Petrelis Files

SF Waives $1,400 
Flag-Lowering Fee for May 17 IDAHO

It give my global gay activist heart much pleasure to announce that the city of San Francisco has agreed to fly the UN and American flags at UN Plaza for International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO), without charging Gays Without Borders a nearly $1,400 charge to do so.

The community liaison for the Department of Public Works, Greg Crump, today emailed Gays Without Borders the good news:

DPW will lower and raise the flags in United Nations Plaza on May 17th in accordance with your request and will waive the fee that covers the costs involved for the service.

You'll recall the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution in March endorsing the flag-lowerings for 24-hours in conjunction with IDAHO, and also backing this global day of solidarity, activism and remembrance for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people everywhere.

Once the resolution passed the board, many online and phone conversations took place involving we activists, the DPW and several supervisors and their staffers nailing down details and clearing up any confusion. I must call out two supervisors, David Campos, for shepherding the resolution to reality, and Jane Kim, for nudging DPW to waive the fee.

And let me express my thanks to everyone who is helping to make the fifth-year of IDAHO in San Francisco the best yet.

Mark your calendars and plan to join Gays Without Borders at UN Plaza on May 17 at noon for IDAHO. We'll have a few short speeches regarding global LGBT issues and people, stage the flag-lowerings with a bugler playing taps, and create media images to share afterward. Please join us!