San Francisco Pride

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File:San Francisco Pride Parade 2012-6.jpg
The 2012 San Francisco Pride Festival

The San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration (formerly "International Lesbian and Gay Freedom Day", "Gay Freedom Day", and "Christopher Street West"), usually known as San Francisco Pride, is a pride parade and festival held at the end of June most years in San Francisco, California, to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people.

Parade

File:Sfpride 2016 ehp.jpg
2016 parade

The San Francisco Pride parade is an LGBT pride parade that is held on a Sunday morning as part of a two-day Festival. The route is usually west along San Francisco's Market Street, from Steuart Street to 8th Street [1] and runs from 10:30 am until almost 4:00 pm. Participants line up off the parade route in advance of the start of the parade.

Contingents

The parade consists of hundreds of contingents from various groups and organizations. Some of the more well-known contingents are:

File:Dykes On Bikes.jpg
Dykes on Bikes leading the 2005 San Francisco Pride parade. The contingent has hundreds of motorized bikes, many of which are decorated for the event.
  • Dykes on Bikes, formerly known as "Women's Motorcycle Contingent" for legal purposesScript error: No such module "Unsubst"., has several hundred motorcycle riders, almost all women-identified although they welcome all gender-variant people.[2]Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Some of the women are topless, some wear leather or fanciful costumes. The sound of hundreds of motorcycle engines gives this contingent a big impact. They are traditionally the first contingent in the parade; one reason for this is that it is difficult for motorcycles to run reliably at the walking pace of the rest of the parade, so as the first contingent they can move at an easier pace. On November 13, 2006, they won a battle to trademark the name "Dykes on Bikes", having struggled since 2003 to persuade the United States Patent and Trademark Office that "dyke" was not an offensive word.[3][4] Founding member and activist, Soni Wolf was selected to serve as a Community Grand Marshal at the San Francisco Pride parade in 2018. Wolf died in April 2018 before she was able to serve as Community Grand Marshal.[5] Her close friends represented her in the parade by carrying the custom-painted motorcycle tank from the bike she rode during the inaugural ride in 1976.
File:Pride 2004 pflag.jpg
PFLAG contingent at San Francisco Pride 2004
  • PFLAG is usually one of the largest contingents, featuring several hundred people. These are typically the parents or family members of LGBT people, mostly straight, sometimes marching together with their LGBT relatives. Many carry signs indicating where their PFLAG chapter comes from. This contingent is notable for the emotion it generates along the route.
  • Politicians frequently participate in the parade, as a way of making themselves visible to LGBT prospective voters.
  • LGBT-affirming religious groups of many denominations contribute several dozen contingents.
  • Nonprofit community groups and LGBT-oriented local businesses contribute more than half of the contingents. It is common for them to decorate a flatbed truck or float, along with loud dance music, or create a colorful contingent that carries a visual message out to the bystanders.
File:Leather Contingent Pride 2004.jpg
Leather contingent at San Francisco Pride 2004
  • The leather contingent consists of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and pansexual leather and BDSM groups. Robert Davolt, editor of Bound & Gagged, was an organizer of the leather contingent.[6][7]
  • Many San Francisco companies have a contingent, sometimes chaptered by LGBT employees of the company, sometimes chaptered by the company as a community outreach or public relations effort to show support of LGBT causes.

During the 1990s it was common to see anti-gay protestors in the spectator area along the parade route, holding large signs condemning homosexuality, often with biblical passages.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". In the 2000s such protestors have become less common.

File:SF Pride Drag Queens.jpg
Drag queens on a float at San Francisco Pride 2005

Hundreds of thousands of spectators line the parade route along Market Street. Some arrive hours in advance to claim a prime spot on the curb with a clear view of the street. Others climb onto bus shelters, the walls of subway station stairs, or scaffolding on buildings to get a clear view. As the parade ends, the spectators are able to pass through the barriers and march down Market street behind the parade. The end of the parade route is near the Festival location at the Civic Center.

Festival

File:Gay pride-sf.jpg
San Francisco Pride

A two-day (Saturday and Sunday) festival has grown up around the Sunday morning parade. It is a collection of booths, dance stages, and vendors around the Civic Center area near San Francisco City Hall. On the Sunday of the parade, an area of the festival called Leather Alley features fetish and BDSM oriented booths and demonstrations.[8]

The festival is traditionally held in the last full weekend in June. This commemorates the Stonewall riots.[9]

The independently organized San Francisco Trans March and fair are held on the Friday before the parade[10][9] and the Dyke March and fair are held on Saturday both in Dolores Park in the Mission District of San Francisco.[9][11]

Administration

The festival is run by a non-profit organization, the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Committee. According to their web site, their mission is "to educate the World, commemorate our heritage, celebrate our culture, and liberate our people."[12] The current Executive Director is Suzanne Ford, who in 2023 was announced as the first openly transgender person paid to be Executive Director of the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Committee.[13][14]

The event is funded by a combination of community fundraising both by the pride committee and on their behalf, corporate sponsorships, San Francisco city grants, and donations collected from the participants at the festival.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Several veteran contractors are employed to take on specific roles for the event.

Also involved in the running of the festival and parade are hundreds of volunteers. Of particular note are:

  • Safety monitors, crews of volunteers who help maintain order on the parade route and in the festival, particularly with respect to crowd control, and participant actions that might be harmful to themselves or others. Created in 1982, the Safety Committee philosophy and training has served as the model for many other LGBT events both local and international.
  • Hospitality, a team of volunteers led annually by Davace Chin and Michael Fullam and charged with feeding the other volunteers, keeps hundreds coming back year after year.
  • Medical volunteers, who provide first aid and medical assistance to participants. These volunteers are typically doctors, nurses, or other trained emergency response staff.
  • Contingent monitors, members of the various contingents who maintain cohesion and safety in their contingent. They are recruited and trained by the Parade leadership.
File:Miss Major in Pride 2014 SF.jpg
Transgender activist Miss Major Griffin-Gracy at SF Pride 2014

History

File:Gay Freedom Day 1976 by Harvey Milk.jpg
Pioneering LGBT activist Harvey Milk took this image on Gay Freedom Day in 1976.

The first events resembling the modern San Francisco Pride parade and celebration were held on the last weekend of June 1970: Organized by the San Francisco Gay Liberation Front, a "Gay Liberation March" saw 20 to 30 people walk from Aquatic Park to Civic Center on Polk Street on Saturday, June 27.[15][16] The following afternoon, a "Christopher Street Liberation Day Gay-In" brought some 200 people to Golden Gate Park; the gathering was raided by officers from the San Francisco Police Department on Hondas and on horseback, with seven people taken into custody at Park Station, then released without charges.[17][16]

From 1972 until 2019, the event was held each year. The name of the festival has changed over the years. The event organizers each year select a theme for the event, which is reflected in the logo and the event's publicity.

The original rainbow flags flew at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade (as it was called then) on June 25, 1978.[18][19]

In 1986 Autumn Courtney was elected co-chair of San Francisco's Lesbian Gay Freedom Day Pride Parade Committee; she was the first openly bisexual person to hold this sort of position in the United States.[20]

Freedom Rings, designed by David Spada in 1991,[21] were originally sold as a fundraiser for the 1991 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade (as it was called then) and quickly became a national trend.[22][23]

In October 2009, LGBT activist Amy Andre[24] was appointed as Executive Director of the San Francisco Pride Celebration Committee, making her San Francisco Pride's first openly bisexual woman of color Executive Director.[25][26]

Also in 2009, Asexual Visibility and Education Network members participated in the first asexual entry into an American pride parade when they walked in the San Francisco Pride Parade.[27] They have entered subsequent parades since.

George Ridgely was hired to the position of Executive Director on January 7, 2014, and served in that position until July 11, 2019.[28][29][30]

File:SFPrideParade2016 EddieHernandezPhotography-35 800px.jpg
Attorney General Kamala Harris and her husband Douglas Emhoff at San Francisco Pride 2016

In 2016, Black Lives Matter and the TGI Justice Project withdrew from the parade in protest of increased police presence at the event.[31][32]

In 2019, activists blocked the Pride parade route for almost an hour, in protest of police and corporate presence at the event.[33][34][35]

In January 2020, Fred Lopez was named as the new Executive Director, having served in that position in an interim role since July 2019.[36][37]

The 2020[38] and 2021 pride events were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[39]

In 2022, Executive Director Fred Lopez stepped down, and Suzanne Ford, previously the Board Treasurer, became Interim Executive Director.[40] Ford was announced as Executive Director (no longer Interim) in 2023.[41] This made her the first openly transgender person paid to be Executive Director of the San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Committee.[13][14]

In 2022, the parade's concluding event at Civic Center was cut short by the organizers after a person was spraying mace near the stage, causing a panic, followed by multiple street brawls.[42]

In 2023, for the first time, the San Francisco Pride parade organizers began requesting donations to keep the parade financially afloat.[43]

In 2025, some doubted the continued viability of the parade, precipitated by the withdrawal of numerous financial sponsors, related to distance and questions about its relevance in an evolving cultural landscape.[44] Executive director Suzanne Ford stated that the event will go on and will remain free of admission.[45]

San Francisco Pride History
Year Dates Festival name Theme Estimated attendance Notes
1970 June 27–28 San Francisco Gay Liberation March and Christopher Street Riots and Free the Park Gay Liberation Front Gay-In On Saturday, June 27, an estimated 30 gay men and women and hair fairies (some of whom would now be characterized as transgender or transsexuals)[46] marched down Polk Street through what was then one of San Francisco's primary gay neighborhoods; the following day, several hundred people attended a "gay-in" at Speedway Meadows at Golden Gate Park.[47]
1971 No Pride festival Although there was no gay parade per se in 1971, there was a one time event called the Age of Aquarius Parade on a Sunday in August 1971 that marched down Folsom Street from the Embarcadero to 11th St. that functioned very much like a gay parade and was attended by many gay people and had some gay floats. There were mostly floats from spiritual groups and yoga groups. The parade had several thousand attendees.
1972 June 25 Christopher Street West[48]Template:Efn 15,000 The total is for spectators. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "2,000 male and female participants" marched in the parade.[48]
1973 June 24 Gay Freedom DayTemplate:Efn A Celebration of the Gay Experience 42,000
1974 June 30 Gay Freedom DayTemplate:Efn Gay Freedom by '76 60,000
1975 June 29 Gay Freedom DayTemplate:Efn Join Us, The More Visible We Are, The Stronger We Become 82,000
1976 June 27 Gay Freedom DayTemplate:Efn United for Freedom, Diversity is our Strength 120,000
1977 June 26 Gay Freedom DayTemplate:Efn Gay Frontiers: Past Present, Future 250,000
1978 June 25 Gay Freedom Day Come Out with Joy, Speak out for Justice 240,000
1979 June 24 Gay Freedom Day Our Time has Come 200,000
1980 June 29 Gay Freedom Day Liberty and Justice for All 250,000
1981 June 28 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade Front Line of Freedom 250,000
1982 June 27 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade Out of Many...One 200,000
1983 June 26 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade Strengthen the Ties, Break the Chains 200,000
1984 June 24 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade Unity & More in '84 300,000[49]
1985 June 15 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade Honor our Past, Secure our Future 350,000
1986 June 29 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade Forward Together, No Turning Back 100,000
1987 June 28 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade Proud, Strong, United 275,000
1988 June 26 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade Rightfully Proud
1989 June 25 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade Stonewall 20: A Generation of Pride
1990 June 24 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade The Future Is Ours
1991 June 30 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade Hand In Hand Together
1992 June 28 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade A Simple Matter of Justice
1993 June 27 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade Year of the Queer 400,000 - 500,000
1994 June 19 International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day Parade San Francisco to Stonewall: Pride & Protest
1995 June 18 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration A World Without Borders
1996 June 29–30 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Equality & Justice For All
1997 June 28–29 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration One Community Many Faces
1998 June 27–28 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Shakin' It Up
1999 June 26–27 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Proud Heritage, Powerful Future 700,000
2000 June 24–25 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration It's About Freedom 750,000
2001 June 23–24 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Queerific[50] 850,000[50]
2002 June 29–30 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Be Yourself, Change the World[51] 850,000[51]
2003 June 28–29 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration You've Gotta Give Them Hope[52] 850,000[52]
2004 June 26–27 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Out 4 Justice[53] 850,000[53]
2005 June 25–26 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Stand Up, Stand Out, Stand Proud[54] 850,000[54]
2006 June 24–25 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Commemorate, Educate, Liberate—Celebrate![55] 850,000[55]
2007 June 23–24 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Pride Not Prejudice[56] 1 million[56]
2008 June 28–29 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration United by Pride, Bound for Equality[57] 1.2 million[57]
2009 June 27–28 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration In Order to Form a More Perfect Union...[58] 1.2 million[58]
2010 June 26–27 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Forty and Fabulous[59] 1.2 million[59]
2011 June 25–26 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration In Pride We Trust[60] 1 million[60]
2012 June 23–24 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Global Equality[61]
2013 June 29–30 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Celebration Embrace, Encourage, Empower[62] 1.5 MillionScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
2014 June 28–29 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration Color Our World With Pride[63] 1.7 millionScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
2015 June 27–28 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration Equality Without Exception 1.8 millionScript error: No such module "Unsubst".
2016 June 25–26 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration For Racial and Economic Justice TBD
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2017 June 24–25 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration A Celebration of Diversity TBD
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2018 June 23–24 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration Generations of Strength TBD
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2019 June 29–30 San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and Celebration Generations of Resistance TBD
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SF Pride for 2020 and 2021 were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
2022 June 25–26

Note: Several facts in this section are taken from "San Francisco LGBT Historical Timeline" by KQED (see External links). The themes of Pride festivals from 1970 to 2015 may be seen at San Francisco Pride website.[64]

2013 Chelsea Manning controversy

On April 24, 2013, Pride announced that its electoral college had chosen U.S. Army Private First Class Chelsea (then known as Bradley) Manning, at the time imprisoned for leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks, as Community Grand Marshal in absentia for the 43rd annual Gay Pride Parade. Two days later, Pride's board president vetoed the election, declaring it "an error" due to a "systemic failure that now has become apparent and will be rectified."[65] The board subsequently explained that the category in which Manning was elected is restricted to "a local hero (individual) not being a celebrity"—neither of which befit Manning.[66]

Both the election and its nullification proved contentious.[67] On April 29, an estimated 200 protesters disrupted the board's meeting, demanding that PFC Manning be reinstated.[68] Supporters of Manning filed a complaint with the San Francisco Human Rights Commission.[69] On May 12, the board said it would meet "in a larger venue after the 2013 Celebration and Parade [to] allow people from all sides of that issue and others to fully air and hear one another's viewpoints", but that it would not "let one issue, as important as it is to some, overshadow the concerns and interests of the hundreds of thousands who attend SF Pride."[70] On May 18, SF Pride selected Bebe Sweetbriar as Community Grand Marshal.[71] On June 7, 2013, the board announced that since none of the alternatives submitted at a May 31 community forum garnered a consensus majority, the board's decision to rescind PFC Manning's grand marshalship would stand. The board also reported that the San Francisco Human Rights Commission had declined to investigate the discrimination claims filed against SF Pride.[72]

Notable performers

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See also

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Notes

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References

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  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  21. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  23. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Adrienne Williams, October 19, 2009. Interview with Amy Andre: New Bisexual Executive Director of SF Pride Template:Webarchive, BiSocial Network.
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  38. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  40. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  41. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  46. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  47. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  48. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  49. ↑ "Gay Parade draws 300,000:1984" Johnny Miller, June 21, 2009, Sunday Datebook (San Francisco Chronicle).
  50. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  51. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  52. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  53. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  54. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  55. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  56. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  57. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  58. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  59. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  60. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  61. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  63. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  64. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  65. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  66. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore
  67. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  68. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  69. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  70. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore
  71. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  72. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".

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Further reading

External links

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Photo galleries

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