Pink triangle to light up San Francisco's Twin Peaks in honor of Pride
The Pink Triangle, installed on Twin Peaks in San Francisco, Calif., during Pride weekend 2003. (Photo courtesy The Friends of the Pink Triangle)
SAN FRANCISCO - A giant pink triangle will illuminate the top of San Francisco's Twin Peaks for the entire month of Pride, starting on Tuesday. But first, organizers are asking the community to help assemble the structure on Saturday afternoon, which is almost an acre large.
The Pink Triangle was used during the Nazi regime in Germany to identify and persecute homosexuals in concentration camps. Now, it's been reclaimed by the LGBTQ+ community, partially to serve as a symbol for how far society has progressed, but also as a reminder of what can happen when minority groups become dehumanized in systemic oppression.
San Francisco has showcased the Pink Triangle alongside the rainbow flag for 26 years, and it is the only city in the world to do so, according to head organizer Patrick Carney.
"There is much to be done, and education is the key! That is why the huge one-acre Pink Triangle is still being installed after all of the decades -- it is a giant one-acre learning tool," Carney said in a news release.
Carney says the triangle will also recognize the minority groups who face discrimination today, nodding to the recent Asian American Pacific Islander attacks in the city and the Black Lives Matter movement.
"We mustn't forget that all communities include LGBTQ people within their group, so those persons face a possible double-dose of discrimination and sometimes violence," Carney said.
Mayor London Breed will be responsible for pushing the button to light up 2,700 pink LED lights on Tuesday at 9 p.m. There will also be a torch procession, which will begin in Oakland with Mayor Libby Schaaf and be handed to Breed by the motorcycle group Dykes on Bikes.
Volunteers can sign up for slots from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday on the organization's website, thepinktriangle.com. Attendees are encouraged to bring a hammer, gloves, closed-toed shoes and a mask. Pink Triangle T-shirts are free for those who help.