It has been a strong two years for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender — LGBT — communities. Last year, the federal government eliminated its “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for the military. Last month, President Obama expressed his support for same-sex marriage. June will be a time for many to celebrate.
The 42nd annual San Francisco Pride Celebration & Parade will take place June 23–24. The celebration, a two-day festival, will take place in the city’s Civic Center Plaza. The celebration will include 300 exhibiters and nearly 20 stages. In past years, the stages have hosted artists such as Lady Gaga, the Backstreet Boys, the Kilks and Crystal Waters. This year a variety of local and global musicians will perform on the stages.
The Parade will be on June 24. It will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the corner of Market and Beale Streets and will end sometime in the afternoon at Market and Eighth Streets. As always, it will include an eclectic mix of floats reflecting themes of self-empowerment, diversity, anti-discrimination and acceptance. Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence will be the parade’s Individual Community Grand Marshal. The ACLU of Northern California will act as the Organizational Grand Marshal of the parade.
The first San Francisco Pride Celebration was held in 1972 to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the famous Stonewall Riots in New York City. For almost every year since then, the celebration has had a particular theme. The theme for 2012 will be “Global Equality.” Many exhibiters taking part in the celebration will attempt to teach people about why LGBT activities should be decriminalized globally.
