27th Annual Pink Triangle Will Kick Off Pride Month Atop Twin Peaks

May is coming to an end and we can’t wait to start celebrating Pride Month. One of the most iconic parts of Pride in San Francisco is the famous glowing Pink Triangle, which rests high above the City at Twin Peaks as a symbol of pride for many in the LGBTQIA+ community. It will be illuminated nightly all month with thousands of LED lights courtesy of Illuminate SF. 

The Pink Triangle Installation will take place on Wednesday, June 1 at 8pm. The lighting ceremony generally begins with a Pink Torch procession by Dykes on Bikes, followed by several performances and addresses from local officials. Mayor London Breed will do the honors and push the pink button to light the triangle.

The emblem of the pink triangle symbolizes pride for many members of the LGBTQI+ community, and its annual installation is an exciting way to kick off Pride 2021 in SF.

That being said, it is essential to recognize the pink triangle’s tragic origins. It began as a badge from Nazi concentration camps, used to label and shame gay prisoners. Guards routinely used this symbol to single out and torment homosexual male prisoners, and many of the survivors were simply sent to prison when the rest of the camps were finally liberated. The Pink Triangle website describes it “as a visible yet mute reminder of man’s inhumanity to man” and “an educational tool for all to see.” The enormous glowing shape is 200 feet across and can be seen from 20 miles away.

You can visit the Pink Triangle at the top of Twin Peaks from June 1, accessible via Christmas Tree Point Road. If you want to volunteer with Friends of the Pink Triangle, consider signing up here. For almost 30 years, volunteers have installed, maintained, monitored, and cleaned up the site. The Triangle will glow atop Twin Peaks for all of Pride Month, to be taken down on July 1st.

Featured Image: Peter Thoeny via Flickr