San Francisco Pride


The San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Celebration, usually known as San Francisco Pride, is a parade and festival held at the end of June each year in San Francisco, California, to celebrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their allies. The 49th annual parade in 2019 included 289 parade contingents, and is described on the official website as "the largest gathering of LGBT people and allies in the nation".

Parade

The San Francisco Pride parade is a world-renowned LGBT pride parade. It is held on Sunday morning of the [|Festival]. The route is usually west along San Francisco's Market Street, from Steuart Street to 8th Street and it 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:
lead the 2005 San Francisco Pride parade, the contingent has hundreds of motorized bikes, many of which are decorated for the event.
Groups which are anti-gay typically do not have contingents. 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. In the 2000s such protestors have become less common.
s 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

A two-day 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.
The festival is traditionally held in the last full weekend in June. This commemorates the Stonewall riots. There have been proposals to move it to different dates, for instance to July 4 in 2004.
The independently organized Trans March is held on the Friday before the parade while the Dyke March and Trans March events are held on the Friday and Saturday nights preceding the march and rally in The Castro.

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."
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.
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:
at SF Pride 2014

History

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. 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.
Since 1972, the event has been 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 Rainbow Flag identified with the LGBT community was originally created by Gilbert Baker for the 1978 San Francisco Pride Parade. It originally had eight stripes, but was later simplified to the current six stripes. A six-stripe Rainbow Flag flies over Harvey Milk Plaza in the Castro, arguably the best known LGBT village in the world.
On August 3, 1997, Teddy Witherington was hired as the organization's first Executive Director. During his tenure, the celebration evolved into a multi-cultural festival and attracted support from high-profile celebrities and sponsors, including the B52s as Main Stage headliners in 2001 and Sir Ian McKellen as Grand Marshal in 2002. Witherington formally stepped down on January 6, 2006 and was succeeded by Lindsey Jones who had joined the staff in 2004. Jones served as executive director through the 2009 event.
In October 2009, LGBT activist Amy Andre 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.
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. They have entered subsequent parades since.
Andre resigned a year later in October 2010 and was succeeded by former deputy executive director, Brendan Behan. Behan served as Executive Director April 2011 through December 2012 when Earl Plante was hired as CEO. Plante resigned September 6, 2013.
George Ridgely was hired to the position of Executive Director January 7, 2014 and served in that position until July 11, 2019.
In May 2015, Kent Anderson was hired as Deputy Executive Director.
In 2016, Black Lives Matter and the TGI Justice Project withdrew from the parade in protest of increased police presence at the event.
The San Francisco South of Market Leather History Alley consists of four works of art along Ringold Alley honoring leather culture; it opened in 2017. One of the works of art is metal bootprints along the curb which honor 28 people who were an important part of the leather communities of San Francisco.
In 2019, activists blocked the Pride parade route for almost an hour, in protest of police and corporate presence at the event.
In January 2020, Fred Lopez was named as the new Executive Director, having served in that position in an interim role since July 2019. Carolyn Wysinger serves as President of the Board of Directors.
YearDatesFestival nameThemeEstimated attendanceNotes
1970June 27–28San Francisco Gay Liberation March and Christopher Street Riots and Free the Park Gay Liberation Front Gay-InOn Saturday, June 27, an estimated 30 gay men and women and hair fairies 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.-
1971No Pride festivalAlthough 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.
1972June 25Christopher Street West15,000The total is for spectators. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, "2,000 male and female participants" marched in the parade.
1973June 24Gay Freedom DayA Celebration of the Gay Experience42,000
1974June 30Gay Freedom DayGay Freedom by ’7660,000
1975June 29Gay Freedom DayJoin Us, The More Visible We Are, The Stronger We Become82,000
1976June 27Gay Freedom DayUnited for Freedom, Diversity is our Strength120,000
1977June 26Gay Freedom DayGay Frontiers: Past Present, Future250,000
1978June 25Gay Freedom DayCome Out with Joy, Speak out for Justice240,000
1979June 24Gay Freedom DayOur Time has Come200,000
1980June 29Gay Freedom DayLiberty and Justice for All250,000
1981June 28International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeFront Line of Freedom250,000
1982June 27International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeOut of Many...One200,000
1983June 26International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeStrengthen the Ties, Break the Chains200,000
1984June 24International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeUnity & More in ’84300,000
1985June 15International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeHonor our Past, Secure our Future350,000
1986June 29International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeForward Together, No Turning Back100,000
1987June 28International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeProud, Strong, United275,000
1988June 26International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeRightfully Proud
1989June 25International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeStonewall 20: A Generation of Pride
1990June 24International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeThe Future Is Ours
1991June 30International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeHand In Hand Together
1992June 28International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeA Simple Matter of Justice
1993June 27International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeYear of the Queer400,000 - 500,000
1994June 19International Lesbian & Gay Freedom Day ParadeSan Francisco to Stonewall: Pride & Protest
1995June 18San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationA World Without Borders
1996June 29–30San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationEquality & Justice For All
1997June 28–29San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationOne Community Many Faces
1998June 27–28San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationShakin' It Up
1999June 26–27San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationProud Heritage, Powerful Future700,000
2000June 24–25San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationIt's About Freedom750,000
2001June 23–24San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationQueerific850,000
2002June 29–30San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationBe Yourself, Change the World850,000
2003June 28–29San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationYou've Gotta Give Them Hope850,000
2004June 26–27San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationOut 4 Justice850,000
2005June 25–26San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationStand Up, Stand Out, Stand Proud850,000
2006June 24–25San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationCommemorate, Educate, Liberate—Celebrate!850,000
2007June 23–24San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationPride Not Prejudice1 million
2008June 28–29San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationUnited by Pride, Bound for Equality1.2 million
2009June 27–28San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationIn Order to Form a More Perfect Union...1.2 million
2010June 26–27San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationForty and Fabulous1.2 million
2011June 25–26San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationIn Pride We Trust1 million
2012June 23–24San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationGlobal Equality-
2013June 29–30San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride CelebrationEmbrace, Encourage, Empower1.5 Million
2014June 28–29San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and CelebrationColor Our World With Pride1.7 million
2015June 27–28San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and CelebrationEquality Without Exception1.8 million
2016June 25–26San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and CelebrationFor Racial and Economic JusticeTBD
2017June 24–25San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and CelebrationA Celebration of DiversityTBD
2018June 23–24San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and CelebrationGenerations of StrengthTBD
2019June 29–30San Francisco Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Parade and CelebrationGenerations of ResistanceTBDSF Pride for 2020 has been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Several facts in this section are taken from "San Francisco LGBT Historical Timeline" by KQED. The themes of Pride festivals from 1970-2015 may be seen at San Francisco Pride website.

2013 Chelsea Manning controversy

On April 24, 2013, Pride announced that its electoral college had chosen U.S. Army Private First Class Chelsea Manning 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." The board subsequently explained that the category in which Manning was elected is restricted to "a local hero not being a celebrity"—neither of which befit Manning.
Both the election and its nullification proved contentious. On April 29, an estimated 200 protesters disrupted the board's meeting, demanding that PFC Manning be reinstated. On May 7, 21 individual Manning supporters and 5 organizational signatories filed a formal Complaint of Unlawful Discrimination with the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, noting that SF Pride received $58,400 from the City and County of San Francisco's Grants for the Arts Program in fiscal year 2012–2013. On May 12, the board said it would meet "in a larger venue after the 2013 Celebration and Parade allow people from all sides of that issue and others to fully air and hear one another's viewpoints, without jeopardizing the production of this year's event and the safety and security of the attendees." Standing firm by its decision, the board said 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." 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.

Notable performers

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