A Day of Leather and Kinks

“Folsom street fair Sep 25 can you guys go with me” was the Discord message I saw when I first learned about this event. I immediately responded with the tentative decision to attend as I had no other plans that day. I would eventually look up this event online and learn that Folsom Street Fair was known as “Pride Part 2”, specifically focused on kinks and leather.

“you have to be really open-minded; you will see full-on gay sex on the streets.”

Growing up with the internet, I saw my fair share of NSFW content. A day celebrating kinks and BDSM was the least of my concerns, nor was seeing sex in public.

On September 25th, I met up with some friends to go to Folsom St. Fair. Everyone was wearing black or other dark colors to fit the vibe. I decided to wear my black boots and bring my faux-leather jacket, which I didn’t wear since it was too hot.

Walking toward the event with my group felt like I was trying to find the location of a conference — but instead of looking for people wearing suits, I was looking for people wearing almost nothing except leather harnesses. A few blocks of Folsom Street were blocked off specifically for the event, and the group snuck in through the side. It felt like a typical fair, albeit for a very niche interest. Booths advertised products, performers, demonstrations, and games to play for prizes.

I wasn’t all too shocked or surprised by anything happening around me. It was interesting to see random men sitting in alcoves on the side of the street, people-watching and casually masturbating. That day was probably one of the few times I would hear someone comment that they had seen “a real dog” as opposed to someone dressed as a dog.

There was an area specifically for those who were dogs to engage in dog-like activities. There was also a small area for those who were a part of the child kink — diapers were available. Most of the fair was for BDSM, riggers, exhibitionists, and voyeurs. There was a tent specifically for those who identified as women, trans-women, and non-binary. One in my group wondered whether the people engaging in sexual acts in the tent were also performers or if anyone could join.

What surprised me was the diversity of the kink community. Seeing so many people being comfortable with their sexuality and experiencing it without any discomfort was liberating. Ever so slowly, sex is becoming less and less taboo a subject.

While I don’t see myself attending this fair in the future, I definitely don’t regret attending it with people I know. It did help me get a more accurate idea of what areas of my sexuality I’m interested in exploring and what to avoid. I highly recommend others attend if they want to explore kinks at play.