LGBTQ+ Heritage in the GGNRA

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) is proud to be part of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience—places that connect past struggles to today’s movements for human rights and social justice. This includes honoring the vibrant and resilient history of LGBTQ+ communities in and around the San Francisco Bay Area.

From sites of protest and pride to ongoing advocacy, LGBTQ+ stories are woven into the landscape of the GGNRA. Today, this legacy continues through public programs, ally events, and community-driven initiatives that celebrate queer resilience and create space for history in the making.

Explore the past, engage in the present, and help shape a more inclusive future with the resources and events featured below.

Singer performs at the Pride in the Presidio event on Saturday, June 1st, at the Presidio Tunnel Tops near the Golden Gate Bridge
Events

2nd annual LGBTQIA+ Pride celebration hosted by the Partnership for the Presidio

See all the joy and jubilation from Pride in the Presidio event on Saturday, June 1, 2024.
Staff hand out mini rainbow flags to park visitors.
Events
Presidio Tunnel Tops
Kick off LGBTQ+ Pride Month in the Presidio!
Staff hand out mini rainbow flags to park visitors.
Our Work
We celebrated LGBTQIA+ Pride in a big way in 2023!
Ribbon dancers performing at the Presidio Tunnel Tops for FACT/SF Fantastic Field Day
Events
Presidio Tunnel Tops
Join us June 11 at 12pm for Fantastic Field Day – an all-ages, intentionally inclusive, accessible, and radically Queer sports event that challenges how we look at conventional forms of athleticism.
Ribbon dancers performing at the Presidio Tunnel Tops for FACT/SF Fluid Form
Events
Presidio Tunnel Tops
San Francisco dance company FACT/SF premieres its latest work, fluid forms, at Presidio Tunnel Tops on Sunday, June 4, 12 to 3:30 pm and Sunday, June 11, 12 to 2 pm.
A sunset photo of the rainbow pride flag flying in the parks.
Gateways Article
Time travel is a walk in the park in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA). For Pride Month and beyond, let’s make our way through some of the queer history in the parks. In more recent history, our park sites existed as military bases and fortifications—see the batteries and...
NPS park ranger marches alongside the Roving Ranger mobile trailhead at the 2022 SF Pride parade.
Our Work
It brought us so much joy to walk in solidarity with the LGBTQ community alongside our partners at the National Park Service and the Presidio Trust in the SF Pride Parade on Sunday, June 26, 2022. It’s moments like this that remind us of the power of community and the...
Battery Townsley "pond" in a former gun emplacement
Events
Coastal Trail Trailhead at Fort Cronkhite
Celebrate Pride Month in the Marin Headlands! Join a ranger-led hike to Battery Townsley, followed by a tour inside the historic WWII fortification. This program will focus on WWII’s impacts on the LGBTQ+ community, the history of the Lavender Scare, and the importance of sharing these stories today.
Roving Ranger van with pride flags waving on its roof.
Our Work
At your leisure, peruse through our curated resources to better understand Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer+ (LGBTQ) history, how to be a better ally in the parks and beyond, and much more.
Sunset on the horizon with mitten-shaped rock formation on left.
Events
Come celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month with us! Join this NPS Ranger led hike to Battery Townsley, followed by a tour inside the historic WWII battery. While sharing the history of the battery, this program will focus on WWII’s impacts on the LGBTQ+ community, discrimination during the Lavender Scare, and the importance of sharing these stories today.
Aerial photo of Fort Mason, the San Francisco Bay, and the city.
Article
Discover the history of how the military shaped San Francisco's LGBTQ community.