11 Awesome LGBTQ+ Murals & Memorials in San Francisco

The Rainbow Crosswalks

San Francisco’s ​​Department of Public Works installed the Castro district’s eye-catching rainbow crosswalks in October 2014. Quite distinctive from rainbow crosswalks in other cities, the design was decided by a public vote held earlier that year. A popular spot for selfies, you’ll find the four crosswalks at the intersection of Castro and 18th Street.

Pink Triangle Park

If you’re checking out the Castro, do swing by Pink Triangle Park. It was the first memorial in the U.S. to the gay people persecuted by the Nazis in the Second World War. The 4,000-square-foot park sits above the Castro Street Station, across from Harvey Milk Plaza, and features triangular granite columns dedicated to the tens of thousands killed. The park was dedicated in 2001.

"Gear Up"

This mural outside the iconic, long-running Castro gay bar Moby Dick was painted by local queer artist Serge Gay Jnr. It features a leather jacket adorned with pins depicting black queer heroes, including James Baldwin, Bayard Rustin, and Marsha P. Johnson. You'll find it on the corner of 18th and Hartford streets, in the heart of San Francisco's LGBTQ+ district.

Spunk Salon

These window boards were decorated by San Francisco artist Tanya Wischerath in collaboration with the Castro Arts Project and Project Artivism. You can find them at Spunk Salon hairdressers (4147 19th St.). They celebrate the late activist Martha P. Johnson and homeless advocate Margo Antonetty.

Juanita MORE! Murals

Drag queen, party impresario, activist, and philanthropist Juanita MORE! is one of San Francisco’s most beloved residents––so much so that she’s been celebrated with nearly a dozen different street murals!

You’ll find her immortalized in SoMa (Elliott C. Nathan‘s Loads of Love at the Powerhouse), the Castro (by J. Manuel Carmona), Polk Gulch (by Serge Gay Jnr, on the exterior of Lush Lounge at Fern and Polk streets), Steiner Street at Grove (by J. Manuel Carmona and Guilherme Lemes Cardoso e Silva) and also outside the revived Love Shack by SPARC at 502 14th St. in the Mission (again by Gay Jnr.).

The Transgender District

San Francisco became the first city in the world to have a legally designated transgender district in 2017 when the city approved Compton’s Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual (TLGB) District. It’s in the Tenderloin, near the site of the former Compton Cafeteria. The venue was the site of an queer uprising when raided by police in 1966, three years before Stonewall.

The district is marked with transgender street markings. It made headlines when a large mural, created by artists Xara Thustra, Sen Mendez, and Kin Folkz, was painted on the road stating “Black Trans Lives Matter.”

The AIDS Memorial Garden

The National AIDS Memorial Grove can be found in Golden Gate Park. It was conceived in 1989 when the city was in the grip of the AIDS epidemic. It aims to provide a healing sanctuary for those impacted by AIDS and the loss of loved ones. It remains a beautifully tended woodland grotto to explore and a place of quiet contemplation. As you find yourself walking beneath the fronds of giant ferns, you’ll spot the many rocks engraved with the names of those lost to AIDS.

Lower Polk Street and Polk Gulch

Like the Mission, Polk Gulch is another San Francisco neighborhood rich with street art. It’s also been dubbed San Francisco’s “first gayborhood,” with a thriving scene from the 1950s to the late 1970s when the Castro eclipsed it. It might not be as gay as it used to be, but street art continues to flourish, with recent pieces by Serge Gay Jnr, among others.

The Women’s Building

The Women’s Building is a women-led, non-profit, art and education community center on 18th Street. Its three-story facade is covered in detailed artwork that celebrates women leaders and feminine icons. Entitled MaestraPeace, this mural was painted in 1994 by seven women artists. Besides the figures in the artwork, it carries the names of 600 women in calligraphy. It is one of the city’s biggest and best-known public artworks.

Clarion Alley

Clarion Alley is between Mission and Valencia Streets and 17th and 18th streets and famed for the many murals. Most are political in nature, touching upon the area's history, the challenges faced by the local Latin community, and how the neighborhood has been changing. This small, unique alley attracts over 200,000 visitors a year.