Got pride? June LGBTQ events in San Francisco

Every year in June, cities big and small across the United States celebrate diversity, freedom of expression, and their LGBTQ communities. June in the U.S. is pride month, and the festivities during this month represent a positive stance against discrimination, promote dignity and equal rights, build community, embrace sexual diversity, and increase the visibility of LGBTQ people. As a city on the forefront of the LGBTQ movement, San Francisco pulls out all of the stops for pride. If you're visiting during this month, take advantage of some of the many colorful parties and festivals happening in June, and be sure to fly your flag high!

AIDS Lifecycle Opening Ceremony: June 1
The AIDS Lifecycle is a 7-day, 545-mile bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles that raises money and awareness for the HIV and AIDS services of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Thousands of people participate and millions of dollars are raised every year. Riding this event takes an extraordinary amount of commitment and passion, but you don’t have to cycle all the way to L.A. to participate! The AIDS Lifecycle always needs dedicated volunteers and roadies to cheer on the riders. The Opening Ceremony at the Cow Palace is a great opportunity to help out and experience the excitement and energy of this amazing race (without having to ride yourself). Information about hours, buses, parking, and volunteering is available on the AIDS Lifecycle website.

Queer Arts Festival: June 1-30
The Queer Arts Festival is an annual month-long multidisciplinary arts festival that promotes the work of queer artists. This year's festival features literary, visual, and performing arts events, as well as film screenings and panel discussions. See a modern dance performance at The Garage in SoMa, hear spoken word at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, or go to any of the multitude of events happening throughout the month. The festival is presented by the Queer Cultural Center.

The 35th Annual Pride Concert: June 22
Hear stories of the LGBTQ equal rights movement like you've never heard them before -- set to music! The Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, together with the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band presents their annual Pride Concert, "Ripped From The Headlines: Music Celebrating LGBT Stories." The show celebrates landmarks of the equal rights movement and the march toward equality. Tickets are $20-$30 (sliding scale) and the concert is held at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Frameline 37: June 20-30
The San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival, produced by the nonprofit media arts organization Frameline, is the oldest film festival currently in existence that's devoted exclusively to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender programming. The 37th annual film festival includes short, documentary, and narrative films made by and about the LGBTQ community. Many of this year's filmmakers are also Bay Area locals and many of the films were made in San Francisco.

Dyke March: June 29
San Francisco’s Dyke March in Dolores Park is the largest dyke march in the country. The march commemorates the Dyke March on Washington in 1993, when more than 20,000 dykes rallied and marched before the national march for LGBTQ rights the next day. Now there are dyke marches across the country held in conjunction with pride celebrations. In San Francisco, our Dyke March is held every year before the Sunday Pride Parade.

Pride Celebration + Parade: June 29-30
The San Francisco Pride Celebration takes place every year in the Civic Center, at the foot of San Francisco's historic City Hall, where Harvey Milk once stood and addressed pride-goers. It's a symbolic reminder of the LGBTQ movement's past and current struggle for equality, but the two-day parade and festival is a steadfastly positive experience that recognizes how much progress has been made, as well as how far we still have to go. This year's pride celebration features over 200 parade contingents, 300 exhibitors, and more than 20 stages and venues. The San Francisco Pride Celebration and Parade is the largest LGBTQ gathering in the nation.

A brief history of pride
The word "pride" was chosen to represent this period of celebration, as well as the greater LGBTQ movement, because it is the opposite of shame and social stigma. Pride celebrations are held in months of historical significance in countries around the world. In the U.S., June was chosen as our pride month because it was the month of the first LGBTQ parade in 1970. In New York City in 1969, a police raid of a gay bar on Christopher Street in the West Village ignited a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations known as the Stonewall riots. These riots and subsequent demonstrations shed public light on the LGBTQ movement, and as the momentum grew, a group came together to organize the first gay pride parade in the U.S., which in 1970 was called Christopher Street Liberation Day. The parade marked the one-year anniversary of the Stonewall riots and was an important milestone in the LGBTQ equal rights movement.