Over the course of my tenure writing this column, I've received feedback that readers often prefer something other than pure reporting on events. As one gentle critic put it, "I prefer you don't just reword an event's program," and they have a point.
Recently, a young gay man messaged me, stating, "I've tried the leather scene. It's not for me." I asked why. He said, "It's not about sex anymore. It's not even about anything erotic anymore." Was he correct?
On some level, creating community is a numbers game. The more times you try, the more times you succeed. Sometimes you have to throw lots of stuff against the wall to see what sticks.
One of the annual projects of the San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance is producing the Leather Alliance Weekend, which took place February 28 through March 3. The weekend included the San Francisco Bootblack and Mr. San Francisco Leather 2019 contest.
Why is it difficult for some to find erotic connections? I've talked to a lot of kinksters about this and a discussion point comes up repeatedly; the role online life has in finding play partners.
One of the biggest annual local gatherings for leatherwomen took place this past Saturday, the Ms. San Francisco Leather contest at SOMArts Cultural Center.
Leather communities have had a longstanding practice of passing down leathers, gear and treasured objects to others as a way of letting a valued possession experience new life with a new caretaker.
Far too frequently, the leather communities tend to honor and revere tops and doms in a way they do not always bottoms and subs. I've increasingly seen this play out in the non-kinky gay men's world as well.
I'm going to make this column a self-indulgence reflecting my hoped-for outcomes for 2019 for leatherfolk, kinksters, and anyone who resides outside the societal norms for sexuality and relationships.
Tumblr announced that their platform would no longer allow adult content. Close on the heels of that announcement, Facebook appears to be following through on much tighter restrictions on sexual content. What does that mean for kink communities?
What has been impressed on me on World AIDS Day is that we should each of us grab on to life hard and live it as fully, beautifully and vibrantly as we can. For kinksters, that means taking full advantage of the many opportunities we have.
One of the many attractions to San Francisco when I moved here in 1994 was how readily it embraced older gay men. I was always pleasantly surprised at how well older gay men were integrated into the larger LGBTQ whole, especially in the leather scene.
We're a month past National Coming Out Day, but the issue of coming out is something that anyone within the LGBTQ communities struggles with 365 days a year.
Because I think technology will continue to have a rather sweeping impact on our sexualities, I was glad to see the San Francisco Leathermen's Discussion Group hosting a presentation by nationally renowned leatherman Brian "Bolt" Donner.
