In the tradition of illuminating its facade to call attention to people, causes, and world champions, San Francisco City Hall lit up in the colors of the transgender flag over the weekend. From Friday to Sunday, it shone pink, white, and light blue.
This was in response to President Trump revoking protections for transgender students last week.
City Hall has been changing its colors for years, but the current lighting system is not only easier and cheaper to execute, it also offers more color options.
San Francisco Chronicle reports:
“The new system has been in place for about 18 months, installed to celebrate the 100th birthday of City Hall and paid for with $2.5 million in private donations and city funds. The 220 exterior light fixtures — each weighing 70 pounds — now have LED bulbs, making them more environmentally friendly. They no longer require gels but instead are programed using a computer system in the basement of City Hall. Now, they can be turned on with the flip of a switch.”
It used to cost the city $5,000 each time the lights were changed since it required city workers, who had to climb out onto ledges and balconies, to install colored gels on each light fixture.
In addition to lighting up the Civic Center structure in support of the transgender community, San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee tweeted a photo of the flag with the following message: "#SFCityHall stands proudly in solidarity with all transgender youth. #ProtectTransYouth."
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- SF City Hall lights to display transgender flag colors starting Friday [Curbed SF]
- Here's SF City Hall Illuminated Purple in Memory of Prince [Curbed SF]
- Trump just made it official: transgender students no longer have an ally in the White House [Vox]
- High-tech light system lets SF City Hall cover entire spectrum [San Francisco Chronicle]