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June 1, 2022

June is PRIDE Month

Every June is PRIDE Month in the United States, and San Francisco goes out of its way to make it happen as extravagantly as possible. The LGBTQ+ community celebrates the advancement of human rights while honoring the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969, after a violent police raid on a Manhattan gay club called the Stonewall Inn. Since then, thousands have marched almost every year across the United States supporting LGBTQ+ rights.

San Francisco began celebrating PRIDE in June 1970. Organized by the San Francisco Gay Liberation Front, 20 to 30 people walked from Aquatic Park to Civic Center. The following afternoon a similar march took place in Golden Gate Park, attracting about 200 participants, with some people arrested.

The rainbow flag was created in 1978. San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk asked artist Gilbert Baker to create a symbol for gay rights. Dozens of enthusiastic volunteers dyed and stitched large pieces of cloth by hand to create the 30 ft by 60 ft rainbow flag, which quickly became a worldwide symbol of gay rights. A piece of the original rainbow flag is on display at the GLBT Historical Society Museum, and a version of the six-color flag is in the Harvey Milk Plaza. Smaller, six-colored rainbow flags also decorate the Castro District year-long.

Tom Taylor, who passed away in October 2020, was the rainbow flag keeper for decades. Along with his husband Dr. Jerry Goldstein, they were friends of Gilbert Baker and continued his legacy. The couple also gifted San Franciscans with the “Tom & Jerry” Christmas Tree House every year on 21st Street.

In 2018, someone redesigned the six-color rainbow flag and included a triangle with black, brown, light blue, white and pink stripes to represent people of color and trans persons. It is known as Progress Pride Flag and has gained popularity.

2022 will see the PRIDE Parade and Festival in full after the COVID19 pandemic. The theme this year is “LOVE Will Keep Us Together.”

– Lupita Franco Peimbert

SOURCES: San Francisco PRIDE, GLBT Historical Society, CNN and yes, Wikipedia.

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