Folsom Street East: Sunday, June 20th

New York City's annual leather street festival, Folsom Street East, is next Sunday, June 20th.

Inspired by San Francisco's legendary Folsom Street Fair, FSE was founded in 1997 by former Gay Male S/M Activists (GMSMA) chair John Weis and a cohort of similarly-minded New York City leathermen. “I thought that having a fun day in the sun for the SM/leather community celebrating our diversity would go a long way in helping dispel myths and stereotypes,” said Weis. “We saw FSE as important opportunity for visibility, outreach and activism. A key part of that is taking a proud stand -- outside in the sunshine – embracing and celebrating sexual diversity.”

Since that first year, FSE has featured live music and performance art, bootblacks, barbers, health and community information, and vendors selling everything from cigars to harnesses to handmade floggers. From a handful of vendor tables and a few hundred attendees that first year, FSE has grown exponentially: the 2009 event drew over 50 vendors and nearly 10,000 leather and fetish-clad revelers over the course of the afternoon. FSE is also an opportunity for the community to flex some philanthropic muscle as well. The $10 suggested donation benefits a number of charities and to date, FSE has donated over $210,000 to a wide array of non-profit organizations, including this year’s beneficiaries: the Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center, the New York City Anti-Violence Project, and the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom (NCSF).

You might recall that last year Porno Pete LaBarbera sent a hidden camera crew to the fair and posted photos and videos of unsuspecting attendees. He also made the typically ridiculous claim that "hundreds of fully nude men" roamed Chelsea's West 28th street engaging in "sadistic homosexual" acts in "violation of New York City's lewdness laws." But as you can see from the photo below, it was a cool and overcast day and hardly anybody so much as doffed their shirt, much less walked around naked. Let's hope for warmer weather this year!

A Place At The Table

Last night my pal Chris accompanied me to the Ali Forney Center's gala fundraiser, A Place At The Table, held at the Chelsea Art Museum where Manhattan's gay glitterati nibbled fancy bits from top chefs, took part in silent and live auctions, and were entertained by Tony-nominee Justin Bond and famed singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright - all in the name of raising money for NYC's LGBT homeless youth. Boldface names in attendance included Mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, community leader John Weis, Lt. Dan Choi, actress Sandra Bernhard, furniture mogul Mitchell Gold, activist Corey Johnson, and Poz Magazine founder Sean Strub.

Chris and I began the evening with a guided tour of the Ali Forney Center's daytime drop-in center, where homeless LGBT youth are provided with a myriad of services including medical attention, mental health and drug counseling, and HIV tests. AFC executive director Carl Siciliano spoke passionately about the good work his organization does, remembering the AFC's beginnings with six cots in a basement. Times are tough again for the AFC as corporate and individual giving have been dramatically pinched by the economy. Please consider making a donation. I'll have a video clip of Rufus Wainwright's performance later today.

False Arrests Protest At Mayor Bloomberg's House

Today a group of LGBT rights and sexual freedom activists gathered just down the block from Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Upper East Side mansion to protest the false arrests of gay men in NYC's adult bookshops. Robert Pinter, a victim of this campaign, gave interviews to a number of local and national newsmedia outlets as two dozen gay men marched with placards denouncing Bloomberg and the NYPD.

On hand were a number of familiar LGBT activists: Brendan Fay, Gilbert Baker, Ann Northrop, Father Tony, Eric Leven, John Weis and journalists Andy Humm and Duncan Osbourne. It was Osbourne's relentless pursuit of this story that brought the entire illegal campaign to light.

Also present were protest observers from the National Lawyers Guild and Susan Wright, the founder and spokesperson of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, with whom I had a chat about our mutual enemy, Peter LaBarbera. The NYPD was generally friendly and cooperative, although they did not allow the protesters within 100 feet of Bloomberg's home.

Curious passersby and tourists exiting Central Park took photos of the protest and were handed fact sheets about the action. Many of the men giving interviews to the press stressed that the entire "prostitution" campaign was in fact meant to close the city's adult businesses under nuisance abatement laws.

BELOW: Father Tony gets video of playwright George Tynan Crowley reading his special Valentine's poem to Mayor Bloomberg. Go to Father Tony's site for more on the rally, including photos and more video.

UPDATE: Robert Pinter tells his story to Eric Leven.

UPDATE II: The New York Times has published their coverage of the protest.