San Francisco’s Folsom Street Fair was packed with leather and whips in an expression of sexual liberation on Sept. 25.
The Folsom Street Fair organization holds its annual celebration on the last Sunday of September with vendors, musicians and performers to showcase their unique art.
Kathleen Connell and Michael Valerio held the first Folsom Street Fair in 1984 with the goal of creating a space for individuals in the bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism (BDSM) community.
BDSM is an umbrella term that consists of erotic practices involving dominance, submission and control, according to a Nov. 5, 2019 article by the health and wellness publication Everyday Health Group.
While these categories are broad, there are many subsets that fall under BDSM such as bondage, edging, humiliation, etc.
Bondage is a method in sex play where one person restrains the other for sexual pleasure, according to a Feb. 27 article by Medical News Today.
Edging is the act of stopping yourself or partner before orgasming and restarting the process all over again, according to a July 27, 2016 article by the sex-based publication Kinkly.
Humiliation involves degradation that can be a turn on to many, according to the sex based publication Bad Girls Bible.
Fawks Gilić, a techno DJ, performed at the event and said the fair is accessible to individuals who want to see and experience new things intimately and sexually.
“It’s a leather, fetish, kink and exhibition of sorts because it's not just the physical acts, but it's all the merch, demos, education and place for people to go and find other people like them,” Gilić said.
He said the event can make people feel overwhelmed with joy and a sense of togetherness from the thousands of people exploring the same feeling.
Gilić is also one of the founding members of Fog City Pack, a collective that hosts social and educational events for the kink and queer community in San Francisco.
He said he wants to create a space providing a sense of unity and inclusivity through his music.
“I express that we're all in this together, but also provide the opportunities for people to share their message, whatever it is that they're trying to say,” Gilić said.
Alyssa Lepik attended the fair for the first time with her partner as she was too shy to go in previous years. She said they were overwhelmed with how welcoming the event was.
“I think a lot of people can get easily intimidated, like me. All of the people there were so kind, expressive and comfortable with themselves,” Lepik said.
She and her partner have been in the BDSM community for over a year after experimenting out of curiosity.
“The stigma around BDSM is usually along the lines of ‘Oh wow, you dress up in latex and hurt your partner,’ but the fair really shows everyone how it’s so much more than just that,” Lepik said.
Consent plays a big role in the BDSM community because it differentiates it from abuse in an observer’s perspective, according to a Feb. 10, 2017 article by SHE Media, an American digital media company.
“Explicit consent scenarios provide a clear frame within which players can enjoy themselves. . . Implicit consent, the kind of consent that is more assumed than received, is also quite common,” according to SHE Media.
Lepik said seeing the overall atmosphere made them feel less alone.
Guillermo Perez also attended the fair for the first time with a group of friends and plans on attending the event again next year. They said they were surprised by how much they learned in just a few hours.
“I feel like the kink community has a bad reputation and all, but the street fair really educates people about how safe and consensual everything is,” Perez said.
Perez said they are not part of the community but were intrigued to go because of the performances and to expand their perspectives on the kink community.
“All of the different performances, whether it being whipping or music, it’s entertaining yet very educational in a way,” Perez said. “I recommend people to go if they’re simply just curious, it expands your mind outside of what you’re used to or what is deemed to be normal.”
