San Francisco Pride is proud to announce BEACON OF LOVE as the theme for the 54th Annual San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration.

This year, nearly 50 different theme suggestions were submitted by the community, as well as SF Pride membership and team members. There were a wide array of suggestions, but there was no consensus on which direction to take. In a crucial election year when LGBT rights are under assault across the country San Francisco Pride wanted a theme that expressed the undiminished spirit of our great city as a global leader in the fight for LGBT liberation and fundamental human rights.

Branding specialist and graphic designer Nicole Bloss pointed out that common thread between many of the theme ideas was LOVE and she was asked to start her creative process there. The other request was that the design be unmistakably representative of San Francisco and its LGBTQ community and history and that it feature the colors of the modern Progress pride flag, which combines the traditional rainbow hues of the Gilbert Baker Pride flag with black and brown for LGBTQ people of color and pink, white and light blue for transgender and non-binary folks.

The theme designer Nicole Bloss suggested to San Francisco Pride is “Beacon of Love” and her graphic design presents the iconic pink triangle atop Twin Peaks, with the silhouette of Sutro Tower standing against a rainbow which transitions from the original Pride colors to the Progress colors, a unique and innovative design solution.

Originally a badge of shame sewn onto uniforms of homosexuals imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps, the pink triangle was gradually reclaimed by LGBT activists in the 1970s and 80s. It was featured on the poster for the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.  In the fight against the AIDS epidemic the militant group ACT-UP used an inverted pink triangle on their historic “Silence Equals Death” posters that were seen everywhere in San Francisco during the crisis.

Since 1995, San Francisco architect Patrick Carney has led a team of volunteers installing a huge fabric pink triangle on top of Twin Peaks during Pride month. Visible for 20 miles, the brightly illuminated pink triangle shines every year as a reminder of the lives lost in the Holocaust and is a symbol to freedom loving people everywhere that San Francisco stands unapologetically as a world leader in the fight for LGBTQ liberation and fundamental human rights.

Prominently visible through the windows of the San Francisco Pride offices, the pink triangle is an inspiration as we work hard to prepare for the most iconic queer event in the world.When nearly two million people gather in San Francisco and march down Market street, San Francisco will once again demonstrate to the world that we are resolute in our fight for LGBTQ equality and human rights for all people.

Join us June 29-30 as we collectively light the Beacon of Love for all to see.

About the Pink Triangle project
Patrick Carney Bio
‍Pink Triangle Project


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