Pass it on - Leather gear and personal legacy

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.

Positioning our sex - Deconstructing top, bottom and various codes

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.

The year ahead - leather and kink in 2019

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.

Can sex culture survive?

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?

Living every kinky day

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.

Celebrating grey – the older kinkster

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.

Coming out kinky: How much should people know?

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.

Tech your kink

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.

Embrace the change; create the future

One of the things I noticed throughout Folsom week was that the array and breadth of erotic interests and fetishes and how they present in the LGBTQ kink communities are continuing to grow and solidify into distinct groupings.

Leatherpalooza! Folsom Street Fair kinks it up

The Bay Area tends to be awash in far more leather and kink happenings than most metro areas. The month of September each year, especially the week leading up to Folsom Street Fair, is when the number of events for the LGBTQ kinky crowd skyrockets.

Bringing back the fun

This week I want to talk about fun; sheer, unadulterated fun. When you mention to those outside of the leather and kink worlds that the object of what we do and who we are is supposed to be fun, they nod and say, "of course!"

Writing good kinky smut

Every vibrant culture has its literature. The kink world is no different. While a smattering of kink erotica has existed for a long time, it's only during the relatively recent past that a plethora of quality kink-themed books for the popular market.

Teaching an old dog new tricks

Right after the bucket-load of events leading up to the iconic Up Your Alley street fair, I knew what I wanted to write about this week. The second a certain pivotal inspiring moment occurred at the fair.

Getting sexy: Up Your Alley Street Fair's fetish alfresco

Buckle up kids. As this column hits the streets and online, the busy weekend of leather and kink happenings punctuated by the Up Your Alley Street Fair is underway. This year's schedule is packed to the rafters with stuff to do.

Gearing up!

In 1997, to help these gear-centric men connect, a man who goes only by Leon founded an international organization called BLUF, a community for men who have an interest in leather, uniforms and breeches. It now has thousands of members around the world.

Leather Resistance: Kink communities & political activism

As the American political landscape collapses around us into a heap of hateful dung, I wonder if all my efforts should be focused on saving what's left of our country rather than telling you how to have awesome sex or meet fellow kinksters.

40 Years of Leather: International Mr. Leather celebrates four decades

This year's recent International Mr. Leather (IML) weekend was its 40th anniversary. 40 years since Chuck Renslow decided to have a leather contest, a contest and weekend that in large part helped form the foundation of the modern leather experience.

Kink about town

But as I prepare to attend what is the biggest men's leather and kink event of its kind in the world, I'm reflecting on some of the events I've been attending this past week here locally in San Francisco.

On becoming kinky

Throughout the years one of the most common questions I've been asked has come from people who don't consider themselves kinky but have discovered they're interested in or dating someone who has such interests.

The scene is alive and well

Every so often I'm reminded of how vibrant our San Francisco Bay Area leather and kink scene is and how lucky those of us who live here are to so easily be our true erotic selves. This past week was a clear reminder that our local scene is most definitely

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