Mission
Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza is leading the transformation of Harvey Milk Plaza into an enduring civic and cultural landmark at the historic crossroads of Castro and Market Streets — the epicenter of a movement that changed the world.
Rooted in the heart of the Castro, at the western terminus of Market Street, the Plaza will honor Harvey Milk’s extraordinary legacy while illuminating the broader history of the LGBTQ+ civil rights movement and the community that helped shape it. A frequent site of both celebration and protest, the reimagined Plaza will be a dynamic public space that celebrates the diversity, resilience, and enduring courage of LGBTQ+ communities in San Francisco and beyond.
By linking memory to movement and history to hope, Harvey Milk Plaza will stand as a beacon of belonging and a call to action — inviting people everywhere to advance freedom, dignity, and equality for all.
Vision
At Harvey Milk Plaza, visitors will encounter what Harvey Milk and countless others experienced when they arrived in the Castro: belonging, self-worth, personal power, and the courage to stand up for those who remain marginalized or vulnerable.
Through public art, education, gatherings, and civic engagement, the Plaza will honor the leaders and everyday heroes who shaped LGBTQ+ civil rights while inspiring new generations to carry the work forward. It will be a place where remembrance fuels responsibility and where community becomes action.
More than a site of reflection, the Plaza will be an active, living space — one that sparks connection, strengthens community, and empowers collective action for generations to come.
Values
Equity, inclusion, and shared power are hallmarks of LGBTQ+ activism in the Castro and beyond. From early visioning through design, construction, and long-term stewardship, Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza is committed to deep and sustained community engagement that reflects the full diversity of LGBTQ+ experiences across race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, ability, and lived history.
Harvey Milk Plaza belongs to the community it represents. By embedding community ownership today, we ensure it remains a vibrant, welcoming, and deeply meaningful public space — one that inspires belonging and advances justice long into the future.
