Leatherwoman Rachele Sullivan dies
Rachele Sullivan, a leatherwoman who once served on the board of San Francisco-based Folsom Street Events, died January 17, according to the nonprofit that produces the Folsom Street Fair and other activities.
She was 54. A cause of death was not released. Ms. Sullivan passed away at home in the Bay Area surrounded by friends and family, Angel Adeyoha, a queer nonbinary person who is executive director of Folsom Street Events, told the Bay Area Reporter in an email.
Ms. Sullivan had relocated to Washington state, but Adeyoha said that she returned to the Bay Area for end of life care. Demetri Sparks, a gay man who is the former executive director of Folsom Street Events, told the B.A.R.
that Ms. Sullivan's contributions were many and varied. She served on the Folsom Street board for about a decade, he said. "She was instrumental in establishing Venus' Playground," Sparks said in a phone interview, referring to the woman's space at the Folsom Street Fair that is now known as the Playground. "I met Rachele at the first board retreat in January 2006," Sparks said. "I had just started as executive director, and she came up to me and shared concerns of the women's community." Sparks recalled that those issues included too many pictures being taken without consent.
