GRATUITOUS SKIN — On Sunday, the gays gathered in San Francisco for their annual Conservative Scarefest, otherwise known as the Folsom Street Fair. Yes, exposed penises and breasts were on display. And yes, the city sanctions this sort of thing, but they probably have “no comment” on the public sex acts that go down in between the nipple play and paddling. Herewith, a photo gallery featuring an assortment of human wonderment. And crotches. Some photos may be NSFW, but we did our best to limit outright nudity. (Photos: Le Fag/Joey DeRuy, Darwin Bell, pub ajax, Mushrie, istolethetv, darwin jr)
GRATUITOUS SKIN — On Sunday, the gays gathered in San Francisco for their annual Conservative Scarefest, otherwise known as the Folsom Street Fair. Yes, exposed penises and breasts were on display. And yes, the city sanctions this sort of thing, but they probably have “no comment” on the public sex acts that go down in between the nipple play and paddling. Herewith, a photo gallery featuring an assortment of human wonderment. And crotches. Some photos may be NSFW, but we did our best to limit outright nudity. (Photos: Le Fag/Joey DeRuy, Darwin Bell, pub ajax, Mushrie, istolethetv, darwin jr)
Jason
It was quite fun.
Some guy wanted to do a porn with me!
AlanInSLC
God I wish I lived anywhere near there. I always hear about it, but can never go.
vernonvanderbilt
This looks like a gay superhero convention. I wish we had stuff like this in my neck of the woods.
jwalker666
what a freakshow!! some people need not go shirtless…yuk
Derek
I know Jwalker666 but your Dad insisted on taking his off.
Fitz
@jwalker666: It is a freak show of people in slave harnesses and breath-control devices and chastity cages, who on the other side of their mouth say that they want to be be treated as equals.
Latebrosus
#5, guy in the black jeans…FFWWWWOOOOOAAAAR!
kevin vancouver
@Fitz: so if you are into breath control devices and slave harnesses then you forgo your right to be treated as an equal? nice…
michael
Folsom fair is a collection of narcissists and fetishists. It’s got nothing to do with gay rights. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that many of those who attend Folsom don’t give a rat’s about gay rights.
It’s just as tacky as the Playboy Mansion.
Ian
LOL, back at the start of this decade I lived 1 1/2 blocks from the fairs location. Once I was going home on MUNI from work and these two doofus’ in assless chaps, one of ’em on a leash, wanted to get on the bus to get to the Folsom Fair, but the bus had toddlers present. Thankfully the bus driver told them they couldn’t get on and they walked off in a huff.
I’m not against the fair at all, I’ve been twice and found it to be a relaxed and fun event, but all it takes is the small few with too little brain functioning to ruin something for all potentially.
Ian
I forgot to add that my point was that the Ann Arbor ‘Naked Mile’ got cancelled due to uptight right-wingers who didn’t even live in the city in question, but they made a stink and ruined the harmless fun. There’s my analogy.
ggreen
My super bitchy neighbor was getting ready for weeks for Folsom Street Fair. Modeling one sleazy outfit after another out on her balcony. Making potential costumes by spray painting epaulets and stretching leather straps and forcing her self into rubber garments. It was worth you tubing. But I didn’t. It does prove however that most of the fair is about some kind of image that is usually not backed up with any substance. My neighbor drops a purse every time he speaks and it sounds like steam escaping. I don’t think I have ever heard him say something that wasn’t 100% gossip or trashing someone. I’m sure he got lots of attention at the fair because he looks like a total top. At home though it’s the helium heels syndrome. LOL.
Fitz
@kevin vancouver: Yes, absolutely. Zero need for me (or others) to respect the human rights of someone who sees themselves as less than human.
Phil D
@Latebrosus The guy in black jeans in #5 is hot and looks a lot like Adam Lambert’s boyfriend. Here’s another pic: http://www.flickr.com/photos/darwinjr/3962816260/in/set-72157622348188931/
McShane
No. 7 · kevin vancouver: So very strange that people concerned about human equality regardless of sexuality, know 0 about human sexuality. Sad: I accept even the ignorant queens in the movement as part of our community.
McShane
It’s funny too some of the hotest men in the City are into S/M.
Not for pansys.
paul-e-wog
Depressing that S&M has been sanitized for everyone’s protection. These pics represent a caricature of deviant behavior. S&M is not “Stand & Model”.
MoHoTo
By far, and by far I mean from here to the sun, the best published photo set of the fair I have seen. Hats off to whomever took the time to put this together. But ONLY hats off, in my case.
scott ny'er
i like that blue, plaid skirt in the 1st pic. That dude is rockin’ it!!!
Charles Merrill
I went last year and it was fun. I like to sit and watch people anyway, even in airports. There were alot of bears looking like Andrew Sullivan, laughing, drinking beer, doing their thing pissing on each other.
Joe
1, 5 (guy in the black jeans), 6 (guy in the other black jeans!) and 27 are the best,
darwinbell
WOW! I came here to see if there were any Folsom shots posted and found out that there were! And alot of them i took! Totally thrilled! Thanks whoever chose them!
Columbus Chris
It has always baffled me how people do this stuff. I would be more worried about losing my job than showing off my disco stick in the street. And in San Francisco, on of the most expensive cities in the country, how do these people live these lifestyles while affording to survive?
Fitz
@Charles Merrill: Yes, nothing says “I demand equal rights” like having people piss on you in the street.
Charles Merrill
@Fitz: I agree but I don’t think they are fighting for the repeal of DOMA, DADT, ENDA or think it is a “pride” event. It’s an adult gay fetish party on a public street in SF. Period.
Mike
@Phil and @Latebrosus
The guy in the black jeans in #5 is most definitely not Adam Lambert’s boyfriend. (His bf is the tall black guy in the back of the photo). Also, he’s Canadian and from Winnipeg. I’ll let him know that you guys think he’s hot.
mikeandrewsdantescove
Can you believe after all this craziness, Castro Street Fair is this Sunday.
Mike
http://www.rhapsody.com/mike-andrews/sex
hardmannyc
@Charles Merrill: Yeah, because straight people at talkgating parties, or spring break or just about anywhere else, behave like Ozzie and Harriet.
Dude, people wear all kinds of hats. Sometimes, people are sex pigs. Sometimes, people are well-behaved professionals. And sometimes they’re political activists.
Why do you have a problem with that? I suspect you have “issues.”
hardmannyc
BTW, I was at Folsom last year, and the kinkiest people were mostly straight. I guess they don’t deserve equal rights!
Mark
I like the cupcake hat, now there’s a costume – and a man – after my own heart.
Fitz
@hardmannyc: Yea, sure. Whatever.
McShane
These guys are celebrating an important party of human sexuality. The only thing historically that has made sex “nice” is Religion, and a denial of passion. All good sex is S/M to a degree otherwise you would enjoy somkeone falling asleeop having sex with you.. Like some of us are put together gay we also have particular sexual proclivities beyond fetishes, that relate to them. Like all sex, it has to do with power relations.
Jim
I used to work near Folsom st. It’s a fun event even if though pretty corny. Glad to see someone still representing from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
scott ny'er
ok. i actually went thru all the pictures. Cupcake hat was hilarious. Love it.
Dude in last picture is beautiful.
It looks like a fun, interesting event. I have a straight friend in SF who’s been to it and I was like, WHAT? But it’s like the Halloween parade in NYC, lots of tourists. It becomes a tourist attraction more than an S&M event, it seems. I’ve got to check it out sometime.
Charles Merrill
@hardmannyc: What? You misunderstood me. I am saying it is a party not a political rally. I am not against partying.
John from England(used to be just John but there are other John's)
@Charles Merrill:
Yeah you did, I’m not sure why that was aimed at you instead of Fitz?
Who I HOPE goes on all those straight sites saying the same stuff! Considering that it’s bigger with straight people to be deviant in bed and dress up!
I’m actually reading ‘Venus in Furs’ by Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch
The term ‘Masochistic’ was defined in the late 17th century after this dude Leopold.
Furthermore, if you read ‘Venus’ OR any of his books, there is NO mention of gays-at all! Simply the sadistic submissive vs controlling sexual relationship between women-the controllers and men-the submissives.
So erm Fitz…use your energies against straights-they started it! Even D H Lawrence or E M Forster (Same centuries) couldn’t come up with anything as close to the bone when they wrote about man on man action…
Actually, sorry to be educated about this but the whole concept of S&M was significant because of the female-dom and male-sub roles, in a society were Men have to be in control and power and were women must just smile and not be ‘seen’, therefore the sexual high came from this ‘role reversal’..
So really with men on men, it’s not as offensive, mysogonistic or powerful. In facts it’s so personal to the couple that to me, doesn’t really offend me. There is more of an equalness there..
Michael Letterman
How fitting in one picture you sum up the very reasons the homosexual community will never be accepted by the mainstream.
To allow such behavior, committed in public, to define your movement is all I need to ensure that homosexuality will continue to be considered a perversion of all that is acceptable.
Republican
@Michael Letterman:
And what do you have to say about Mardi Gras or spring break in Cancun? Damn heterosexuals.
Michael Letterman
How about I say they are just as peverted and disgusting as you are, with the cavet they aren’t trying to get special laws passed to grant them “equality”. They areadly have that.
McShane
@No. 34 · scott ny’er : S/M sexuality is far more individual and private; I don’t think that people would publicly engage in something so intense.
I don’t get the title “Conservative Scarefest” implication. Other than that political consevatives abuse people for economic reasons but that’s not the idea here.