SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE’S FIFTIETH
WILL BE CELEBRATED ONLINE
Well, you can’t keep a great party down. On Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28, 2020, the 50-year milestone anniversary of SF Pride will actually be televised. Grammy Award-winning singer and Motown legend Thelma Houston will be the Sunday headliner for the official Pride 50 online celebration. As a highlight, San Francisco legendary drag icons Heklina, Honey Mahogany, Landa Lakes, Madd Dogg 20/20, Peaches Christ, and Sister Roma will come together for Decades of Drag, a conversation where they reflect on decades of activism, struggles, and victories. Joining the previously announced artists, the tribute to LGBTQ+ luminaries and queer solidarity includes performances by Madame Gandhi, VINCINT, Elena Rose, Krystle Warren, La Doña, and LadyRyan, presented by SF Queer Nightlife.
The weekend program also features a spotlight on Openhouse and the living legacy of Black queer and transgender activism; National Center for Lesbian Rights Executive Director Imani Rupert-Gordon discussing Black Lives Justice; and a deep dive into the history of the LGBTQ+ community in music with Kim Petras. Additional special appearances include Bay Area American Indian TwoSpirits, body positive warrior Harnaam Kaur, Alphabet Rockers, Cheer SF (celebrating forty years!), a conversation on the intersection of Black and gay issues between Dear White People creator Justin Simien and cast member Griffin Matthews, and best-of performances from San Francisco’s oldest queer bar The Stud.
Previously announced entertainment includes hosts Honey Mahogany, Per Sia, Sister Roma, and Yves Saint Croissant, as well as New Orleans-born Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia as the Saturday headliner. Rounding out the program are Australian singer-songwriter Betty Who, singer and American Idol finalist David Hernandez, a DJ set by rising pop star Dorian Electra, teenage hip-hop sensation Kidd Kenn, and Uberlândia-born Brazilian transgender artist Urias. Bright Light Bright Light, Drake Jensen, Fab the Duo, and MuMu are scheduled to make cameo appearances.
More than 13 hours of programming will stream through SF Pride as the nation’s largest gathering of the LGBTQ+ community and allies goes online for the first time in its history. Further programming will include speeches from LGBTQ+ elected officials and thought leaders, highlights of the accomplishments of Pride’s 2020 Community Grand Marshals and Honorees, conversations, reflections on 50 years of the Pride movement, and more.
San Francisco Pride will host a concurrent stream featuring some of the Community-programmed stages that celebrate the diversity of LGBTQ+ culture in San Francisco and beyond. The Soul of Pride stage will feature, among other stellar acts, D’Wayne Patrice Wiggins, founding member of 1990s soul/R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné!, and Yo-Yo, the outspoken hip-hop artist, actress, and entrepreneur. The Women’s Stage is showcasing a selection of the Bay Area’s best, such as dance-club DJ, radio mixtress, and club promoter Page Hodel, as well as Christie James, Olga T, Alex D, and Rockaway. Rounding out the Community Stages is the Don Julio Latin Stage, presented by Club Papi, Gay Club TV, and Media Concepts PR — with featured performances by the legendary Ana Barbara, Amara La Negra, Los Horoscopos De Durango, and more.
For decades, San Francisco Pride’s Parade and two-day Celebration have brought hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ+ revelers and allies to Downtown San Francisco. As 2020 is a historic 50th anniversary, upward of a million people were expected to attend. Since the COVID-19 pandemic has brought these festivities online, an even larger global audience can now experience the celebrations from the world leader in the Pride movement from the safety and comfort of their own homes.
San Francisco Pride will also take part in Global Pride — a 24-hour, live-streamed festival uniting hundreds of Pride organizations from around the world — on Saturday, June 27. Led by Interpride, a collection of Pride organizers around the world, Global Pride will be an opportunity for the more than 350 Prides from around the world that have been cancelled or otherwise affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, allowing them to share individual messages of support and solidarity.
San Francisco Pride is always a citywide effort, featuring events from supporting organizations and promoters, and this year is no different. SF Pride is glad to help bring awareness to events which are supporting Pride 50, such as Frameline44 Pride Showcase (Thursday-Sunday, June 25–28), the Trans March 2020 (Friday, June 26), Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet’s Pride Brunch 2020 (Saturday, June 27), and Illuminate the Pink Triangle (Saturday, June 27).
Calendar of Events
Saturday, June 27, 1-9 p.m. and Sunday, June 28, 2-7 p.m.
San Francisco Pride’s 2020 Online Celebration
A full suite of live and pre-recorded musical performances, greetings from elected officials, and reflections on 50 years of Pride. These 13 hours of programming over two days represent the core of Pride Weekend.
Thursday, June 25, noon-1 p.m.
Lavender Talks: A Celebration of SF Pride’s 2020 Awardees,
presented by The Commonwealth Club
The fourth in a series of moderated panel discussions produced by SF Pride in collaboration with the Commonwealth Club, this discussion is moderated by Michelle Meow, a radio host and former president of SF Pride’s Board of Directors. Confirmed panelists for the June 25 Lavender Talk include Mike Wong, and Cleve Jones.
Thursday-Sunday, June 25-28
Frameline44 Pride Showcase
Frameline, the world’s longest-running and largest showcase of queer cinema, is pleased to present the Frameline44 Pride Showcase in celebration of the 50th anniversary of San Francisco Pride. Presented in partnership with the Castro Theatre, this four-day virtual event features 12 world premieres, one international premiere, three North American Premieres, and two U.S. premieres, including new narrative features, documentaries, and shorts programs, along with special live and pre-recorded intros, Q&A’s, and other unique programming to evoke the live festival experience Frameline is known for. Tickets ($8-$10 per screening) and passes (starting at $250, and valid all year) are available now online at frameline.org. To ensure maximum flexibility for patrons, ticket holders will be able to tune in live to each screening or access any film at any time during the four-day event.
Friday, June 26, time TBA
Trans March 2020
Saturday, June 27, noon-1:30 p.m.
Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet’s Pride Brunch 2020: Live at home!
Battle of the Queens Brunch Challenge
Hosts Gary Virginia and Donna Sachet bring their legendary Pride Brunch into homes across the world as they get saucy and battle it off in the kitchen, competing for the title of Pride Brunch Queen. Ticket holders will enjoy hosted cocktails and a delicious brunch delivered, just in time for the celebration, featuring the San Francisco 50th anniversary Pride Parade Grand Marshals, live entertainment, live auctions, and special surprises. All proceeds from the Pride Brunch support Positive Resource Center’s (PRC) integrated legal, social, and health services for those affected by HIV/AIDS, mental health issues, and substance use.
Saturday, June 27, at 8 p.m.
Illuminate the Pink Triangle
For its 25th year, The Pink Triangle will shine as a symbol of resilience, hope, and remembrance atop Twin Peaks to celebrate the 50th anniversary of San Francisco Pride, thanks to a special partnership with the nonprofit organization, Illuminate, the masterminds behind the Bay Lights digital art installation that illuminates the western span of the Bay Bridge. Previously, hundreds of volunteers have gathered on Twin Peaks in San Francisco to assemble The Pink Triangle, a reminder of one of the darkest chapters of human history that is now embraced as a beloved symbol of hope and inclusion. In 2020, a community-driven effort will keep the Pink Triangle shining brighter than ever. Using more than 2,700 LED nodes, which will be installed safely by a small team of volunteers, an acre of glorious pink light will form a vibrant and mesmerizing triangle on Twin Peaks — making it more visible than ever before. The global grand lighting will be streamed live on Saturday, June 27 at nightfall. The illuminated Pink Triangle will light up Twin Peaks for the following three weeks, offering a reminder of resilience, in memory of the HIV/AIDS crisis and the current COVID-19 crisis.
Sunday, June 28, 2020, 5-8 p.m. PDT
Pride 50: Generations of Hope
Broadcast on KBCW 44/Cable 12 in the Bay Area, and livestreamed at KPIX, this special will feature archival parade footage as well as reflections on the many voices of the annual Pride Parade and the diverse viewpoints of LGBTQ+ communities.
