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The People With AIDS Alliance marches in the Gay Freedom Day Parade on June 26, 1983.
Steve Ringman / The Chronicle 1983
The coronavirus pandemic means this year’s S.F. Pride, the 50th anniversary of the event, was a virtual celebration.
We’ve looked atphotos from the earliest days of LGBT protests and celebrations in San Francisco,and our photojournalists recently took us ona guided tour of the city’s Pride history,but as we wrap up the month, we’ve done another deep dive intoThe Chronicle’s archiveto feature even more Pride parade photos — both decades-old and recent — from our collection.
In 1970, a few of dozen gay San Franciscans marked the first anniversary of the Stonewall Inn riot in New York City by marching from Aquatic Park down Polk Street to City Hall, followed by a “gay-in” in Golden Gate Park.
By 1972, several thousand participants marched in the Christopher Street West parade to City Hall to mark the anniversary. The march continued to grow quickly in the first years, energized by the fight against efforts to pass antigay legislation and amid mourning of a city gardener beaten to death by youths yelling antigay slurs.
In 1978, Proposition 6,put forth by state Sen. John Briggs, would have allowed school district to fire LGBT staff. Gay activists and union members marched together at the 1978 Pride Parade in an effort to defeat the initiative. At the end of the route at United Nations Plaza, artist Gilbert Baker premiered the rainbow flag that would later become the symbol of the gay pride movement around the world.
In 1995, the event was televised live for the first time on KOFY, and station officials went over their two hours of scheduled coverage, broadcasting the entire parade because of a barrage of requests from viewers.
See more in Datebookfrom last weekend's Pride celebrations.
More from Chronicle Vault
•Timeline:A history of gay rights in San Francisco.
•A changing celebration:50 years of San Francisco Pride,from Stonewall to Black Lives Matter.
•An outdoor gem:Tracing the history — and finding photos — ofStern Grove’s summer concerts.
•Swaying 12 feet in either direction:When the Golden Gate Bridgewas closed by a violent storm.
From the Archive is a weekly column byBill Van Niekerken, the library director of The Chronicle, exploring the depths of the newspaper’s archive. It’s part ofChronicle Vault, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting more than 150 years of San Francisco stories. It is edited byTaylor Kate Brown, The Chronicle’s newsletter editor. Sign up for the newsletterhere, and followChronicle Vault on Instagram. Contact Bill atbvanniekerken@sfchronicle.comand Taylor attaylor.brown@sfchronicle.com.
