The Rainbow Honor Walk: San Francisco's LGBT Walk of Fame

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The expansion of gay rights in America has led to a growing interest in LGBT history. But aside from books and online resources, there aren’t that many places where people can learn about pioneers in the movement for equal rights.

That’s what makes the Rainbow Honor Walk, San Francisco‘s LGBT Walk of Fame, such a necessary attraction. Unveiled in September 2014, the walk features bronze star plaques honoring 20 individuals whose legacy includes contributions to the gay rights movement.

Diversity is the theme here, as the honorees are gay, lesbian, trans, white, black, Latino, and Asian. Those honored include civil rights activists, writers, poets, artists, and musicians.

Familiar names on the walk include Nobel Prize winner Jane Addams, Pulitzer Prize winner Tennessee Williams, scientist Alan Turing, artist Frida Kahlo, poet Allen Ginsburg, and famed writers Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, and Virginia Woolf. The walk currently features 20 stars (see the full list here), and plans are in the works to add more names in the future.

The Rainbow Honor Walk can be found in the Castro, the neighborhood that has served as the center of gay life in San Francisco for decades. The walk passes right in front of Harvey Milk’s former camera shop, which is now a Human Rights Campaign headquarters. Harvey is not technically part of the Walk of Fame since he already had an existing sidewalk plaque in front of his former office.

Some of the lesser known names I was excited to see on the Rainbow Honor Walk:

-Randy Shilts, the journalist who wrote And the Band Played On, one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read. The book documented the spread of HIV and AIDS in the early ’80s and how government’s failure to respond in a timely fashion exacerbated the crisis.

-Del Martin, the activist who lived for 50 years with her partner before being married at age 82 by SF mayor Gavin Newsom in 2004 in the ceremony that kickstarted the same-sex marriage debate in the U.S.

-Sylvester, the disco singer who dressed in drag back when it was illegal and dangerous to do so. He performed with Martha Wash and the Pointer Sisters and opened for David Bowie and Chaka Khan.