Sex and Dating

10 Oct 2024

The Dark Arts, Leather, & Circus in Oakland

Inside was a crowd reminiscent of Death Guild crossed with the Folsom Street Fair, people were friendly and familiar with one another, it had the atmosphere of a kinky cosplay event or intimate gathering at one of Kink.com’s Armory parties, back when those existed. Everyone was interesting to look at, and chat with, clad in different cuts of leather, metal, and masks.

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03 Oct 2024

Catch Sex-Positive Performance Abbey’s Box While You Can

San Francisco is largely a sex-positive town, but the weekend drama over a Folsom Street Fair attendee’s discomfort with genitals shows that we’ve got some growing to do. To quote a hilarious tweet on the matter, “maybe don’t go to the circus if you’re afraid of clowns.” But on the

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25 Sep 2024

How Dark Garden Became SF’s Corsetry Haven for 35 Years

Autumn Addame’s Dark Garden has been creating exquisite designs for 35 years, and her annual Femme-centric soiree Praise is an antidote to the heavy male aspects of Folsom Street Fair, featuring live music, local and imported performers, and even Argentine Tango dancers.

Guest Writer 0
02 Aug 2024

When Hope Hurts: Navigating a Situationship and the Fallout of a Broken Heart

For a middle-aged person I spend way too much time on Tik Tok and listening to Taylor Swift. On April 19th she released The Tortured Poets Department and I was four days deep into having publicly outed my former partner of 8 years as a serial liar, cheater, and manipulator

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08 Jul 2024

The Darker Side of Pride

The days leading up to Pride weekend were like the drawback of a tidal wave (Pridal wave?). In preparation, we cut two industrial-sized buckets of limes, around three days’ worth. We stacked boxes on boxes of beer and seltzer in the walk-in, evacuating our supplies to higher ground. By Thursday night, we were ready. A coworker and I earned the privilege of clocking out early.

Jake Warren 0
23 Jun 2024

5 Misconceptions About Open Relationships

#NSFW language ahead! My partner and I are nearing our eleventh anniversary. It impresses people across all sexualities to hear this. “Goals,” say my straight friends. “That’s an eternity for the Gays,” say other Gays. It works because he and I still like each other. We want to see each

Jake Warren 0
19 Jun 2024

The Incredible Vintage Erotica Exhibits at the Bob Mizer Foundation Right Now

If you are a San Francisco resident, you’re probably familiar with one of the city’s gems: The Bob Mizer Foundation, located on Larkin Street. Bob Mizer was a precursor of male erotica photography, starting to self-publish his work in 1951. Erotica, queer culture, DIY, and self-publishing are all part of

Patricia Colli 0
09 Jun 2024

8 Complaints About Being Gay in San Francisco

It’s a sin when success complains. That’s how I feel as a gay man who moved to San Francisco from what Californians affectionately call “flyover country.” It’s pretty damn great, living here. So what if everything closes at 2am (#4) and there aren’t any bathhouses to go to (#5). Compared

Jake Warren 0