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In addition to the banners on 20th Street, the new eye-catching and whimsical “Love is in our roots” rainbow vegetable art wraps were installed on utility boxes on 21st Street.
In 2022, new resources for LGBTQ people continue to emerge in the Lavender Heights district, most recently with the opening of the Lavender Courtyard in July 2022 to provide compassionate and affordable housing to LGBTQ seniors.
Today, Lavender Heights is home to weekly farmers markets and seasonal block parties and serves as the hub for Pride events to celebrate LGBTQIA+ culture and community.
Amenities such as the rainbow crosswalks and public art further declare the neighborhood as a space for people to take pride in being unapologetically themselves.
LGBTQIA+ Resources
Sacramento LGBT Community Center: The Sacramento LGBT Community Center creates events, programs, and pathways to services that help lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people feel welcome, needed, and safe.
Lavender Heights Unveiling
In 2015, Sacramento City Council member Steve Hansen, Sacramento’s first openly LGBTQ+ council member, invited Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce to be part of a community coalition to pursue official city designation of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood of Midtown Sacramento historically known as “Lavender Heights.” For generations the Lavender Heights neighborhood has been central to Sacramento’s LGBTQ+ culture and community: home to the Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Community Center, founded in 1983; five LGBTQ+ nightclubs; and numerous LGBTQ+-owned shops, galleries, eateries and other businesses.
The goal of establishing Lavender Heights as an official district was two-fold: to serve as a memorial and landmark referencing the history of Sacramento’s vibrant LGBTQ+ community; and to attract local and regional residents and tourists to the area’s many LGBTQ+-owned clubs, restaurants, salons, galleries and retail stores.
Chamber leaders, in particular then-Chamber President Paul Weubbe, and other community activists spent countless hours meeting with local neighborhood associations, the Midtown Business Association and area business owners, winning broad support for the official neighborhood designation.
As a “flagship” landmark to spotlight the new district, the city approved installation of a rainbow crosswalk at the intersection of 20th and K, the heart of Lavender Heights.
For over 25 years, they have been producing content for LGBTQ+ locals that includes local LGBTQ+ news, events, and highlights of community members.
To learn more about Sacramento’s rich LGBTQ+ history and stay connected with the community, explore the full Historic Context Statement and get involved with local organizations.
Respect us, and we’ll respect you!”
Today, all three bars—The Merc, The Depot, and Faces—remain open and continue to serve as key landmarks in Sacramento’s LGBTQ+ community.
This blog only scratches the surface of the Historic Context Statement. Gary Miller, a former San Francisco resident who relocated to Sacramento, remarked that the city felt like it was a decade behind.”People still [did] not want to be known by their last names—even some of those participating in the organized gay community.
Join us in celebrating and supporting the vibrant culture that makes Midtown and Lavender Heights so unique!
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In 1971, the Gay Alternative Coffeehouse opened at 2215 P Street in the apartment of Edgar Carpenter, a Sacramento State College student, LGBTQ+ rights advocate, and contributor to Gay Voice Sacramento.Programs served LGBTQ+ people to lead self-sufficient, healthy, well-adjusted lives, and provided advocacy for issues of importance within the community.
In 1998, the Lavender Library was founded by eight community members as a research and information institution for LGBTQ+ people in Sacramento and continues operation today on 21st Street.
In 2001, the Rainbow Chamber of Commerce was founded to unify and support LGBTQ businesses, as well as to foster a more equitable business climate.
In 2015, Sacramento City Council member Steve Hansen, Sacramento’s first openly LGBTQ+ council member, invited the Sacramento Rainbow Chamber of Commerce to be part of a community coalition to pursue official city designation of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood of Midtown Sacramento historically known as Lavender Heights.
By the late 1970s and into the 1980s, LGBTQ+ life in Sacramento had become a more vibrant and recognized part of the city’s social and cultural landscape.
By 1982, an estimated 70,000 to 80,000 residents in Sacramento identified as gay. The bar was also known for its rainbow-colored triangular sign, which read, “You are entering a gay bar!
In a few short months, the effort raised $38,000 to install the colorful crosswalk using durable materials, in addition to funding its ongoing maintenance under the direction of the Midtown Business Association.
Unveiled in October 2015, the rainbow crosswalk installation proved to be a red-hot media story, receiving ongoing media coverage locally and throughout California, from the time the City Council approved the project through its October “ribbon-cutting.” Anecdotal and social media evidence shows the crosswalk continues to be a popular attraction, with many visitors posting photos of the crosswalk on social media channels.
The Rainbow Chamber Foundation continues to serve as fiscal agent for additional projects to fund street light banners, sign-toppers and other public art installations designed to attract tourists, diners and shoppers to the vibrant and flourishing Lavender Heights business district.
LGBTQ Sacramento
When you visit Sacramento, you'll discover a community where LGBTQ+ people live loudly, proudly, and authentically every day of the year.
To explore the full report, including detailed narratives, historic sites, maps, and more, you can read the complete Historic Context Statement below.
Read Full Historic Context Statement Here
Highlights from the Sacramento LGBTQ+ Historic Experience Project:
LGBTQ+ identities have long been part of Sacramento’s story, even if they went unrecognized for much of the city’s official history.
The Sacramento Bee highlighted the growing visibility of the community, noting that gay couples were becoming common in areas like Curtis Park and Land Park. In Sacramento, this atmosphere led to the formation of early support organizations like the Association for Responsible Citizenship (ARC) in the 1960s, which provided a safe space and community for gay men and women.
At the same time, ongoing discrimination and legal restrictions prompted LGBTQ+ people to create their own spaces outside of official scrutiny.
At the time, most gay and lesbian individuals stayed closeted to avoid social or professional consequences. To explore Sacramento’s LGBTQ+ history in full detail—including historical maps, oral histories, and significant landmark sites—you can read the full report here.
History of Lavender Heights and Midtown
It is impossible to speak of LGBTQ+ history and culture in Midtown without mention of the Lavender Heights District.
If you are looking to support these businesses that give back to our community check out the directory!
Visit Sacramento: Visit Sacramento has featured LGBTQ+ friendly itineraries, blogs, and more for visitors and residents alike.
One Community Health: One Community Health is a non-profit health care provider serving the needs of the Sacramento Community.
In Midtown, our Lavender Heights neighborhood is home to a wealth of queer-owned businesses, from cafes and clubs to shops and art galleries. While most gay residents lived in suburban areas, many also settled in the Central City, drawn by job opportunities, proximity to natural attractions, and the desire to avoid the pressures of larger cities like San Francisco or Los Angeles.
The free, hour-long inclusivity training sessions for grant recipients was led by WEAVE in a virtual format to focus on three primary topics: educating interested businesses about gender identities, gender rights in the workplace and beyond, and the importance of pronouns that go well beyond he/him/his and she/her/hers to include gender-neutral or inclusive pronouns.
Whatever you're looking for, Sacramento welcomes you to see and do it all in an inclusive city like no other.
HRC Score 100
From Hidden to Historic: LGBTQ+ Life in Sacramento
May 30th, 2025
Discover the Legacy of LGBTQ+ Life in Sacramento
Sacramento’s LGBTQ+ community has a rich history full of courage, culture, and connection.
The name Lavender Heights name became official in 2015, an achievement memorialized by the unveiling of the rainbow crosswalk at the intersection of 20th and K Street.
The rainbow crosswalks were designed as a celebration of the region’s LGBT community and are similar to those in other U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and West Hollywood.
“When I opened it, it was where everyone who was gay could go, that was 33 years ago,” Faces owner Terry Sidie said, in an interview with ABC10 in 2017. One of the first prominent venues was the Mercantile Saloon, also known as the Merc, which opened in 1976 at 1928 L Street in a converted Victorian house. The establishment of Faces paved the way for other LGBTQIA+ businesses to open in the immediate area, which earned its name Lavender Heights.
1986, the Lambda Community Center opened to serve the broader cross-section of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community.