our June 13, 2013 issue, and both share a connection to gay erotic liberation.

Megahood 2021 sizzled on Folsom

by Steven Underhill
Sep 27, 2021

Health precautions included some changes to the traditions of the annual Folsom Street Fair, renamed Megahood 2021 to honor its original first iteration in 1984.

Erotic Avenue: Mark I. Chester's 'Street Sex Photos'

by Jim Provenzano
Sep 21, 2021

For anyone who misses having sex in a back alley, parking lot, or atop a bulldozer, the new hardcover book of photos by veteran photographer Mark I. Chester makes a perfect gift for Folsom time.

'Bloodsisters' - groundbreaking lesbian BDSM video re-released

by David-Elijah Nahmod
Sep 21, 2021

Originally released in 1995, Michelle Handelman's documentary 'Bloodsisters: Leather, Dykes & Sadomasochism' educates and enlightens while preserving the history of San Francisco's lesbian BDSM community.

Larry Townsend: celebrating the man behind 'The Leatherman's Handbook'

by Michael Flanagan
Sep 21, 2021

Being Folsom Week, we dive into the early roots of leather culture, specifically in California. 'The Life and Times of Larry Townsend: Saluting the 50th Anniversary of The Leatherman's Handbook,' by Jack Fritscher, is a festive romp.

Fifth B.A.R. Talks panel, Living in Leather, features community leaders

by Jim Provenzano
Aug 27, 2021

The Sept. 2 oniline B.A.R. Talk will be a conversation with Race Bannon, Scott Brogan, Gayle Rubin, Rich Stadtmiller and Graylin Thornton, who each have a longtime connection to the leather/kink community.

50 Years in 50 Weeks: Rex's rare 1991 interview

by Jim Provenzano
Aug 26, 2021

Let's zoom in, dot by dot, to a rare January 3 interview with Rex, whose erotic images might have answered the question, 'What if Georges Seurat was a late-20th-century South of Market leather man?'

San Francisco LeatherWalk to return, as city plans leather elements along Folsom Street

by Matthew S. Bajko
Jul 19, 2021

The San Francisco LeatherWalk will return this fall after being on hiatus for several years. The event, with a new route, will help to kick off Leather Week in late September.

50 years in 50 weeks: 1985, Lovin' la leather, Bare Chests galore

by Jim Provenzano
Jul 15, 2021

If you think we're focusing on Mr. Marcus' May 23 1985 Leather column just to show off a photo of handsome Bare Chest Calendar contestant Paul John Gillespie, you're right. But there's a bit of historic irony to also observe.

Fred Halsted art-porn classics at Embarcadero, Shattuck cinemas

by Jim Provenzano
Jul 8, 2021

What are the cinematic boundaries between art and pornography? Two gay porn classics by Fred Halsted blend both in a strange mix, and will screen at Embarcadero and Shattuck cinemas July 9-15.

San Francisco leather, bear fairs among 1st LGBTQ outdoor events to return in-person

by John Ferrannini
Jun 2, 2021

As the Bay Area and the state open up after more than a year of COVID-19 pandemic-related lockdowns and restrictions, LGBTQ street fairs are among those events that are back on.

Leather projects in San Francisco South of Market district advance

by Matthew S. Bajko
Apr 19, 2021

Several projects celebrating the leather and kink history of San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood are inching along.

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