Transgender Pride Flag To Fly Over Redwood City Next Week

REDWOOD CITY, CA — The transgender pride flag will raised over the Hall of Justice in Redwood City on Nov. 19 after the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors declared it to be Transgender Day of Remembrance in the county .

A virtual remembrance ceremony featuring poets, speakers and community sharing of poetry or spoken word will accompany the flag-raising ceremony. The gathering is intended to provide space for mourning, reflection and healing to transgender lives taken away by murder

“Violence against transgender people is all too common,” Supervisor Dave Pine said. “We are lucky to live in a County that embraces diversity and inclusion but recognize that is not the case everywhere in this country.”

Frankie Sapp, the program director of the San Mateo County PRIDE Center, said that the county raising the transgender pride flag “means more than visibility.”

"It demonstrates inclusion for those of us who color inside and those who color outside the lines and sends a message of solidarity that days of remembrance need to end,” Sapp said.

The virtual ceremony begins at 5 p.m. Register here and submit any community poetry or spoken word to Aileen Cassinetto at smcpoetlaureate@smcl.org. The event will also be live-streamed on the Redwood City Public Library YouTube Channel.