Can't Be Gay Outside Anymore, I Guess

In years past, there have been furries, dommes cradling adults like babies, and even reports of one of the Obama sisters at the unsanctioned block party. A DIY flyer from 2021 advertises, “6pm til you safeword.” Another from 2022 says, “All we’ve got is a bunch of queers who give a shit about each other / Together, we can make our dreams come true.”

The block party never pulls permits. This is intentional. They have no corporate sponsors, either. Attendees engage in kink, including the type that leaves you walking away with bruises. There’s singing, and dancing too. And in 2026, Stud Alley had all of that, a real gay reverie. Until the cops came. 

San Francisco’s police department are raising eyebrows for their actions during Pride Month, leaving a different kind of black eye on the world’s gayest city. The crackdown on our typical outdoor Pride celebrations, police accountability experts have decried, is overkill. Events that have happened in years past with fewer incidents than a sports championship parade were met with dozens of heavily armed police in 2026.

In a response to multiple requests for further information from a city council member (called District Supervisor in SF), the police responded in part, “Several were wearing full face coverings and standing near spray paint cans and fire extinguishers.” 

The full events, as presented from the perspective of SFPD, can be found in their bruising response to Supervisor Fielder’s letter of inquiry here.

According to Mission Local, the 18 defendants stated they didn’t hear orders to disperse. On social media, some have said the cops were purposely giving the orders around the corner, their voices drowned out by the music. Things escalated in ways they should never. 

Now District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has charged the 18 with a bouquet of misdemeanors. Notably, none of the alleged crimes include damage to public property. The defense attorney says we haven’t seen charges like this in 30 or 40 years.

Stud Alley is a queer party. You may disagree with unsanctioned events, as some commenters did on Reddit. You may find them distasteful. You might even question, and perhaps rightfully so, who is going to pay for any incurred damage – if such can be proven to be tied to the event organizers. But when the criminal justice system seeks to prosecute those among our most vulnerable, you should probably know more about the history of Stud Alley first, just to understand the complexities here. 

Do you know what a stud is? Do you know who founded The Stud bar, or what significance alleys hold for queer communities? Do you know about the struggles of Black women bartenders, about how Trans women of color are integral to the history of Pride, about how SFPD has historically handled even the most righteous queer anger?

I leave you with an excerpt from a poem by June Jordan entitled, “Letter to the Local Police.” Roses are growing, she describes, and they are unpredictable. They’re not controlled. And the cops simply must do something about it.