San Francisco in San Francisco City and County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Pink Triangle Park and Memorial

By Andrew Ruppenstein, May 2019

1. Pink Triangle Park and Memorial

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

In remembrance of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender victims of the Nazi regime (1933-1945)

Artists: Robert Bruce and Susan Martin

A non-profit project sponsored by neighbors, businesses, city agencies, and the Eureka Valley Promotion Association

(politicians/donors names not transcribed)

Erected 2001.

Topics. This memorial is listed in this topic list: War, World II.

Location. 37° 45.741′ N, 122° 26.17′ W. Marker is in San Francisco, California, in San Francisco City and County. Memorial is at the intersection of Market Street and 17th Street, on the left when traveling east on Market Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2454 Market Street, San Francisco CA 94114, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Rainbow Flag (within shouting distance of this marker); Harvey Milk (within shouting distance of this marker); Castro Street Historical Timeline (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Jane Addams (about 300 feet away); Virginia Woolf

Pink Triangle Park and Memorial - wide view image. Click for full size.

By Andrew Ruppenstein, May 2019

2. Pink Triangle Park and Memorial - wide view

The marker is on the left here, with the plaque next to it being the braille version.

(about 300 feet away); Officer Jane Warner (about 300 feet away); James Baldwin (about 400 feet away); José Sarria (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Francisco.

Also see . . .
1. Nazi Persecution Of Homosexuals. US Holocaust Memorial Museum entry:
"Between 5,000 and 15,000 gay men were interned in concentration camps in Nazi Germany. These prisoners were marked by pink triangle badges and, according to many survivor accounts, were among the most abused groups in the camps." (Submitted on May 31, 2019.)

2. Pink Triangle. Wikipedia entry:
"A pink triangle has been a symbol for various LGBTQ identities, initially intended as a badge of shame, but later reclaimed as a positive symbol of self-identity. In Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s, it began as one of the Nazi concentration camp badges, distinguishing those imprisoned because they had been identified by authorities as homosexual men, a category that also included bisexual men and transgender women. In the 1970s, it was revived as a symbol of protest against homophobia, and has since been adopted by the larger LGBTQ community as a popular symbol of LGBTQ pride and the LGBTQ rights movement." (Submitted on June 1, 2019.)

3. Pink Triangle Memorial. Memorial homepage:
"The Pink Triangle

Pink Triangle Park and Memorial - looking west image. Click for full size.

By Andrew Ruppenstein, May 2019

3. Pink Triangle Park and Memorial - looking west

Memorial is America’s first historical landmark remembering Homosexual men persecuted in Fascist Europe between 1933-1945...Being one of the earliest minority groups targeted, approximately 100,000 men were arrested during this time and as many as 15,000 were sentenced to work and death camps. Assumed feminine by nature, Homosexual men were tagged with Pink Triangles. Lesbians however, were not considered Homosexual but Asocial, they were given Black Triangles and forced into prostitution."
NOTE: This repaired link is still damaged. (Submitted on June 1, 2019.)

Additional keywords. LGBT LGBTQ

Pink Triangle Park and Memorial - looking north across market image. Click for full size.

By Andrew Ruppenstein, May 2019

4. Pink Triangle Park and Memorial - looking north across market

The Pink Triangle symbol is incorporated a number of times in the park: the pink concrete retaining wall around the memorial is triangular, as is the the arrangement of the 15 pylons, each of which is also topped by a pink triangle (see Photo 3). Also there, but not visible here is a large pink triangle set into the ground, composed of pink quartz crystals (see Photo 2, end of path).

Credits. This page was last revised on January 24, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2019, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Sacramento, California. This page has been viewed 77 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 31, 2019, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Sacramento, California. 4. submitted on June 1, 2019, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Sacramento, California.