Organizers estimated 50,000 people participated in the San Francisco Pride Parade on June 24, 2018, in addition to 100,000 who watched from the sidelines. (Anne Wernikoff/KQED)
What you do this weekend is your business, so we want to make sure that you have the information you need to take care of yourself and those around you. This guide includes when and where everything is happening at this year’s celebration in San Francisco’s Civic Center. But it also includes advice from experts on how to protect yourself from COVID-19 risks, take care of your sexual health and avoid being exposed to fentanyl if you’re planning to use heavier drugs.
And one thing to keep in mind: Pride is a time to celebrate the progress and achievements of the LGBTQ+ community, but as many advocates point out, it’s also a time to continue pushing for better protections of queer people across the country. Making sure you and those around you are safe this weekend is part of that work.
Sunday’s Pride parade is not the only way to enjoy Pride, but it definitely is one of the most emblematic Pride celebrations in the country, bringing together hundreds of groups and organizations, along with tens of thousands of people, with hours of music and dancing down Market Street.
Any water bottle, even if sealed (although empty plastic water bottles are allowed)
Outside food and beverages, including alcohol
Narcotics and marijuana
Hard-sided coolers
Chairs of any kind
Drones
Pets (except service animals)
Bicycles
Speaking of prohibited items, the San Francisco Police Department says there will be “a significant police presence during Pride activities,” and that “both uniformed and plainclothes officers” will be present. SFPD’s Pride advisory also says that because there is “no organized event taking place Saturday in the Castro District” and no street closures, “laws prohibiting possession of open containers of alcoholic beverages and drinking in public will be strictly enforced.”
Know your public transit options (and how you’ll get home)
BART officials say there will be more service for this year’s Pride Sunday than for any previous year, opening at 8 a.m. that day and running a five-line service until 9 p.m. “with added special event trains as ridership warrants.” After 9 p.m., that service will be reduced to a three-line service.
Expect crowding at BART stations near the parade, as well as in the train carriages (a reason you might consider bringing an N95 mask along). BART recommends using Montgomery Street and Powell Street stations instead of Civic Center or Embarcadero stations, for this reason.
Pride organizers say the parade’s main stage also has a seated viewing platform with ASL interpretation, and that wristbands for this area will be available at the Pride information booth on Fulton Street at Larkin Street. Find more information about accessibility at Pride.
BART and accessibility
All BART stations have accessible elevators, but being prepared for issues with those elevators is a good idea. You can sign up for BART alerts to be notified if there’s an issue with the elevator at the station you’re planning to use to attend Pride, or check the status of elevator operations at any station by calling (510) 834-LIFT or (888) 2-ELEVAT.
If you discover that an elevator is not working at a particular station you’re planning to use, call the BART Transit Information Center to get information about transit alternatives at (510) 465-2278 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday.
In a statement about accessibility, Pride organizers say the event has a “zero-tolerance policy for harassment, discrimination, or any form of violence,” and that Pride security personnel, “in collaboration with law enforcement, will be vigilant in enforcing these guidelines and addressing any inappropriate behavior.”
A harm-reduction box created by Josh Yule hangs on the wall at Mothership bar in San Francisco on April 11, 2023. The boxes include Narcan and instructions on how to administer it, along with fentanyl test strips. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
Kate Franza, who leads the behavioral health services team at the San Francisco Community Health Center in the city’s Tenderloin District, says it is very common nowadays to find other drugs laced with fentanyl and that if someone is going to consume drugs like cocaine or molly, they should very much consider the possibility that there may be fentanyl present.
“We don’t want folks to be anxious,” she said, “but we want folks to know that there’s ways that they can prepare themselves and do things to be safe so that they can check if their drugs have fentanyl in them and then make an informed decision.”
Consider testing ahead of time
If you know you will be taking drugs this weekend, Franza says one way to reduce the risk of being exposed to fentanyl is bringing your own substances that you have already tested and know are free of fentanyl. That way, you avoid consuming from unknown sources at places, like a crowded party, where it might be harder to test.
Testing, Franza says, is critical. “Because if your drugs are cut with fentanyl, you can die. It can trigger an overdose. It can trigger death,” she said. “And if folks feel shame or embarrassment, they can test privately as long as they have the strips.”
Franza also recommends bringing your own water and a Narcan kit. Narcan is the brand name for a naloxone nasal spray that is administered to someone when they are experiencing an opioid overdose (that includes fentanyl).
Anyone can buy and apply Narcan. You can buy a Narcan kit at a pharmacy without needing a prescription, and you can also get it free of charge at the San Francisco Department of Public Health’s Community Behavioral Health Services pharmacy at 1380 Howard Street. The pharmacy is open Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
“Mixing various substances increases the risk of access to fentanyl, but [also] overdose with uppers and downers,” said Franza. “Be mindful of making decisions as best as you can about what drugs you want to do and minimize mixing.”
Set up a buddy system
Your friends are key in keeping you safe, especially when you’re taking harder drugs, adds Franza. She recommends setting up a buddy system where each person reminds the other to test whatever you will be taking, drinking enough water and having emergency contacts ready if additional help is needed. Additionally, if you made a plan for the weekend, including specific limits of what you will consume and when, a friend can help you remember this information when you may not be sober.
“If you’re planning on going out a lot during Pride, you may want to set some limitations because each time you do it, it’s harder on your body,” Franza said. “Another strategy is buying less. The likelihood of you doing more if you have it on you is higher. So if you buy less, it’s essentially one step further to have to purchase more.”
What to know about Pride and mpox
What is mpox, and why should you be vigilant for it?
In the summer and fall of 2022, an outbreak of the mpox virus — formerly known as monkeypox — hit the United States. This virus particularly affected gay and bisexual men, as well as trans and nonbinary people who have sex with men, in California.
Cases of mpox have remained low in the Bay Area since last summer’s outbreak, and health officials in the city aren’t seeing any rise that’s giving them cause for concern, says Dr. Stephanie Cohen, director of HIV prevention for the Population Health Division at SFDPH. But with a huge number of gatherings and celebrations planned — not just over Pride weekend but well into the summer and fall — and also the volume of visitors to the city arriving for these celebrations from other parts of the state and the country, Cohen stresses that she and her colleagues in Bay Area public health will be remaining vigilant and cautious about mpox.
Colorized transmission electron micrograph of mpox virus particles (orange) found within an infected cell (brown), cultured in a laboratory. (NIH-NIAID/Image Point FR/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
If I haven’t got an mpox vaccine, is it too late?
It’s definitely not too late, and you should “absolutely” get a free mpox vaccine if you want one, says SFDPH’s Cohen — even if your first dose is coming just days or even hours before Pride.
“The body will start producing the antibodies really soon after the vaccine is given,” said Cohen. “And some protection against mpox is definitely better than no protection against mpox.” Cohen also points out that although the vaccine doesn’t offer 100% protection against contracting mpox, “what we’re seeing is that people who got infected with mpox after having been vaccinated … have a much less severe illness.”
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, infectious disease expert at UCSF, echoes this recommendation to get your mpox vaccine to keep yourself and the community safer — noting that not only does immunity start building quickly, but that the virus also has a longer incubation period than say, COVID.
This means that even if you get your vaccine within just a few days of exposure, “your body starts making immune cells that start to work,” said Chin-Hong — and the mpox vaccine can also “be used in a post-exposure prophylaxis situation (PEP), not just for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PREP).” And while your immediate thoughts may be on mpox exposure during Pride weekend, there are multiple Pride events happening all over the Bay Area for many months. “So think of it as an insurance policy beyond Pride in SF,” he advised.
There are no longer any limitations on who can get an mpox vaccine: In 2022 public health officials were originally only offering vaccines to people who’d been exposed, or were categorized as higher risk, but all those eligibility criteria are no longer in effect. If you want an mpox vaccine, you can get one — free.
By getting an mpox vaccine, you’ll be joining many folks locally who have done the same. Cohen says that after SFDPH’s awareness campaign in May, the number of mpox vaccines being given in San Francisco every week has “about doubled.” Although some of these vaccinations are for people getting their second dose, Cohen said that “most of them are actually people getting their first dose.”
Mpox is not strictly a sexually transmitted infection. The virus can spread through close, skin-to-skin contact and through coming into contact with objects and fabrics used by somebody infected with mpox. This includes coming into contact with the rashes and sores that can develop on an infected person’s skin and even inside their mouth. The virus can also spread through respiratory droplets and saliva.
This makes it possible for mpox to spread during sex and other intimate actions, like kissing and cuddling. But it can also spread through nonsexual behavior, like using a towel or bedsheets previously used by an infected person that have not been washed yet.
What are the symptoms of mpox?
The incubation period for mpox — the amount of time between exposure and developing symptoms and becoming contagious — is usually between six and 13 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can, however, range from five to 21 days.
Mpox symptoms often start as flu-like symptoms, says SFDPH, but the virus also appears as a rash, or sores or spots that can resemble pimples or blisters on the skin anywhere on the body, especially around your genitals. These spots often start as “red, flat spots, and then become bumps,” says SFDPH, before the bumps become filled with pus, and turn into scabs when they break. See the full list of mpox symptoms from SFDPH.
“It’s really important that if someone develops a rash that they think might be related to pox, even if it’s subtle, to come in and see their doctor and get checked out and get tested,” urged Cohen. “And that can help us prevent the spread of transmission in the community.” See more on what to do if you suspect you have mpox.
Take care of your personal and sexual health
It goes without saying that taking care of your individual health and that of your partners involves practicing safer sex, and making sure you bring protection like condoms to Pride.
SFDPH’s Dr. Stephanie Cohen says that in addition to having a presence at stages at Friday’s Trans March and Sunday’s Pride parade, the department will also be marching in the parade on Sunday and handing out “harm-reduction supply” (such as condoms).
You can also find free HIV and hepatitis C screenings at the following events this weekend:
Trans March SF, Friday, June23: The march will include a resource fair at Dolores Park from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., which will include free screenings.
Trans stage at SF Pride, Saturday, June 24: Screenings will be offered at the Trans Thrive booth on the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Polk Street, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
A&PI LGBT Community Stage at SF Pride, Sunday, June 25: Screenings will be offered at the the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Polk Street from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
If you need to get tested after Pride, your county may offer free or low-cost screenings. For example, San Francisco City Clinic offers low-cost STI testing, diagnosis and treatment on a walk-in basis, whether you’re insured or not. They also offer free condoms, and you can get at-home tests delivered via City Clinic in discreet packaging including screening kits for HIV and STIs.
According to the most recent FDA data, antigen tests are effective in detecting arcturus and other omicron subvariants. (Tang Ming Tung/Getty Images)
Pride and COVID-19
Consider bringing an N95 mask with you
While the presence of COVID in San Francisco wastewater has steadily fallen after a spike in March, a huge amount of folks will be traveling into the city from other parts of the Bay Area, the state, the country and even the world — meaning it’s impossible to know just how many COVID-positive people will be present in the same crowded indoor space as you.
Even if you really don’t want to wear a mask at a party or inside a bar, you might want to slip one on when using a busy bathroom (or “well-worn” Porta Potty), on public transit or in a crowded store on a supply run — and carrying one in your back pocket or purse at least gives you this option. And since Pride is for everyone, if you’re going to a celebration that’s primarily attended by disabled folks or people who are otherwise at a higher risk for severe illness from COVID, you might be outright asked to wear a mask.
Stay home if you’re not feeling well (even if it’s not COVID)
If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms of COVID — which, with the arcturus variant, can include pink eye — seek out a test, and stay home if you’re positive. If you’re negative, but still feeling sick, consider staying home regardless. Missing the celebrations will hurt, but you’ll be keeping your community safer — even if it’s not COVID.
Feeling sick a couple days after Pride? Seek out a COVID test
How long should you wait after a potential COVID exposure to take a test? If you’ve heard that incubation times for the virus are getting shorter, you’re not wrong — people really are testing positive for COVID more quickly than they were in 2020, when the average incubation period was five days. That’s because “the incubation period is definitely changing with the variants,” said UCSF’s Chin-Hong, and the period keeps going down somewhat with every new variant.
Given this trend, even with a lack of studies on the arcturus variant, it “makes sense that if someone has symptoms as quickly as two days after exposure, they should test rather than waiting the full five days,” advised Chin-Hong. “But if [you test] negative at two to three days, rinse and repeat.” In other words: If you’re feeling sick as soon as two days after a Pride party, don’t assume it’s just a cold or you’re rundown after the celebrations — it could very well be COVID.
Lastly, remember: You don’t have to stick to the main Sunday parade
The presence of large corporations in the Pride parade can be jarring for some, who may not feel comfortable celebrating in this particular environment.
But there’ll be a huge amount of gatherings, celebrations, parties and safe spaces around Pride weekend — truly, something for everyone.
The 2023 Trans March and accompanying events will kick off Pride weekend on Friday, June 23, starting at 11 a.m. with the Señora Felicia Flames Intergenerational Brunch, and the march itself is at 6 p.m. The following day, on Saturday, June 24, the 2023 Dyke March begins at 5 p.m., starting from Dolores and 18th streets.
So tell us: What do you need to know more about? Tell us, and you could see your question answered online or on social media. What you submit will make our reporting stronger, and help us decide what to cover here on our site, and on KQED Public Radio, too.
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