Raise the Pride Flag at the Peace Plaza

Endorsement of 2023 Pride Flag Raising Project

The Japantown Rainbow Coalition is a group of Japantown community members organizing to raise the Pride Flag in S.F. Japantown’s Peace Plaza. Our group was convened by Elena Nielsen of the Japanese American Citizens League, San Francisco Chapter (S.F. JACL) and the 2023 Pride Flag Raising Project is sponsored by the S.F. JACL. Along with a flag raising ceremony during Queer Trans Asian Pacific Islander (QTAPI) Week leading into pride month, we are collaborating with other Japantown and LGBTQ+ organizations to bring programming focusing on the LGBTQ+ experiences of Nikkei in the San Francisco Bay Area. Currently, there are 3 flagpoles in S.F. Japantown’s Peace Plaza, each flying a flag representing a different part of S.F. Japantown’s identity: the San Francisco City flag, the Japanese flag, and the U.S. flag. San Francisco has long been known as an epicenter for LGBTQ+ rights and celebration,…