Celebrating the Trans History of San Francisco

Trans advocates share stories for the city’s 250th birthday

Left: Megan Rohrer and Pax Ahimsa Gethen present at Manny’s, San Francisco. Photo by Ziggy Tomcich. Right: Promo image for the event. Pax photo by Gwen Park.

Note: No AI assistance was used to write this article.

As the US celebrated its 250th birthday last week, a parallel celebration took place in San Francisco, which also turned 250 this year. Manny’s, a community gathering place in San Francisco’s Mission District, hosted a week of events to commemorate the occasion. The gathering on July 2 was dedicated to transgender history, and hosted by Megan Rohrer (he/him).

I’ve seen and photographed Megan at many local queer and trans events over the years, and created his Wikipedia biography back in 2017. In addition to LGBTQ+ rights advocacy, he’s known for working with those experiencing homelessness, and for being the first openly trans bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Last year, Megan released a book on the history of San Francisco’s Transgender District, which he previewed at an event at the district’s office in August.

Ms. Billie Cooper and Megan Rohrer in August 2025. Photos by Pax Ahimsa Gethen, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

Ms. Billie Cooper (she/her), another notable trans activist, also presented at that Transgender District event. Like Megan, I’ve seen and…