One of the biggest annual local gatherings for leatherwomen took place this past Saturday, the Ms. San Francisco Leather contest at SOMArts Cultural Center.

Leather communities have had a longstanding practice of passing down leathers, gear and treasured objects to others as a way of letting a valued possession experience new life with a new caretaker.

Enjoy any of these events going on in the San Francisco Bay Area for leather and other kinksters.

Rain or shine, each week includes a lot going on in the San Francisco Bay Area for leather and other kinksters.

Far too frequently, the leather communities tend to honor and revere tops and doms in a way they do not always bottoms and subs. I've increasingly seen this play out in the non-kinky gay men's world as well.

I'm going to make this column a self-indulgence reflecting my hoped-for outcomes for 2019 for leatherfolk, kinksters, and anyone who resides outside the societal norms for sexuality and relationships.

The new year begins with a lot going on in the San Francisco Bay Area for leather and other kinksters.

There's always a lot going on in the San Francisco Bay Area for leather and other kinksters. Get out and get some face-to-face, non-Facebook time!

Tumblr announced that their platform would no longer allow adult content. Close on the heels of that announcement, Facebook appears to be following through on much tighter restrictions on sexual content. What does that mean for kink communities?

What has been impressed on me on World AIDS Day is that we should each of us grab on to life hard and live it as fully, beautifully and vibrantly as we can. For kinksters, that means taking full advantage of the many opportunities we have.

There's always a lot going on in the San Francisco Bay Area for leather and other kinksters, from drawing events to dance parties, rope demos to bar revelry.

One of the many attractions to San Francisco when I moved here in 1994 was how readily it embraced older gay men. I was always pleasantly surprised at how well older gay men were integrated into the larger LGBTQ whole, especially in the leather scene.

There's always a lot going on in the San Francisco Bay Area for leather and other kinksters. Holidays include special parties, too.

Check the many events happening through November in the San Francisco Bay Area for leather and other kinksters.