By Mayor Daniel Lurie—
Dear Readers of the San Francisco Bay Times,
It is a privilege to address you as we celebrate Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ communities that help define San Francisco.
Every June, our city comes alive. Pride flags line Market Street from the Ferry Building to the Castro. The Pink Triangle returns to Twin Peaks. Together, we send a powerful message: San Francisco is a place where you can love who you want to love, be who you want to be, and live freely.
That legacy was built by generations of leaders and everyday San Franciscans who fought to make our city what it is today.
Today, our LGBTQ+ neighbors, small business owners, and public servants carry that legacy forward. Our three LGBTQ+ cultural districts—the Transgender District in the Tenderloin, the LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District in SoMa, and the world-famous Castro—bring energy and creativity to our city every day. They remind us that San Francisco’s strength comes from our communities and the people who make them special.
But Pride Month is not only about celebration. We must also recognize where the fight for equality continues.
LGBTQ+ rights are under attack as the federal government targets trans health care, cuts HIV and AIDS funding, and turns its back on vulnerable communities. San Francisco is sending a different message: our LGBTQ+ community is welcome, seen, and safe. We will continue to stand with this community and invest in its future.
After the federal government cut HIV and AIDS funding, we backfilled it as we have. No one in this city should lose access to health care because Washington turned its back. The San Francisco Community Health Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation are making a difference for San Franciscans every day—and, with their work, we can get to zero new infections.
We will continue to support the organizations that strengthen and uplift San Franciscans. That includes restoring funding for TGIJP, El/La Para TransLatinas, and the San Francisco LGBT Center, because culture, community, and access to services are essential—especially for our trans communities. And we will continue to invest in LYRIC, so LGBTQ+ youth have a place where they are seen, supported, and able to thrive.
Pride is a celebration, but it is also a commitment—a commitment to ensuring that future generations inherit a city that is welcoming to everyone.
Happy Pride, San Francisco.
Daniel Lurie is the 46th Mayor of San Francisco.
Celebrating Pride 2026
Published on June 25, 202
Recent Comments