Who We Are

The Official Band of San Francisco

San Francisco Pride Band is the first openly-gay musical organization in the world, inspiring the formation of LGBTQ+ bands, choruses, and performing groups around the globe.

Founded in 1978 by Jon Sims at the height of Anita Bryant’s anti-gay crusade, the Band has played a pivotal role in advancing LGBTQ+ visibility. Notable moments include marching up Market Street with Harvey Milk in the 1978 San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade. The Band continues to perform at a variety of events in the Bay Area and internationally, advocating for equality through music.

Our community has been incredibly supportive, helping us to fundraise and awarding us numerous accolades, including being named by city ordinance as “The Official Band of the City and County of San Francisco”. For over 40 years, the Band has continued to play with pride and build on Jon’s vision of a world where music bridges communities, and where one’s sexual orientation or identity is immaterial. In the words of our founder Jon Sims, “Our Message is Music!”

View an interactive timeline of the band’s history →

Band marches at the 1978 San Francisco Pride Parade
Band's founder Jon Reed Sims stands in front of Davies Symphony Hall
SF Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band marching with flags

Impact Through Performances

Upon its founding in 1978, the Band became the first openly-gay musical group in the world.  In the over 40 years since then, we have tirelessly marched forward with our mission of fostering understanding of the LGBTQ+ community through musical performance.

The Band had advocated for equality by supporting local and national organizations and rallies, including the Trans March, the Women’s March, AIDS Walk, and Pride events all around California and beyond. Through our Cable Car Award-winning Community Concert Series, we showcase the creative talents of our community and share the wonder of both classical and modern music. We continually strive to celebrate and elevate music composed by women, minority, and LGBTQ+ composers. Our year of outreach culminates in Dance-Along Nutcracker®, our own zany twist on the holiday classic, which thousands of Bay Area families have made a part of their holiday tradition. We imbue each year’s show with the values we hold highest: hope, kindness, and equality.

See our upcoming performances →

Mike Wong leads students in a cheer at Park Day School while the pep band performs
SF Lesbian/Gay Freedom Marching Band at the SF Veterans Day Parade
The band performs in costume at the Dance-Along Nutcracker

Our Mission

The San Francisco Pride Band provides for the education and musical development of its members, promotes visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities, and with its allies, fosters understanding among diverse communities through public performance.

Beyond the formal mission statement, the spirit of San Francisco Pride Band is best captured in the revised lyrics to a popular Broadway song written by our founder Jon Sims:

If they could see me now, that little home-town clan…
we’re singing and we’re playing with this all-gay band.
I’d like for all the world to see for a fact
that we’re a source of power they’ll never send back!
The closet’s empty now, just like it ought to be—
the time is right for us, just look around and see!
What a set-up, Holy Cow! (They’d never believe it.)
If my friends could see me now.
“If My Friends Could See Me Now”, new lyrics by Jon Sims, 1978

Our Statement of Values

The San Francisco Pride Band is dedicated to creating a community where music, education, and visibility converge to promote understanding and inclusivity. At the heart of our mission is the commitment to educate and develop our members while advocating for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. We celebrate a culture of respect and inclusivity, embracing the diverse backgrounds, identities, and perspectives within our band and beyond. Through respectful engagement, we honor the richness that diversity brings to our music and our community.

We are steadfast in our commitment to celebrating the spectrum of identities within the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, ensuring that all voices are valued and heard. Our dedication to continuous learning and personal growth empowers our members to thrive and contribute positively to society. By using our public performances and engagement to increase visibility and understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, we stand in solidarity with marginalized communities against discrimination and injustice. We believe that humanity can only fully prosper without threat of violence and that everyone deserves to feel safe. Music, as our common language, serves as a powerful tool for unity, bridging divides, inspiring change, and fostering a more inclusive society. As members of the San Francisco Pride Band, we uphold these values in every note we play, every performance we give, and every interaction we have, affirming our commitment to promoting acceptance and celebrating diversity.

Founding Member of Pride Bands Alliance

Pride Bands Alliance formed in 1982 when eight gay bands got together for the first time in Chicago. Several of these bands came into existence directly or indirectly from the efforts of our own founder, Jon Sims. Now, Pride Bands Alliance has nearly 30 member groups from coast to coast, plus groups in Canada, Australia, and Europe.

Pride Bands Alliance supports the formation of new bands while also organizing many major “massed band” performances. These performances have included every Gay Games, three Marches on Washington, four Presidential Inaugurations, and appearances in major venues including the Hollywood Bowl, Madison Square Garden, the Alamo, DAR Constitution Hall (Washington, D.C.), Jordan Hall (Boston), Jones Hall (Houston), Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco), the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park during the 2006 Gay Games VII held in Chicago, the State Theater in Cleveland during 2014’s Gay Games 9, and in the Casino de Paris during 2018’s Gay Games 10.

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