Pride started as a protest 50-some years ago; it has since morphed into an annual month-long commemoration of LGBTQ+ history and community. In San Francisco, there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate Pride throughout June. Here are some recommendations:
On June 2, the free “Pride on 3rd” in the Bayview runs from noon to 4 p.m., featuring live performances from queer electronic music producer Madame Gandhi, DJ NoSilence, the band Oakadelic and singer Meelah Mahasin. To register, visit eventbrite.com/e/pride-on-third.
An SF Pride Kickoff Party gets underway at the Tenderloin Museum (389 Eddy St.) on June 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. The event, which commemorates the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot in the Tenderloin in 1966, offers the opportunity to learn more about the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot play, opening this summer. It features a discussion with its director and writers, and remarks by SF Pride Executive Director Suzanne Ford, SF Pride Board President Nguyen Pham and Tenderloin Museum Executive Director Katie Conry. Attendees can check out the exhibition “Transition Times: Re-Membering Anti-Carceral Resistance in the Tenderloin” in the museum’s gallery; there’s also an optional walking tour from 5-6 p.m. starting at 835 Larkin St. (the play’s venue) and ending at the museum in time for the party. Tickets ($25) for the Kickoff Party are at eventbrite.com/e/2024-sf-pride-kickoff-party.
The annual Pink Triangle Ceremony, accompanying an installation of dozens of pink tarps remembering gay people who were persecuted (forced to wear a pink triangle on their clothing during the Holocaust) gets underway at Twin Peaks at 10:30 a.m. June 8. Those unable to attend in person may visit the memorial throughout June to reflect on the pink triangle’s symbolism for the LGBTQ+ community.
Even though the Castro Theatre is closed through 2025 for remodeling and renovations, the LGBTQ+ film festival Frameline, where it’s typically held, isn’t on pause. The 48th Frameline runs June 19-29 at the Roxie, Palace of Fine Arts, Herbst and Vogue theaters. It begins with the free outdoor Juneteenth Film and Block Party with music, drag performances and a 6 p.m. screening of “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero” on Castro Street.
“I can’t think of any better way to kick off Frameline48 than with a screening of ‘Long Live Montero,’” said Frameline Executive Director Allegra Madsen. “As a queer Black artist, Lil Nas X embodies so much of what this year’s festival is about: meeting the cultural moment and using art as a means of expression, connection, and creating lasting change. At the same time, it’s important—and even revolutionary—to continue celebrating queer joy.”
Other films include “Linda Perry: Let It Die Here” about the veteran musician and producer Perry on June 28, “Across Time & Space: Black Queer Stories,” a program of five short films on June 27, including “Mother” about the same-named queer bar in San Francisco’s Mission. For the full Frameline48 schedule and to purchase tickets, visit frameline.org/festival/browse.
Spending both days of SF Pride weekend (June 29-30) in queer-central Dolores Park is certainly an option, but other Pride events are worth checking out, if only for a few hours. In Golden Gate Park, the San Francisco FrontRunners host the 2024 Pride Run on June 29. The 5K and 10K routes are open to everyone: racers, casual runners and walkers. The start time is 9 a.m. at Middle Drive West. Rainbow-themed attire is welcomed. This year’s Pride Run beneficiary is The LGBT Asylum Project. To learn more about FrontRunners, and to register ($50) for the run, visit sffr.org.
Major (and free!) SF Pride events wherein the queer community and allies take to the streets include the Trans March on June 28; the Dyke March on June 29; and the People’s March & Rally and the SF Pride Parade on June 30.
Neurodivergent individuals, introverts and those looking for quieter, less crowded ways and spaces to celebrate may want to take morning or weekday treks to see LGBTQ+-themed murals, including those featuring San Francisco drag artists Juanita MORE! and Heklina. Or they can play “I Spy,” searching for Pride flags hanging from residences or on poles at Harvey Milk Plaza, Fisherman’s Wharf and other locations. Or they can look for rainbow-themed paint work at the “DoloRainbow” pedestrian bridge at Dolores Park, the “DoloDrip” Sanchez Street stairs, garage doors at 3745 17th St., and FAVE, a screen-printing shop and “queer mall” at 329 Noe St. that opened in May.
It’s also worth paying a visit to the Rainbow Honor Walk in the Castro—bronze plaques on the sidewalks of Castro, 19th and Market streets that honor LGBTQ+ writers, artists, entertainers and changemakers including Gertrude Stein, Sylvester, Allen Ginsberg and Frida Kahlo. Find a map at rainbowhonorwalk.org.
Bibliophiles may want to check out recent LGBTQ+ book releases. Nonfiction-wise, there’s “Making Room: Three Decades of Fighting for Beds, Belonging, and a Safe Place for LGBTQ Youth” by Carl Siciliano; biographies such as “Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar” by Cynthia Carr and “Radiant: The Life and Line of Keith Haring” by Brad Gooch; and the memoirs “In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life” by Amy Schneider and “Dear Cisgender People: A Guide to Trans Allyship and Empathy” by Kenny Ethan Jones (hardcover release June 4). Fiction releases include “Housemates: A Novel” by Emma Copley Eisenberg and “How It Works Out” by Myriam LaCroix.
There’s no certain or wrong way to spend Pride this month, as everything—and everyone—is welcome to the celebration.
The post There are many ways to celebrate Pride in San Francisco in June 2024 appeared first on Local News Matters.