This June is the 46th celebration of Pride Month in San Francisco and we’ve rounded up these pride hotspots in the bay city to help get the party month started.
While the Castro is known for its culture of pride, there are many more locations across the city with significance to LGBT history and culture.
In addition to the SF Pride Celebration and Parade – the largest annual gathering of LGBT people and allies in the nation second only to Sydney, check out these pride hotspots of San Francisco to help get the party month started…
The 40th Annual San Francisco Gay Pride Parade where the theme was “Forty and Fabulous” in San Francisco, Calif. on Sunday June 27, 2010. (Photo by Nader Khouri)
1. Asia SF
Located at 201 Ninth St, this San Francisco favourite combines restaurant, lounge and dance club elements to celebrate diversity. Since 1998 its world famous transgender stars, Ladies of Asia SF, have been the focal point of the experience and their talent has made it a go-to location for celebrations.
2. Brava! For Women in the Arts
Brava! For Women in the Arts is a professional arts organization that cultivates and celebrates the intersection of feminism and multiculturalism. It was founded in 1986, and is currently owned and operated by the Brava Theater Center, spotlighting artists from around the Bay Area and beyond.
3. GLBT History Museum and Archives
Celebrating San Francisco’s queer past through exhibitions and programming, the GLBT History Museum (4127 18th St.) is the first full-scale, stand-alone museum of its kind in the United States. The museum is a project of the GLBT Historical Society, which houses its famed archives that contain an impressive collection of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender historical materials.
4. Golden Gate Park / AIDS Memorial Grove
The National AIDS Memorial Grove, or “The Grove,” is located in the eastern part of Golden Gate Park, in the San Francisco Botanical Garden. This is a dedicated space where millions of Americans affected directly or indirectly by AIDS can gather to honor, cherish, embrace and heal.
5. Harvey Milk’s Camera Shop
Named after the late “Mayor of Castro Street,” Harvey Milk, Harvey’s Restaurant and Bar is located in the heart of the Castro and offers drinks, food, trivia and comedy shows.
The building was previously home to the Elephant Walk bar/restaurant, which was praised by Milk in the 1970s for its important role as an accepting and safe place for the gay community.
6. Trax Bar
The bar at 1437 Haight St. in Haight-Ashbury is the longest-running gay bar in the neighbourhood and the only remnant of the Haight’s history as a pre-Castro LGBTQ enclave. The space that houses Trax has been a gay bar since the early 1970s when it was then the Question Mark.
7. SF Moma
Of course it is very exciting that SFMOMA has reopened its doors to welcome visitors–but did you know that the museum (with free access to nearly 45,000 square feet of ground floor galleries) houses works by a number of renowned LGBT artists including Mark Bradford, David Hockney & Zoe Leonard?
