Reinventing the Community
My friend Demetri Moshoyannis, pictured as he goofed off at Folsom Fair in September, is the executive director of the group that puts on the two annual kink street festivals, and he asked me to share this alert. Happy to help him get the word out, and to offer my opinion about some of the concerns he raises.
First of all, it's so cool his group is hosting this town hall. We need more such grassroots engagement at convenient hours and open to all.
A few thoughts about the meeting. Let's hope any politicians who show up are treated like everyone else and have to wait their turn to speak. I'm tired of stopping meetings and granting special privileges to queer electeds to speak and often without time limits, when they walk in. Electeds have plenty of opportunities to speak up at Board of Supervisor meetings or the DCCC or at MUMC meetings.
Regarding what I'd like to see in a reinvented kink and sexually liberating community, let's start with ending the prohibition on bathhouses and expand the amount space for consensual oral sex at commercial venues and in public spaces during the fairs. We should address the music styles and sound volume at Blow Buddies and the fairs, and any new sex venues that open in the future.
Politically speaking, I'd like to see Demetri and Folsom Street Events not go along with Scott Wiener's divide and conquer method that he used so skillfully recently over his proposed anti nudity ban. Wiener first met with nudists, then waited a while to meet separately with Demetri and other leather folks, never having all interested in the same room at the same time.
Wiener needs to hear a consistent message from D8 voters such as myself, and kink and nudists leaders: hold forums open to all before you tinker with city laws and queer public spaces.
From Demetri:
With the San Francisco Eagle preparing to fly once again, Folsom Street Events would like to invite you to an open meeting for the leather and kink communities. The SOMA community is on the cusp of reinvention, and we would like to hear your voices.
We believe that we are stronger when we come together and pursue the community'’s strongest ideas for improvement. In advance of the meeting, we encourage you to submit your questions, your ideas, and your feelings about how our community should grow and change. Think about how you can contribute as part of the solution, part of the effort to revitalize the bars and businesses in our beloved community.
Email comments or questions that you would like to hear addressed to demetri@folsomstreetevents.org by Monday, November 12th.
MEETING DETAILS:
Thursday, November 15
7:00pm -– 9:00pm
BeatBox
314 Eleventh Street (at Folsom)
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