The Pink Triangle has been installed atop Twin Peaks in San Francisco for each Pride weekend since 1996, as a visible yet mute reminder of man's inhumanity to man. It is almost 200 feet across, nearly an acre in size, and can be seen for 20 miles.

From: Pink Triangle History

The Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks as seen from 8th and Market Street

The pink triangle was used by the Nazis in concentration camps to identify and shame homosexuals. This symbol, which was used to label and shame, has been embraced by the gay community as a symbol of pride.

From: Pink Triangle History

 

 

However, in the 1930s & 1940s there was nothing celebratory about the pink triangle. Gays were forced to wear the pink triangle on their breast pockets in the concentration camps to identify them as homosexual to set them apart from other prisoners.

From: Pink Triangle History

The pink triangles were slightly larger than the other colored triangles so that guards could identify them from a distance. It is said that those who wore the pink triangles were singled out by the guards to receive the harshest treatment, and when the guards were finished with them, some of the other inmates would harm them as well.

From: Pink Triangle History

Hossein Carney

San Francisco as seen from Twin Peaks on Saturday morning

June 23, 2018

 

The Pink Triangle display is also intended as an instrument to initiate discourse about hate crimes. We want to help prevent others from experiencing the results of hatred that Matthew Shepard, Allen Schindler, Brandon Teena, and countless others have been subjected to. If we can help prevent additional crimes like those committed against them, we will have been successful in our attempt to inform the public.

From: Pink Triangle History

Patrick Carney

Founder of The Friends of the Pink Triangle 

 

 

At the end of the war, when the concentration camps were finally liberated, virtually all of the prisoners were released except those who wore the pink triangle. Many of those with a pink triangle on their pocket were put back in prison and their nightmare continued.

From: History

 

 

But why is it on top of Twin Peaks? 

It is an educational tool for all to see. The Pink Triangle is one of history's reminders of hate and intolerance, and part of appreciating and celebrating where we are today for Pride Weekend, is understanding where we have been. That is why the Pink Triangle will be there this weekend, to educate others about the hatred of the past to help prevent it from happening again. The pink triangle was used by the Nazis in concentration camps to identify homosexual prisoners. This symbol, which was used as in an attempt to label and persecute, has been embraced by the gay community as a symbol of pride. However, we mustn't forget its tragic origins. 
From: The Pink Triangle in San Francisco

The test of any democracy is how well it treats its minorities. The Third Reich demonstrates how easily a government can devise minority scapegoats. Branding homosexuals as criminals let most Germans feel comfortable looking the other way while the Nazis went about their persecution. Germany is today one of the gay-friendliest places on Earth with true safeguards for LGBTs, however tactics used there so long ago still occur today in other places. While most nations are continually progressing, dozens others are ever more oppressive, less and less tolerant and less inclusive, and are violators of human rights. Many LGBTs in those areas will spend the unforeseen future living in utter fear. 

Triangles of various colors were used to identify each category of "undesirable": yellow for Jews, brown of Gypsies, red for political prisoners, green for criminals, black for anti-socials, purple for Jehovah's Witnesses, blue for immigrants, and pink for homosexuals.

Pink Triangle History

 

 

 

The pink triangle symbol has since evolved into an important reminder for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community of the continuing homophobia and inhumanity against them and other repressed minorities around the world. We transform the side of the Twin Peaks north hill facing the Castro district and downtown San Francisco, into a memorial by installing a giant pink triangle made up of dozens of pieces of pink canvas that can be seen from miles away during SF Pride weekend each year.

From: The Pink Triangle of San Francisco

 

 

Hossein Carney

 

 

 

 

The Pink Triangle on twin Peaks as seen from Market Street before the Pride Parade in 2015

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

78 countries where homosexuality is illegal

 

 

A bus of Chinese tourists happened upon the Pink Triangle festivities and the photo bombs and photo ops insued

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hossein Carney

 

 

The Band: We are delighted that The San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band(the “official band” of SF) performed for us again this year. They are the “Organizational Grand Marshal” this year. Thank you to “The Band”!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band

Special Guest: Musical Theater Star Leanne Borghesi sang “San Francisco”, “California Here I come!” along with other rousing tunes and accompanied by the SF L/G Freedom Band.

San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band

 

San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band

 

 

San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band

 

 

Patrick Carney

 

 

 

2018 Commemoration Ceremony Program:

Honored Guests: Cleve Jones (Founder of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and author of the book “When We Rise”) will give the “History of the Pink Triangle” at the beginning of the ceremony. As part of the “History” portion, the German Consul General Hans-Ulrich Suedbeck will speak and introduce his husband and their children at the ceremony. What better image of how far Germany has progressed since the horrors of the Holocaust’s pink triangle? Then French Consul General Emmanuel Lebrun-Damienswill speak and introduce French Goverment Minister Schiappa who is France’s “Minister for Equality between Women and Men” (as such she is also in charge of LGBT issues for France). They will join San Francisco Mayor-elect London Breed, CA State Senator Scott Wiener, CA State Assemblymember Phil Ting, CA State Assemblymember David Chiu, SF Treasurer Jose Cisneros, SF Supervisor-elect Rafael Mandelman, SF Community College Trustees Alex Randolph and Tom Temprano, along with many of the SF Pride Parade Community Grand Marshalls and Honorees. A special thanks goes to former CA State Senator Mark Leno who will be unable to attend but has always made time to appear and speak every year since first becoming appointed as SF Supervisor in 1998 !

 

 

 

Hossein Carney

Hossein Carney

 

 

 

Honored Guests: Cleve Jones (Founder of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt and author of the book “When We Rise”)gave the “History of the Pink Triangle” at the beginning of the ceremony.

 

German Consul General Hans-Ulrich Suedbeck spoke and introduced his husband and their children at the ceremony. 

 

French Goverment Minister Schiappa who is France’s “Minister for Equality between Women and Men” (as such she is also in charge of LGBT issues for France). 

Minister Schiappa

 

San Francisco Mayor-elect London Breed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

San Francisco Mayor-elect London Breed

 

 

The Friends of the Pink Triangle 

 

 

 

SPECIAL THANKS in 2018 to the San Francisco Police Department Park Station for providing traffic control but also providing regular patrols around the clock at the Twin Peaks area to keep an eye on the pink triangle tarp which has been vandalized in previous years. THANK YOU ALL!

 

Discriminatory laws led to the creation of the Pink Triangle patch that homosexuals were forced to wear in Nazi concentration camps, and the Yellow Star of David badge that Jews were forced to wear under Nazi occupation, and a whole series of colored patches for each of their targeted groups of "undesirables". We try to prevent such hatred from happening again. Click here for further history information.

A view of the Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks during the Pride Parade 2015

 

A view of the Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks during the Pride Parade 2015

 

 

The next Pink Triangle installation will be on Saturday 29, June 2019.

HELP OUT WITH THE PINK TRIANGLE