For its 25th anniversary — set in the middle of a worsening pandemic — the Pink Triangle this year isn't made up of large tarps and sailcloths, but rather 2,700 LED nodes that glowed hot pink Saturday night, managing to even pierce through the thick fog wrapping Twin Peaks.
Amid social distancing, the 2020 Pink Triangle, a repurposed symbol of queer solidarity and gay rights that was initially intended as a badge of shame, only a hand full of volunteers were allowed to help construct this year's erected light show.
Normally, hundreds would convene on the Twin Peaks hillside to set up the public display now synonymous with San Francisco Gay Pride. For 2020, however, the Pink Triangle's creator and founder Patrick Carney, along with a small team from Illuminate — the nonprofit behind The Bay Lights — assembled this year’s Pink Triangle as an actual beacon to honor the LGBTQ community’s past and act as a reminder of “hope, inclusion, love, and resiliency" in the age of COVID-19.
The San Francisco #Pride parade may not be happening this year, but the iconic Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks sure as heck is happening.
— Senator Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) June 28, 2020
And it’s truly amazing - illuminated by @IlluminatedArts!
The spirit of Pride is alive & well in the City of St. Francis. pic.twitter.com/bt0IsARhJt
That said gargantuan lantern of radical acceptance and unwavering strength was finally on full display around 9 p.m. Saturday evening.
“Our City has lived through a modern-day pandemic, demonstrating great care and compassion,” adds Ben Davis, founder and CEO of Illuminate, in a former press release. “We have an important lesson to share now. Lighting the Pink Triangle is an opportunity to honor history, inform the present, and shape a brighter, more equitable future.”
Initially scheduled to debut at 8 p.m. last night, Illuminate The Pink Triangle’s unveiling was pushed back an hour to allow the skies to darken and give the fog a chance to perhaps let up; the latter, though, never happened. But regardless: the lumens emanating from the Twin Peaks' hillside were more than strong enough to glow through Karl The Fog's thick coverage.
If you missed yesterday's light show, don't fret. Illuminate The Pink Triangle is set to continue shining for the following three weeks. And should you can't wait to see it again this evening — or just want to bask in all its chromatic glory again — here's a collection of videos and photos posted on Twitter that put the Pink Triangle in a favorable light.
Was so excited to see the pink triangle lit up 💞💞 https://t.co/vAeEFlraKt
— N 🏳️🌈 (@n_car415) June 28, 2020
✨ Great view from my window of the Pink Triangle on Twin Peaks #PRIDE2020 pic.twitter.com/VrGdipetso
— Leonardo Zizzamia (@Zizzamia) June 28, 2020
My first time in 14 years of living in SF that I’ve made it to the Pink Triangle commemoration. It’s... lit! #PRIDE2020 #SFPride50 pic.twitter.com/sYw6HjM4FA
— imperfect produce 🍃 (@LeeHepner) June 28, 2020
Happy Pride 🖤 The #pinktriangle is one of my favourite SF traditions, and it’s particularly beautiful this year, lit up for the first time for #SFPride50 🤍 pic.twitter.com/hguYc5OHGb
— ǝuuɐzǝ̗Ɔ (@cezanneab) June 28, 2020
Moment the #PinkTriangle in SF was set alight for the first time, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, with 2,700 LED nodes and made visible from space for @NASA to photograph. #PRIDE2020 pic.twitter.com/0gDIVpzzQh
— Drew Geishecker (@drewg) June 28, 2020
The Pink Triangle is lit! Bravo @IlluminatedArts and @sfgov pic.twitter.com/75EYd3se2E
— Christopher Michel (@chrismichel) June 28, 2020
Gay Power! 🏳️🌈❤️🧡💛💚💜🖤🤎 #pinktriangle #PRIDE2020 #PrideMonth #Pride pic.twitter.com/9D8u11GD1n
— Devin Daniel (@bluboy4ever) June 28, 2020
Fog lifts in time for viewing the Pink Triangle lighting from the Castro. #PRIDE2020 pic.twitter.com/l3juKvrejY
— Karl Mondon (@karlmondon) June 28, 2020
Also: if you'd like to see the Pink Triangle lit year-round, you can sign this change.org petition to show your support of that idea.
Related: Watch These Goats Prepare Twin Peaks For Pride's Big Pink Triangle
Bay Lights Artist Leo Villareal Is Lighting Up 15 Bridges In London
SF Nonprofit Behind Bay Lights To Transform Pink Triangle Into Public Light Display for 2020
Image: Matt Charnock, SFist