S.F. police arrest protesters at Trans March, tense overture to Pride weekend

San Francisco Opera’s Pride Concert — now in its second year, and already feeling like a tradition in the making — began in operatic heritage and escalated, number by number, into a full-throated contemporary celebration.

“Through it all,” general director Matthew Shilvock said in his welcome note, the evening carried “an empowering message of believing in the beauty of yourself.”

It opened in tribute. Michael Tilson Thomas’s Agnegram, a fizzing orchestral romp, plays in memory of the late maestro — one of classical music’s most visible gay leaders, who died this year.

From there, soprano Melody Moore, mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz and baritone Reginald Smith Jr. — Robert Mollicone conducting — move from Gounod and Giordano through Terence Blanchard and Stephen Schwartz, then slip the leash: k.d. lang, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Brandi Carlile, Tracy Chapman.

What astonished, once again, was the escalation: trained voices loosening into songs the whole room knows, the soloists visibly delighting in them. Smith is a revelation, matching emcee Sapphira Cristál nearly costume for costume and pouring a baritone of startling warmth into everything he touches.

This year the threading felt more pointed. Emcee Sapphira Cristál — the RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 favorite, classically trained and six octaves deep — works between numbers to tie each song to the night’s themes: self-love, authenticity and an unmistakable emphasis on the right to be exactly who you are. When Printz delivered transgender songwriter Ryan Cassata’s “Gender Binary (F*ck You),” the message stopped being subtext.

And it ended where it was always heading: a medley closing on “I’m Coming Out,” the house on its feet, the celebration spilling into the lobby where DJ Juanita MORE! was already cueing the after-party.

“Maybe it will become tradition,” Cristál said. Tonight, it already felt like one.

— Liliana Michelena

It’s officially time to party. Patrons lined up in front of Beaux, a gay bar in the Castro, as Farruko’s “Pepas” blasted from inside.

Some gasped at the $20 cover fee and stepped out of line, but many more shuffled through the rainbow archway instead. For most, this was the first stop of the night.

Sahil Niwas came all the way from Belmont with a few coworkers, many of whom are experiencing their first San Francisco Pride. Because Niwas has to work this weekend, Friday night is his best chance to celebrate.

“It’s tradition for us,” Niwas said. “It brings people together.”

As Niwas entered, a patron named Rene exited. Rene said the party — Corazón, a tribute to Karol G — had a “beautiful” energy, adding that they were ready to just have fun.

Shortly after, another patron left the bar, asking, “Where the tops at?”

— Rosina Boehm and Annelise Bowers

The first official event of Pride ended in arrests this evening: Several protesters at the Trans march were stopped by police and subsequently detained.

Around 7:40 p.m., as marchers approached the end of Market Street, police cars were waiting and officers ran through the crowd to arrest several protestors. Eyewitnesses say that police cited vandalism as the reason for the arrests.

Throughout the parade, a group of marchers with masks covering their faces and keffiyehs on their heads had spray painted statues and shot paint guns at security cameras along the route.

One marcher, Emilio, said that police cars were waiting as the procession neared its end. The police appeared to have several specific targets in mind.

“All of a sudden, they sprinted through the crowd after that one person,” he said. The  initial arrested protester was described by several as wearing a keffiyeh and being “completely peaceful.” 

The San Francisco Police Department in a Saturday morning statement said five people were arrested. It said its officers “observed individuals vandalizing property with paint” at around 7 p.m. while watching the Trans March.

One of those spray-painting “assaulted and sprayed paint on a person,” the department said, and officers attempted an arrest. “Other individuals surrounded and obstructed the officers in an attempt to free the vandalism suspects,” the department said, and the police ultimately arrested three people for assault and vandalism, and two for obstructing an investigation.

One man was pinned to the ground for the arrest; another protester was dragged along the ground towards the cop car. After the initial arrests, one protester jumped on top of a police car in an attempt to stop them from leaving. They were pinned to the ground by multiple officers, while other officers waved batons at protestors and warned them that the street was now closed.

As police exited the crowd, they shoved the remaining protestors aside. One officer, once he reached the edge of the crowd, turned to spit on the ground.

Another protester reportedly approached the police after the arrest. “Why on this day of all days?” she asked the officer. “This is why we’re here. Trans people getting abused by the police.”

— Annelise Bowers

If the back of the Trans March was a celebration, the front was a shout of rage. Moving toward the head of the procession, rainbow flags and pumping techno music gave way to masked faces and militant protest chants.

This was not spontaneous. Young organizers from several groups darted through the crowd, pointing out logistics and discussing next steps. A member of PSL Bay Area held a sign high, while an Antifascist Action organizer waved a flag overhead.

A young person dressed in black bloc, a balaclava covering their face, dragged a red wagon filled with cans of spray paint. A speaker inside the wagon boomed chants over the crowd.

“Who protects us?” they called out.

“We protect us!” the crowd roared back.

Near the edges of the procession, several masked youth targeted security cameras, firing paint-filled water guns that blanketed the lenses in splatters of pink and blue. As the march passed, two others spray-painted “Antifa” onto a statue. “Salute our troops,” the person with the megaphone encouraged as a camera at the corner of Octavia Street was tagged.

The crowd cycled through a rapid succession of chants, moving from “Free Palestine” to “Blue Lives Murder,” before launching into a modified version of “No Justice, No Peace” that demanded healthcare, dignity, housing, and safety. Local and national politicians alike were cursed in unison.

“Fuck Daniel Lurie!” the crowd chanted. “Fuck Scott Wiener!”

Elsewhere, Wiener was heckled directly when he made his way onto Dolores Park, according to video from the scene.

Governor Gavin Newsom received an even more enthusiastic middle finger from the crowd than Vice President JD Vance when his name was called.

As the protest turned onto Market Street, the cadence shifted once more. “Whose streets?” called the person with the megaphone.

“Our streets!” the crowd roared back.

Dozens of people thrust their arms into the air, bricks clutched firmly in their hands.

— Annelise Bowers

It is Pride Night at the Valkyries’ game and, no matter the tied score, it’s time to dance.

— Lydia Chavez

The Trans March is well underway. Amidst the crowd, different bands play lively music while marchers chant in support of intersecting causes—because this day is about trans liberation, and so much more.

Along residential Dolores Street, onlookers watch the procession from their windows. Between 15th and 16th Streets, one lively apartment party enjoys wine while leaning out over the sidewalk. Decked out with a plethora of trans flags, they pass them down to the marchers continuing along the route.

Nearby, a group of protesters holds up signs that read: “The rich are destroying our world — not transgender youth!”

— Rosina Boehm

At the back corner of Dolores Park, one man attending the Trans March is armed—with bubble guns.

For the past four years, Josh has driven in from San José to attend Pride in the city. This year, on a whim, he decided to bring two bubble guns with him. “They’re kind of rainbow,” he explained. “And they just bring so much joy. People love them.”

Josh walks the length of the park, filling the air with iridescent spheres. As he passes, people on the lawn cheer, stretching their arms up into the soapy stream.

The sun may be setting soon, but the bubbles won’t stop. “You can’t see it now,” he smiled, “but these things glow in the dark.”

Josh is not the only one bringing the magic: nearby, large bins of soapy water have been set out for any march-goer to use. A little girl dips a wand into the bucket, sending wobbling, shimmering bubbles into the air. They rise, catch the light, and float out into the streets of San Francisco.

— Annelise Bowers

As the crowd begins to line up for the Trans March to start moving down Dolores Street, a group of protesters holds up a sign reading, “We are not going anywhere,” before flipping it to reveal the phrase, “Brick March.” The term brick historically refers to a trans woman who does not “pass” as cisgender.

One protester stops in front of a row of four bricks placed on the ground and uses red spray paint to write “Intifada.”

“This has been a year of heartbreak, of fear, of rage,” one protester said.

Meanwhile, Connie Chan lined up to march with the San Francisco Labor Council just before the pro-Palestine demonstration took position. (Some of Chan’s financial backers have been linked to pro-Israel political action committees). To kick off the event, the Labor Council and other marching contingents ultimately bypassed the demonstration to begin their route.

— Rosina Boehm

On the sparser side of Dolores Park, Age of Sin — a DJ collective — has taken it upon themselves to build their own concert.

“It’s awesome,” Del, a DJ with the collective, said.

Del has been with the collective since it started over two years ago, but has deejayed for her entire adult life. She started doing it full-time this year, which finally allowed her to attend the Trans March. In prior years, she usually had to work.

For attendee Jupiter, she loves that the collective focuses on harm reduction. Jupiter has been sober for four years; she frequently raves but finds that those spaces are usually centered around alcohol. With Age of Sin, it’s a completely different environment.

Jupiter noted that Age of Sin prioritizes trans people and people of color, which she described as “good people and good music.” Over the coming days, Jupiter plans to return to Dolores Park because she feels it is much less corporate than Sunday’s main parade.

— Rosina Boehm

The Trans March has started, and amid the sunscreen and pre-planned outfits, a couple from Austin, Texas — Alex and Marvel — already have a few events lined up before they leave on Sunday. But their looks weren’t quite complete today, that is, until they saw Sparkle Fire Creations, run by Sherrie.

Sherrie does temporary glitter tattoos and is giving them out at Dolores Park as San Francisco Pride officially kicks off. She moved to the Bay Area a year and a half ago, and this is her first Pride here.

It didn’t take long for Sherrie, Alex, and Marvel to become friends. “I know because she’s so personable,” Marvel, who got a purple dinosaur on her breast, said of Sherrie.

Though Alex and Marvel are from Austin, they look like locals ready for a Valkyries match — which happens to be their next stop tonight.

— Rosina Boehm

Pride weekend is here — and this year it’s sharing the spotlight with the World Cup, the tournament playing out across the Bay Area just as the city throws its biggest party. Mission Local is fanning out across San Francisco to bring it all to you live.

Our reporters are heading out now: to Dolores Park, where the Trans March gathers this afternoon; to the Embarcadero, Civic Center and the parade route as the weekend unfolds; and into the Mission’s own corner of the party all weekend long. This year’s Pride lands under the banner “Resistance in Action,” with the trans community — and the city’s promises to it — squarely at the center.

Stick with us. We’ll keep this post updated all weekend with dispatches, color and photos from the field. Pull up a chair — or a curbside spot on Market — and follow along.

— Liliana Michelena