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 is illuminated nightly with thousands of LED lights courtesy of Illuminate SF.
This year, the Pink Triangle will be installed during a Commemoration Ceremony on June 17, 2023 and glow nightly until the end of the month. In past years organizers have lit the Triangle all month long starting on June 1st, but this year its tenure is a bit shorter.
For almost 30 years, volunteers have installed, maintained, monitored, and cleaned up the site of the Pink Triangle. SF Pride organizers are currently seeking volunteers to help out this year — you can sign up to help clean and prepare the site on June 10, create the outline on June 16, install the Triangle on June 17, or take it down on July 1.
The emblem of the Pink Triangle symbolizes pride for many members of the LGBTQ+ community, and its annual installation is an exciting way to kick off SF Pride each June.
That being said, it is essential to recognize the symbol’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 starting June 17, 2023, accessible via Christmas Tree Point Road. Learn more about the Pink Triangle here.