This past weekend, the deviant masses descended upon San Francisco for the Folsom Street Fair. If you don’t know what Folsom is, I don’t really know how you made it here, but it’s an annual BDSM and leather subculture street fair, held in September. It’s basically a big street fair for gay perverts, and it’s my favorite weekend of the year.
There are play parties, bar nights, performances etc all weekend— culminating in a huge roiling street fair in SoMa on Sunday.
I’ve done Folsom as a Leather Title Holder, I’ve done it as a bootblack, I’ve done it as a timid 20something unsure of her place. This year was my best one yet.
Friday night was a solo outing to a party in an incredible space in the east bay where I made some new friends and successfully cruised a bit of fun play. I was nervous about going to the party alone though I’ve been to countless parties solo, but I was very brave (real good girl stuff) and went anyway.
Saturday was a big one for me, as I was co-hosting my first Leather event since 2020. A perfect day at the beach for Leather Dykes and friends ended up being one of the highlights of my weekend. I was bowled over by how many people showed up and was delighted to meet so many internets friends IRL for the first time.
What I feared would turn out to be a sad and awkward affair full of stilted conversation and deafening silences, was instead a glorious celebration of the Leather Dykes and their friends on parade. The looks were smashing— the latex basque, the all-black lace looks, a parasol or two, a healthy helping of camo, the piss bikini (you had to be there), loud colorful button-downs, and more thongs than you could shake an ass at.
The freaks were truly out on the beach and it was beautiful.
The play isn’t mine to divulge but it happened and I was thrilled.
Attendees seemed truly grateful for the opportunity to connect in this way, and I feel so fortunate for the opportunity to co-create the container. Biggest of ups to Lola for asking me to co-host, I will ABSOLUTELY be doing it again next year and the many thanks I received will stay with me until then.
Saturday night found me at another play party— this one a beautifully curated space for Black queer & trans folks. While the circumstances weren’t right for the scene I had planned, the gathering of all of those gorgeous Black perverts made my heart sing. I have often felt othered and at odds with the kink community as a Black person. Underrepresented, undervalued, ignored or even vilified when I try to advocate for respect for my identity. All those Black freaks— Leather folks, kinksters, newbies, all there to celebrate Folsom and our delicious deviance.
Sunday at the fair brought me back to the Bootblack Stands. If you don’t know what a bootblack is, again, I’m not sure what you’re doing here, but we are effectively shoe shines and leather carers in the Leather community. We care for many types of gear (boots & other footwear, latex, leather clothing, play gear— cuffs, arm/leg binders, sleep sacks, bondage belts, slings, etc) and often work at Leather bars and celebrations.
Working at Folsom is kind of a pinnacle in terms of bootblacking. People bring out their best Leather/fetish looks for the fair and we get to care for all of them. I did two pairs of these Doc Martens Chelsea Boots and I am STUNNED by how nicely they shined up.
Once, a long time ago (2018), I was the first ever San Francisco Bootblack, a Leather Title that is competed for each year in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a titleholder I traveled around to different Leather events, worked the stand at the SF Eagle, taught classes on bootblacking, and generally twirled, whirled and sashayed my way through the contest circuit. It was fun and frivolous and very expensive.
I still consider myself a bootblack (obviously), but it’s no longer at the core of my Leather identity the way it was when I was deep in the Leather contest scene.
During my time in the stand I connected with someone who is interested in learning more about bootblacking and I’m thrilled for the opportunity to pay forward what I’ve learned.
Sunday afternoon I met up with some cuties I’d met at the beach and got up to some really delicious things that you can’t hear about. Let’s just say this: my Mommy-mania isn’t going anywhere.
Sunday night was scary— go-go dancing for a big, cool, dyke party at a very popular queer bar in San Francisco. I *also* hadn’t danced since 2020 and honestly, I had no idea how my body was gonna hold up. I will admit I played it safe, I was on a box so there wasn’t a lot of dropping it low or floor work for fear of falling, but I danced for three hours and lived to tell the tale!
Some of my friends came to cheer me on and shower me with dollars, but it was a school night for them and they left before I was done dancing.
The end of the night brought me a little bit of sadness as I looked around at all the different pairs and clusters of people talking, dancing, laughing, and generally getting up to no good (it was SO good). I floated between groups of people that I’d connected with over the weekend, folks I know from IG/Twitter, and people I didn’t know— suddenly realizing I didn’t really have anywhere to be or anyone to hang out with.
Truth be told, my weekend was full of these moments. At the party Friday, at the beach and at the party Saturday, and Sunday night after I finished dancing— abruptly realizing that though I was in a crowd, I was alone.
My involvement in Leather Community has shifted since the last time I lived in the Bay Area [adjacent], and it makes sense that I have to reforge close friendships and create new community, it’s just hard to feel it in such sharp focus when in the midst of an overall good time.
I woke up with pretty terrible drop/depression on Monday, wishing I had a friend or sweetheart with me to soften the landing back into “regular” life. Much to my delight, the drop was abated by a sweetly unexpected fancy lunch by the bay in Oakland with some very generous new friends.
Though I occasionally felt some sharp sadness, all-in-all, my weekend was a beautiful celebration of the closest thing I have to a spiritual practice. Leather sex is sacred to me, and the opportunity to immerse myself in Leather Freaks all weekend filled my soul.
I look forward to playing more, I look forward to co-creating more, I look forward to performing more— I simply look forward, for MORE.