[9] It was made famous by the June 1964 Paul Welch Life article entitled "Homosexuality In America", the first time a national publication reported on gay issues.

Life's photographer was referred to the Tool Box by Hal Call, who had long worked to dispel the myth that all homosexual men were effeminate.

The article opened with a two-page spread of the mural of life size leathermen in the bar, painted by Chuck Arnett, a patron and employee.

During the 1970s and early 1980s one could see many dozens of motorcycles belonging to people who were members of these clubs parked up and down the length of Folsom Street on the Miracle Mile.

In 1984 the Folsom Street Fair began in San Francisco;[5] it is the world's largest leather event and showcase for BDSM products and culture.

City officials had wanted to "revitalize" the historically blue-collar, warehouse, industrial district by continuing successful high-rise development already underway on Rincon Hill.

As one of the few occasions when sadomasochistic activities are encouraged and performed in public, it attracts a considerable number of sightseers and those who enjoy the attention of onlookers as well as hundreds of photographers and videographers.

[23] On the other hand, the event has at times drawn public and internal criticism for its bawdy atmosphere and broad tolerance of lewd behavior,[24][25] and it is a regular target for anti-gay organizations such as Americans for Truth about Homosexuality.

[27][28] Each year, net proceeds from Folsom Street Fair, including gate donations and beverage sales, are given to qualified local charities ("beneficiaries").

These include charities working in public health, human services, and the arts, as well as beverage partners, and the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence who lead the organizing effort at the gates.

Previous headlining live acts have included Austra, Little Boots, Miami Horror, Ladytron (DJ Team), Dragonette, Imperial Teen, Berlin, the Presets, Monarchy, the English Beat, Missing Persons, MNDR, Light Asylum, Shiny Toy Guns, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, Nitzer Ebb, MEN (featuring JD Samson of Le Tigre), My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, the Limousines, Ladyhawke, Adult., and Yacht.

For the 24th annual event held on September 30, 2007, the official poster artwork was a photo featuring well-known LGBT and BDSM community members in festive and fetish attire including Sister Roma "as players in an innovative version of the culturally iconographic" The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, complete with a table draped with the Leather Pride flag and "cluttered with sex toys, whips, and various (BDSM) restraints".

Some conservative religious groups criticized the image as anti-Christian and blasphemous, although media outlets noted that parodies and homages of the "Last Supper" painting like Renée Cox's Yo Mama's Last Supper are numerous, including ones by The Simpsons, The Sopranos, Phish, That '70s Show, Robert Altman (in the film MASH) and the Boston Red Sox.

[34] In a press release, Andy Copper, Board President of Folsom Street Events asserted that there was "no intention to be particularly pro-religion or anti-religion with this poster; the image is intended only to be reminiscent of the "Last Supper" painting.

It is a distinctive representation of diversity with women and men, people of all colors and sexual orientations" and added "we are going to produce a series of inspired poster images over the next few years.

Next year's poster ad may take inspiration from American Gothic by Grant Wood or Edvard Munch's The Scream or even The Sound of Music!"

[41] Nancy Pelosi, congresswoman for San Francisco and then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, opined at a press conference: "I do not believe Christianity has been harmed by the Folsom Street Fair.

The book documents two years shot a decade apart, 2007 and 2017, to demonstrate that although the city of San Francisco has gentrified over time, the Folsom Street Fair seems to maintain its authenticity.