A march supporter raises their sign, “ We Keep Us Safe,” during the SF Trans March on June 23, 2023. (Michaela Mateo / Golden Gate Xpress) (Michaela Mateo)
A march supporter raises their sign, “ We Keep Us Safe,” during the SF Trans March on June 23, 2023. (Michaela Mateo / Golden Gate Xpress)
San Francisco’s 20th Annual Trans March took place on June 23, aiming to honor the people who paved the way for LGBTQ+ rights and the beauty and resilience of transgender and gender non-conforming individuals.
Trans March began in 2004 when several activists united to organize the event after an anonymous email was sent to community activists. The march began at 3 p.m. in Dolores Park and ended in Civic Center at 6 p.m.
Niko Storment, who helped organize the stage this year, has been involved with Trans March for five years.
“I think it’s definitely more of a group effort,” Storment said. “This year, SF Pride now has a trans executive director. I think it’s important for us to differentiate ourselves and come together and come together for the issues that specifically pertain to us.”
The SF Trans March began on June 23, 2023, at Mission Dolores Park at 3 p.m. The route starts at the park to Turk and Taylors ending around 6 p.m. Hundreds of people showed up to support the Trans community and their loved ones. (Michaela Mateo / Golden Gate Xpress) (mic)
According to Storment, Trans March is a volunteer-run committee. The organization is always looking for more hands that will come together to make the day special for trans youth and the trans people who aren’t here to see that there is a safe haven they can go to. During the pandemic, the organizers went online.
“We did a live-streaming program, where Gwen Park and I worked together to create a 20-minute documentary about Trans March and its history,” Storment said. “Coming back, everybody was really excited to be together and I think there was a new connection between trans people. So, if anything, after the pandemic, we got bigger and we got stronger.”
Marco Arana, also known as Holy Old Man Bull, describes himself as the “old transgender elder” who offers prayers and words of wisdom at Trans March. With the pandemic being mitigated, Arana believes that the opportunity to gather in public and march down the streets of San Francisco will bring further visibility to the community.
“The beautiful thing about the march is that it’s free. There are a lot of community-based organizations where you can find resources. And it’s a great way to meet new people and to find your community. And like I said, it’s open to everybody. It’s not just transgender, nonbinary. Everybody is welcome” Arana continued.
The Trans March celebrates inclusion and diversity. The International Aids Society, the world’s largest association of HIV/AIDS professionals, stated in the academic journal,Transgender Social Inclusion and Equality, “In order to overcome the human rights barriers trans people confront, certain measures are imperative and should be self-evident, given the standards that States are obliged to provide under international law to all human beings. Paying attention to these is key to effectively addressing the systemic marginalization that trans people experience.”
The celebration of Pride is rooted in the efforts of queer, especially transgender, activists courageously fighting for the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals everywhere. Trans March creates a safe space to celebrate this. For more information on volunteering and donating to the cause, visit transmarch.org.
Michelle Ruano (she/her) is a reporter for Golden Gate Xpress. Though she is from Hayward, CA, she currently resides in San Francisco. She is a journalism major focusing on online print and a minor in Special Education. She has previously interned for YR Media in Oakland, CA. Outside school, she loves playing video games with her friends and attending live music shows.
Michaela Gutierrez Mateo (She/Her) is the Golden Gate Xpress Visuals Editor for Fall 2023. Her nickname is Micha, is a 4th year Photojournalism major and an Asian American Studies minor. She is a transfer student from Chabot College, Hayward where she had her first experience as a reporter for The Spectator. Her passion is photography and film but most of all she is a Kdrama and Kpop addict.
