UPDATED: MUMC will fly the flag!

I recently reported the following on another blog I write for about the neighborhood I live in, SF’s Castro district.

The iconic flag pole at Market and Castro in Harvey Milk Plaza that flies the rainbow Pride flag, the Bear Flag and the Leather Pride flag is administered by our local business association, the Merchants of Upper Market and Castro. It is a private membership organization that holds it’s monthly meetings in private.

In early September, a local, black, trans, HIV-positive woman named Veronika Fimbres submitted written and verbal requests to the MUMC to fly the Transgender Pride flag for Transgender Day of Remembrance on November 20th.

TDOR is a day to honor and pay respect to all of the transgender victims of violence, harassment and prejudice around the world. The MUMC responded to her request on Monday in writing saying,

“The MUMC Board has thoroughly reviewed, discussed and considered the request, and we appreciate your patience while that was done. The request is not approved and there will be no change in the Rainbow Flag display on November 20.”

The full email correspondence between Veronika and the MUMC is at the end of this post and was signed by Cliff’s Variety Store owner Terry Bennett, President of the MUMC.

The MUMC stated they do not make exceptions to the rainbow Pride Flag, however, in the past, they have made exceptions for Bear 2.0 flying the Bear Pride Flag and also for the Leather Pride flag during Folsom Week events.

If we can make room for these flags, we can surely make room for our transgender brothers and sisters on our flag pole. They have been a vocal supporter of the GLBT community dating back before the Stonewall days as “street queens” in New York, yet are still victims of murder, trans bashing and harassment.

I encourage all of you to sign the petition that Veronika has put together so that it can be taken to MUMC and presented as evidence that the broader community, the same community that erected that flag pole as a beacon of equality, does support raising the Transgender Pride flag for Transgender Day of Remembrance.

via The Castro Biscuit