Labor of Love: Birth of San Francisco Pride

On June 27, 1970, a tiny band of hippies and “hair fairies” staged San Francisco’s first Pride celebration: a march on Polk Street, followed on the 28th by a “gay-in” in Golden Gate Park. They were marking the first anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, when queers fought back against a police raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. As moderate as a parade and picnic may appear, the participants performed an impressive act of rebellion by openly declaring their sexuality in the midst of extreme hostility from American society… read more >