Catalyst for Change

Building and maintaining community is the foundation upon which any vibrant subculture rests. Doing so is difficult if that subculture is hard pressed to find places in which to meet. In the case of contemporary leather and kink communities, that means spaces in which we can gather to learn, discuss, organize, socialize and play.

A new truly community-based project is underway that seeks to assist San Francisco with just such space needs. It's called SF Catalyst, a new venture by the San Francisco Bay Area Leather Alliance.

The Alliance serves to foster communication and coordination between the various groups and sub-communities in the Bay Area leather scene. They have many ongoing projects and events including Leather Alley at SF Pride, the Mr. SF Leather contest, the SF Leather Community Awards, Leather Alliance Weekend, the SMsafely website, a start-up organization sponsorship program, and now the new SF Catalyst space.

SF Catalyst is in the South of Market area where the former Alchemy SF was located.

Dahn Van Laarz, President of the Alliance, explains why the organization took on this project.

"Community space for play, meetings and events has been disappearing at an alarming rate from San Francisco. Much of the remaining event space is unaffordable for community groups, or doesn't meet other needs. The closing of the previous incarnation of the space, Alchemy SF, offered us an opportunity to rework an already successful community space, build upon what had been done, and expand its accessibility to community groups for additional uses."

Recently, there have been a few community meetings held to discuss the viability of a collectively owned and run leather/kink community space. So, this new project fits into that vision. Seth Munter, Coordinator for SF Catalyst, explained it this way.

"Over the years, many individuals and organizations have discussed a vision for a San Francisco BDSM/Leather/Kink/Fetish Communities Center that could unite adult alternative lifestyle communities and support nonprofit and for-profit entities who support our liberty and self-expression," said Munter.

"Attempts to raise money for such a venture have been held back by at least three concerns," Munter added. "What can we financially afford to do? What needs can be addressed effectively by a such a communities center? Can a nonprofit organization successfully operate a communities center? That brought the Alliance to take on the opportunity provided when the hard working and generous people that had worked so hard to run Alchemy SF decided to close their doors."

The Catalyst name was chosen because it speaks to the Alliance's vision for the project, a place to create change and move forward, both for individuals and our community. Quite a bit of thought went into choosing the name. The Alliance drew input from many individuals and groups, considering the history and the future of what they were hoping to create.

The goal was to not only preserve leather and kink space, but to bring the various kink communities together to make all our spaces more successful. The project serves as a "catalyst" for the community to come together and build something new.

While the Alliance just recently took over the new space, they have lots of plans in the works. Their short-term goal is to preserve the space for play and events while jump-starting the process of creating a leather/kink community center, a place where many of the current organizations and current businesses could come together, share resources and space, and build upon each other's strengths for the long term. Most of our kink-friendly spaces are rented and subject to the whims of the real estate market. The Alliance hopes to eventually circumvent that problem with a community-owned space.

Some of the long-term goals for SF Catalyst include:

(1) profitable management that builds reserves for an eventual community-owned center;

(2) enhancing viability, sustainability and attendance at events at other community venues;

(3) conducting a survey to evaluate the needs and value of community resources that could be housed in a future community center; and

(4) developing fundraising capabilities, reserves and capital sources for the purpose of purchasing, upgrading and managing such a center.

Some of the immediate projects underway are creating a much easier booking process, an improved calendar for the website, modifications to the space and equipment to enhance flexibility and user options, and additional configurations for uses including as an education and meeting space.
SF Catalyst is an extremely well equipped BDSM/kink dungeon, but the space can easily be adapted to be used for education sessions, organization meetings, and other activities. photo: SF Catalyst

Also in process is the setting up of an online volunteer portal to make it easier for community members to give of their time. Currently, they ask anyone interested in volunteering to email them at [email protected].

Of course, SF Catalyst is but one of many kink venues in our area. The Alliance and the operating group made it absolutely clear that they are committed to working with all of the other San Francisco leather and kink venues such as the Center for Sex & Culture, The Citadel, Studio Kink, Wicked Grounds, and our many bars and sex clubs. While there are some overlaps between all of these existing venues, each is unique in its facilities and features. This variety helps make our local scene more robust and diverse.

Aisia, SF Catalyst's Marketing Volunteer Team Leader, adds this.

"I believe that Catalyst fits into the local solution because members of the team are volunteers from different factions of the community," she said. "With members from across various areas the team is able to hopefully reach out to more people and while it won't be perfect, at least people should feel that Catalyst is trying to make a true community space and not just a space for certain communities. The group that we have put together interviewed for the various positions and were selected based on what they could bring to the team and what areas of the community they felt they could help bring into the space."

Might you, your club or organization want to utilize the SF Catalyst space? Visit their website. Then an email inquiry to [email protected] is a good way to reach their booking volunteers. They have several rental options available depending on the use and the type of group or individual.
SF Catalyst offers unique play equipment on the main floor and loft area with a more casual relaxed social and play space upstairs. photo: SF Catalyst

The folks overseeing the operations of SF Catalyst are eager to help by encouraging new groups, new events, and new ways of building community. They have flexible options for all kind of event organizers who are experienced running events as well as for those who are just starting out or curious about how to get started.

Yet again, San Francisco Bay Area kinksters step up and do something tangible to keep our local scene alive and vibrant. Let's make SF Catalyst, as well as all the Bay Area kink-friendly bars, businesses, play spaces and meeting venues as successful as we possibly can. Because without them everyone will be spending all their time staring at their phones on hookup apps, but with nowhere to go otherwise.

Race Bannon is a local author, blogger and activist. You can reach him on his website, www.bannon.com