San Francisco Chronicle - September 27, 2004
Carrie Sturrock, csturrock@sfchronicle.com.

Dressed in a chain harness and a minuscule studded leather undergarment, he surveyed the crowd, relishing the view of the men in chaps freely parading the fair's seven blocks. It was just what he imagined, although one thing did take him by complete surprise.

"Naked people," he said. "I was shocked. There are people walking around with nothing on at all. Back in the U.K., you would get arrested."

Not in San Francisco and certainly not at the Folsom Street Fair, which celebrated its 21st year Sunday with plenty of skin, leather and liquid latex.

The Folsom Street Fair is the "daddy" of leather, fetish and S&M fairs nationwide, said Billy Worthen, 33, who sits on the board of directors of Folsom Street Events. New York City has an annual Folsom Street East, and Toronto had its first Folsom Fair North last year. Organizers estimated San Francisco's event would attract 400,000 visitors from all over the world and generate roughly $250,000 for charities, many of them AIDS related.

Folsom Street was full of sights not seen at your average fair. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence offered to spank the willing for $5 a pop. All manner of couples led each other by leashes. Some fairgoers sported whips and handcuffs, others black latex face masks that zipped up the back of the head.

But there were plenty of regular-looking folks, too, just checking things out. Organizers say they're part of the changing nature of the fair, which has become bigger, more commercial and more mainstream.

"We try to make it as friendly as possible," Worthen said. "I would love to think if someone came to the fair for the first time, rather than being offended or judging, they might walk up to someone and say, 'I don't get what you're doing.' "

None of the first-time fairgoers interviewed had actually asked any of the people dressed as horses, bits strapped through their mouths, why they were clopping around. Samantha Johnson, or "Mistress Samantha" as she likes to be known, was led through the streets by nearly nude women prancing around upright on horse hooves.

"I love showing off my ponies," she said. "This is just for show."

Some old-timers complain that the fair is not as free and wild as it once was.

Dressed in leather chaps, Albert Schunck of Munich said the fair has become "commercial and more pansexual" in the 18 years he's been attending. Still, Schunck said he wouldn't miss it before stepping onto Folsom Street, which soon filled with a crushing throng of people.

"It's not as intimate as it used to be," he said. "It's nevertheless one of the highlights in the world for a gay man in September."

Not everyone who enjoys the fair wants everyone in their community to know they do. A Sacramento couple celebrating their anniversary said they didn't want their names published. Dressed as anyone might for a quiet stroll in the park, they said they were simply enjoying the spirit of San Francisco and third year at the fair.

"This is like Disneyland for adults," the husband of the couple said. "(We're here) just to enjoy the view -- a voyeuristic tour, living vicariously."

Visitors expressed various levels of comfort with the various displays taking place. As a crowd gathered around a man lightly whipping two other men tied to a One Way street sign, some people shook their heads while others stopped and stared.

Worthen stressed that a code of conduct guides the action at the fair. People must ask each other before they do anything. It's not just a free-for- all, although he readily acknowledges not everyone will understand what they see.

"If someone called security and said, 'Someone is handcuffed to a fence,' we would say, 'Do they want to be?' "

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