On Sunday, June 22, 2025, activists and community leaders Alex U. Inn and Juanita MORE! led the sixth annual People’s March & Rally. This year, the march helped launch Pride Week—the final week of Pride Month—which culminates with the San Francisco Pride Parade and Festival on Sunday, June 29.
The People’s March began with a rally at the corner of Polk and Washington streets in San Francisco, and featured speakers and entertainers. Marchers then went down Polk Street following the same route as the first Gay Liberation Protest, which occurred on Saturday, June 27, 1970.
This year’s march ended at Civic Center Plaza with a celebration that happened from 12:30 to 4 pm and was shared by celebrants of the Juneteenth Parade. Speakers and entertainers included the organizers as well as San Francisco Pride Executive Director Suzanne Ford, activist/speaker John Weber, and vocalists Ariel Bowser and Cadence. Bowser recently impressed guests with a surprise performance at the Dykes on Bikes fundraiser held during the Mimosa series at Catch in the Castro on June 8.
The People’s March & Rally was created in 2020 by Alex U. Inn and Juanita MORE! to support LGBTQ2SAI+ people and people of color, especially as these vulnerable communities are under increased attacks. Emphasizing the importance of unity within these communities during such challenging times, Ford said, “SF Pride supports the People’s March. We want to honor their work, and we are grateful to be part of their event.”
The People’s March & Rally will also be marching on June 29 in the SF Pride Parade, whose theme this year is “Queer Joy is Resistance.” During their speech at the No Kings! march on June 14, Alex U. Inn emphasized the need for everyone to do their part in resisting the erosion of our freedoms:
“Freedom isn’t stolen in one dramatic, thunderous coup. It’s eroded by a thousand small concessions, by a gradual normalization of the unthinkable, by a collective hesitation born of exhaustion or disbelief. It’s lost when we wait too long, hoping for someone else to draw the line. We are not waiting for permission. We are not waiting for someone else to draw the line. We are here today, because the hour is now. The decision rests not with them, but with us. This country is us.”
Published on June 26, 2025
Recent Comments