Folsom Street Fair 2010 Poster Inspired By Recent Gay Bar Raids

The poster image for the 2010 Folsom Street Fair was inspired by recent police raids of gay bars in Fort Worth, Texas and Atlanta, Georgia. The official poster also derived inspiration from the movie The Usual Suspects, the 1995 crime capper directed by openly gay filmmaker Brian Singer.

The organizers of the annual fetish fair, Folsom Street Events, said due to the outrage sparked within the LGBT community by the raids at the Atlanta Eagle and The Rainbow Lounge in Texas they decided to use the poster’s artwork as a way to highlight  issues of crime and punishment in the community.
In a statement released on Mother’s Day announcing the poster design, Folsom Street Events said the image, which features a line up of people in various drag, leather and fetish wear, juxtaposes crimes on Wall Street, such as the Goldman Sachs scandal, against behaviors in the BDSM community which may be punishable in some states and cities. Only recently did the Oakland City Council move to end a ban against cross-dressing that has been on the East Bay city’s books since the 1800s.

“This year’s Folsom Street Fair poster is intended to draw attention to the ongoing discrimination and persecution facing consenting adults who practice BDSM,” stated Demetri Moshoyannis, the organization’s executive director. “We are extremely pleased with the outcome of this poster because it maintains the tradition of our trademark cutting-edge commentary on our community within the broader society. We are very much looking forward to producing a fantastic series of internationally renowned events this year.”

The Folsom Street Fair poster is available online at folsomstreetevents.org.

STORY CREDIT: Read More of this story at Bay Area Reporter

Tags: Atlanta, Folsom Street Fair, gay bars, Texas