By Patrick Carney—
The 31st annual Pink Triangle was installed on Twin Peaks on Saturday, June 6, 2026. It has remained relevant for over three decades because part of appreciating and celebrating any Pride is understanding where we have been—and the Pink Triangle represents that.
Many of us wonder if something similar to the original usage as a badge of shame and persecution forced upon gay men in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust could happen again under the current administration. The LGBTQIA+ community—especially the “T”—is under attack almost daily. The transgender community, drag queens, and even Pride celebrations and rainbow flags are being targeted. Let’s hope displaying the Pink Triangle isn’t one of their upcoming targets. Plus, there are still many areas in the world where it’s not only criminalized to be LGBTQ, but also under certain circumstances punishment is prison or even death (for “aggravated homosexuality” in Uganda).
The Pink Triangle of Twin Peaks is nearly an acre in size and can be seen for 20 miles; it is a giant in-your-face educational tool. It’s a warning and a reminder that what has happened in the past might happen again if we aren’t vigilant. It is also a community building project, which brings together hundreds of people of many different backgrounds to work on a common goal: bringing attention to one of the darkest chapters in human history to help prevent such discrimination and hatred from occurring again.
Many have forgotten, or never knew, the origin of the Pink Triangle; some think it is just another colorful abstract symbol to represent the LGBTQ+ community without knowing its tragic history. The Pink Triangle and the Rainbow Flag are the yin-yang of our gay rights symbols as one was forged out of hatred and persecution during the Holocaust and the other out of love, hope, and optimism for a more inclusive future. Gilbert Baker came to the Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks many times and commented that the rainbow flag is the antidote to the Pink Triangle.
Everyone who helps gets one of the fashionable Pink Triangle T-shirts. We wear ours by choice out of comradery for those who were forced to wear them during the Holocaust.
Thank you to everyone who helped with the installation on June 5, of the “Pink Outline” borders made out of hundreds of feet of 5-foot-wide shiny sailcloth, and on June 6 with the main installation of the 175 tarps of the huge display. That effort was followed by the Commemoration Ceremony at 10:30 am. The Pride Band and Leanne Borghesi performed. Speakers included San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie, “First Lady of the Castro” Donna Sachet, and the fabulous Sister Roma. Grand Marshals of the 2026 Pride Parade were among those addressing the current conditions facing our community that make this year’s Pink Triangle more urgent than ever.
We are still in need of volunteers on Sunday, June 28, from 4:30 pm–8 pm (after the Pride Parade) for the take-down of the entire art display, lovingly folding it up, and loading it into the rental truck. This is our hardest day because it often doesn’t have enough volunteers—even one hour would be greatly appreciated and a huge help.
Here is the 2026 Signup.com volunteer link: https://signup.com/go/xYcpWxq
Thank you to the 2026 sponsors: Gilead Foundation, Kaiser Permanente, The Bob Ross Foundation, San Francisco Pride, Levi Strauss & Co., Robert Holgate Philanthropic Fund, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Hodgkins Jewelers, Eye Gotcha Optometric on Castro, Brian Gerritsen, Starbucks for the coffee and pastries, and Hot Cookie for the amazing cookies.
For those so inclined, there is a donate button (https://givebutter.com/Z3uBaU) in the upper left-hand corner of the website: www.thepinktriangle.com
All contributions are tax deductible and a receipt will be issued for donor’s tax purposes. San Francisco Pride is the 501c3 fiscal sponsor, which holds the funds for this project (the Pink Triangle is a once-a-year event so it wouldn’t be cost effective to obtain its own 501c3).
Patrick Carney is the founder of the Pink Triangle project. https://thepinktriangle.com/
Pride Season 2026
Published on June 11, 2026
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