Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed his appreciation for San Francisco’s Folsom Street Fair, an annual gay bondage celebration, in a Wednesday interview on “The Adam Friedland Show.”
“I don’t really know much about dyslexia, but whatever they want to do in the Castro District is fine by me,” host and comedian Adam Friedland offered. The Castro District is a notoriously gay neighborhood of San Francisco. (RELATED: Gavin Newsom Admits He Is A Shapeshifter)
“When was the last time you were in Castro?” Newsom asked.
“Constantly, every day.”
“By the way, you know what you need to do? A lot of people go to the Castro Street Fair. You got to go to the Folsom Street Fair,” said Newsom.
The Folsom Street Fair drew around 300,000 “kink enthusiasts” in 2019, according to news website SFist. Common sights at the fair include: Nearly and fully nude men and women, men clad in all manner of leather ensembles, public whippings, drag queens, and furries. Some San Franciscans bring their toddlers. The Folsom Street Fair also offers food trucks.
“That’s like the bondage one,” Friedland said.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 25: California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom interacts with fans while marching in the annual LGBTQI Pride Parade on June 25, 2017 in San Francisco, California. The LGBT community descended on Market Street for the 47th annual Pride Parade (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)
“That’s different, that’s different,” said Newsom in agreement.
“You go to that?” Friedland questioned.
“I’ll never forget the first time I went there. I want to say what I want to say. I’m not going to say it cause I still … I’m facing even more recall.” (RELATED: Mark Halperin Tells Gavin Newsom Point-Blank He Doesn’t See Him Running In 2028)
“You saw one of the biggest penises you’ve ever seen in your life?” Friedland theorized.
“I’ve got, what you, you, I can never unsee what I saw.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I’m looking at it right now. I just, but, I can’t share it.”
If Newsom has presidential ambitions, as speculation would have you believe, I fail to see the wisdom in spotlighting this particular element of San Franciscan culture. Odes to gay bondage are unlikely to win over Middle America. Many Californians, too, would bristle at the degeneracy on display at the Folsom Street Fair. For Newsom’s sake, it’d be better to retreat to tautologies like “love is love.”
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