With more than 250,000 people clad in leather and chains – if anything at all – across 13 blocks, San Francisco’s Folsom Street Fair has become the world’s biggest fetish festival.
But as the country continues to grapple with the burst of the #MeToo movement, the Folsom Street Fair has had to figure out how to be a safe space for its participants without losing its edge.
Much like Burning Man did this year in Nevada, that has meant putting an emphasis on consent.
With more than 250,000 people clad in leather and chains – if anything at all – across 13 blocks, San Francisco’s Folsom Street Fair has become the world’s biggest fetish festival
But as the country continues to grapple with the burst of the #MeToo movement, the Folsom Street Fair has had to figure out how to be a safe space for its participants without losing its edge
Much like Burning Man did this year in Nevada, that has meant putting an emphasis on consent at the Folsom Street Fair
‘Gear doesn’t mean consent. What you’re wearing doesn’t mean consent,’ Folsom Street Events President Edwin Morales told the San Francisco Chronicle. ‘An enthusiastic “yes” means consent.’
The event spread that message via social media, as well as signs across the 13-block fair on Sunday.
While #MeToo has made the topic of consent far more present in today’s society, Folsom Street Fair organizers said the focus was actually driven more by community feedback instead of recent headlines.
Participants especially hoped to educate newcomers and tourists who may not be as familiar with the history of consent in BDSM.
Organizers have been especially frustrated in the past by numerous tourists who take pictures of participants without their permission, and this year tried to issue an ‘ask first’ directive.
The Folson Street Fair now brings 250,000 fetish enthusiasts from all over to the historic San Francisco Street, where it promises there’s ‘something for everyone’
In addition to increasing awareness and positivity around the BDSM world, organizers also use the event to help raise funds for groups like the National AIDS Memorial and register people to vote
More than 200 booths display fetish gear and toys for participants to check out, as well as live BDSM demos (pictured)
Those who identify as female, transgender, or gender-nonconforming were able to escape tourists’ stares at The Playground, which welcomed everyone except cisgender men.
The Playground is run by a woman named Michelle, who said the area is a ‘safe space’ for participants. Her only rules are: ‘Please don’t make a mess. Unless it’s puke, and it’s consensual’.
Other rules listed on the waiver form include no alcohol, water sports, blood or fire play. It also asks that participants please ‘use a drop cloth while waxing’.
Maryann Leilani Wood, 42, found the Playground to be a place of solace where she wouldn’t ‘get gawked at by a tourist’.
Many participants sported their best leather and chains as they walked through the historic San Francisco street on Sunday
Those who identify as female, transgender, or gender-nonconforming can escape tourists’ stares at The Playground, which welcomes everyone except those who identify as men
‘This space is so important,’ said Wood, who suffered genital mutilation as a child. ‘Some of us don’t want to play with others.’
The Folsom Street Fair now brings 250,000 fetish enthusiasts from all over to the historic San Francisco Street, where it promises there’s ‘something for everyone’.
In addition to increasing awareness and positivity around the BDSM world, organizers also use the event to help raise funds for groups like the National AIDS Memorial and register people to vote.
Some participants chose to go head to toe in black leather and latex, while others chose to wear no clothes at all
Many people also wore bondage suits, garment designed to cover the body completely to reduce the wearer to the status of a sexual toy
More than 200 booths display fetish gear and toys for participants to check out, and there’s plenty of entertainment in between the DJ acts, live BDSM demos, and a ‘sick and twisted performance stage’.
‘And yes, you can still be naked,’ the event promises on its website.
One BDSM exhibit featured spanking benches and suspension frames where participants could be tied up and dangled.
At another exhibit a few feet away, a man wearing just a kilt and a dog mask spanked a topless woman who was chained to a cross.
Organizers have also been frustrated by tourists taking pictures of participants without their permission in the past and this year have tried to issue an ‘ask first’ directive