By: Kyrie Sismaet By: Kyrie Sismaet | October 28, 2022 | People, Lifestyle, Story, Politics, City Life, Culture, Music, Celebrity, Awards, Women of Influence Latest, Television, Movies, Entertainment, Local, Community, List - Entertainment,
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The San Francisco Bay Area is a storied cultural birthplace for not only several historic LGBTQ+ moments, but also for many of those who led them. Whether it be for Pride Month, National Coming Out Day, or October's National LGBTQ+ History Month, here is a list of some of the most prominent legendary queer icons with Bay Area origins to know including actors, activists, comedians, and more.
See also: 10 Bay Area and National Organizations With LGBTQ+ Resources to Platform For Pride Month
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One cannot talk about LGBTQ history in San Francisco without venerating Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Serving as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and later city supervisor, Harvey powerfully and resiliently advocated for gay rights and equality in the 70s up until his unjust assassination on November 27, 1978. Since then, his genuinely kind and passionate legacy continues to be memorialized and remembered, through the Harvey Milk Foundation, the yearly Harvey Milk Day on his birthday May 22nd, and more.
Notable Quote: "Rights are won only by those who make their voices heard."
See also: Castro District To Celebrate Harvey Milk Day With Free Screenings And Block Party
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Angela Davis is a political activist known as one of the most powerful leaders of the civil rights movement for her involvement with the Black Panther Party. Since then she has co-founded Critical Resistance to work towards prison reform and dismantling the prison-industrial complex, as well as teaching as a Distinguished Professor Emerita of History of Consciousness at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Notable Quote: “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.”
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As a student intern studying political science at San Francisco State University formatively working alongside Harvey Milk, Cleve Jones later went on to become pioneering LGBT activist during the height of the AIDs pandemic, establishing the San Francisco AIDS Foundation and the globally-renowned NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, which since 2020 has grown as the world's largest collaborative work of community-created folk art.
Notable Quote: "We are survivors. We shall survive again and we shall be the strongest, most gentle people on this earth."
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A true San Francisco native, José Julio Sarria was not only the first openly gay candidate for public office in the United States, but also founded the Imperial Court System, was an extraordinary drag performer at the Black Cat Bar during the city's pivotal Beat era, and held elegant titles like the Absolute Empress I de San Francisco.
Notable Quote: "United we stand, divided they catch us one by one."
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Born and raised in San Francisco, Honey Mahogany first immediately garnered nationwide adoration as a contestant on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, the first ever from San Francisco. Following this triumphant run, she released her debut EP Honey Love and has since been tremendously active in both the local queer and political scenes, assisting in developing the city's inaugural Transgender District and serving as the first director. Recently she became co-president of the Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club in 2018, and in 2019 was named one of Queerty's Pride50 “trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people."
Notable Quote: "People get down on San Francisco for being a bunch of hippies but there's so much beauty there."
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Aside from rising to prominence in her 90s sitcom All-American Girl and being known for her side-splitting and thought-provoking humor as a stand-up comedian, Margaret Cho is also well regarded as a prominent activist for LGBT and Asian American rights. You can see her most recently in the 2022 film Fire Island, which has garnered tremendous acclaim for its positive and accurate representation of the LGBTQ+ AAPI community.
Notable Quote: "The power of visibility can never be underestimated."
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Peaches Christ is a remarkably talented drag performer and genuinely involved member of the San Francisco community, even having her own "Decade of Peaches Christ Retrospective" event at the de Young Museum in 2007 celebrating a decade of her performances and local contributions.
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As soon as Lea DeLaria moved to San Francisco in 1982, her stand-up comedy career truly flourished, performing iconic and raunchy queer humor in the Mission District (she is credited with being the originator of the lesbian "U-Haul" joke trope). Since then the comedy legend has gone on to be a stunning jazz singer, the first openly gay comic to appear on American television, a Broadway icon, and most recently, a star on Orange is the New Black, and 2022's POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive.
Notable Quote: "As a standup, I tried to change the world. As an entertainer, I try to entertain. And as a lesbian, I try to pick up the prettiest girl in the room."
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Few actors have as impressive of an entertainment resume as San Francisco-born BD Wong, who also attended San Francisco State University. His captivating role in M. Butterfly has made him the only Broadway actor to ever receive a Tony Award, Clarence Derwent Award, Theatre World Award, and more all for the same role. You may have also seen him in Mr. Robot, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Gotham, and of course, the Jurassic Park franchise.
Notable Quote: "Maybe there are logical reasons for a gay person not to have a great relationship with their parents - not because there's a parent who made him gay, but just because it may be difficult to understand everything."
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Classic San Francisco literature would not be the same without the absolutely talented visionary writer Armistead Maupin. You may have heard of his widely extensive novel series Tales of the City, which began in 1974 na dhas since spawned two television adaptations, the most recent one a 2019 revival starring Elliot Page on Netflix. Maupin was one of the first writers to transparently address the topic of AIDS in the 1980s, with his novels all detailing niche aspects of living in San Francisco that has become a treasured essential for San Francisco readers new and old ever since.
Notable Quote: "My only regret about being gay is that I repressed it for so long. I surrendered my youth to the people I feared when I could have been out there loving someone. Don't make that mistake yourself. Life's too damn short."
See also: 5 Must-Read Books That Quintessentially Capture San Francisco's Charm
American culture, activism, and entertainment would not be the same without these powerful leaders, and San Francisco's stimulating environment is truly lucky to have ties with them!
See also: Drag Legends Violet Chachki And Gottmik On What Pride Means To Them, Their LGBTQ+ Identity, And More
Photography by: Stephanie Maze/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images