Around two thousand people gathered in the streets of San Francisco’s Castro district Saturday to protest the far-right rallies planned for the Bay Area this weekend.
The organizers of the “Come Together” event in the Castro, one of many such counter-protests happening all over the city, conceived of it as a non-confrontational action against the rally organized by the far-wing Patriot Prayer group, which was scheduled to be held the same day in Crissy Park.
On Friday, Patriot Prayer organizers canceled their original plans over safety concerns. Yet attendees of the counter-protest still packed Harvey Milk Plaza, many of them dressed in drag despite sweltering temperatures.
“Something we want to be intentional when doing this, is not reacting to hate, but acting for love,” Edward Wright, an organizer of Come Together, said. “Not just being reactive but proactive about the values we hold common as San Franciscans.”
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s anti-transgender stance for the military, counter-protesters in the Castro expressed their fears concerning the state of civil rights for LGBTQ people.