San Francisco celebrates its Pride; 1M people expected

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco started showing its pride as thousands showed up to get the party started. One celebration got underway at Dolores Park Saturday as part of the Dyke March pre-party that would eventually move toward the Castro. San Francisco Pride organizers said that this was the largest celebration in the country.

Police say they are expecting about 1 million people to be in the city this weekend. This event brings people together from around the country and from around the world. For some people, the past 12 months have been pretty momentous for the LGBT community. President Barack Obama recently voiced his support for same-sex marriage. One couple we spoke to is eagerly waiting for same-sex marriage to become legal.

"I am a U.S. citizen and my partner is a French citizen and if we could get married, like a man and a woman, she would be able to have her green card and citizenship in the United States just like a straight couple," said San Francisco resident Dawn Ackerman.

Pink Saturday street closures will affect 17th, 18th, Castro, Hartford, and Market Streets on Saturday night from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. There will also be some bus route changes through the middle of the city. Street closures from Castro to the Civic Center will take place tomorrow as well.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender victims of the Holocaust were honored at San Francisco's annual Pink Triangle Ceremony. Friends of the ceremony laid out a highly visible pink triangle on a hillside near Twin Peaks vista overlooking the city. The one acre display serves as a symbol of humankind's inhumanity to others. It's a reminder of the Nazi practice of identifying homosexuals with a badge in the shape of a pink triangle.

"Thank you for doing what is so patriotic. In doing so, we honor the vows of our founders for equality and we make America more American," said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco.

Civic and religious leaders attended Saturday's ceremony as part of gay pride weekend in San Francisco.

If you have photos from any of the Pride celebrations, send them to us at uReport@kgo-tv.com or upload them here: ureport.abc7news.com.

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dolores park, same sex marriage, san francisco news

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