Chappell Roan’s queer anthem “Pink Pony Club” rang out across McEntee Plaza on Monday afternoon as the transgender flag was raised in front of the Santa Clara County Government Center, where it will remain for the foreseeable future.
The flag, which is made up of five horizontal stripes — two light blue, two pink and one white in the center, will now fly 365 days a year at 70 W. Hedding St. in San Jose as county leaders pledge to support and protect members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Monday’s celebration, which included a performance from Monarcas — the first Latina transgender dance group in the South Bay — took place ahead of the Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31. Sera Fernando, the manager of the County’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs called it a day to learn about what it means to be an ally and celebrate “trans joy.”
Members of Monarcas, a local Latina transgender dance group, perform during a flag-raising event held ahead of Transgender Day of Visibility on Monday, March 24, 2025, in San Jose, Calif. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
But while former President Joe Biden commemorated the annual event last year, the Trump Administration has ramped up its attacks on trans people. Since taking office in January, President Donald Trump has signed executive orders proclaiming that the federal government would only recognize two sexes, male and female, banning federal funding or support for gender-affirming care for those under 19 and restricting trans people from serving in the military.
Related Articles
Elon Musk links trans people to Tesla attacks the same day his estranged daughter criticizes him in Teen Vogue interview
Here’s how some human rights and LGBTQ+ groups prepared for major foreign aid cuts under Trump
Trump administration suspends $175 million in federal funding for Penn over transgender swimmer
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from banning transgender people from military service
Is Gov. Newsom’s tack right to oppose transgender athletes just posturing?
County Executive James Williams said that as the local safety net organization, Santa Clara County has a “responsibility to ensure that we continue to provide care to those who are in the greatest need.”
“Even in the midst of what can feel like a dark and daunting time, we as a county organization stand firm on our values of inclusion, our values of support, our values of care for everyone in our community, and that emphatically includes the transgender community, too,” he said.
In 2016, Santa Clara County became the first county in the nation to establish an Office of LGBTQ Affairs. Since then, the office has worked on initiatives like the Gender Health Center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center — the only clinic in the South Bay specializing in care for transgender and nonbinary individuals — and New Haven Inn, which is a homeless shelter in San Jose for those who identify as LGBTQ+.
Peaches, a 24-year-old transgender woman from San Jose, said she feeIs like “it’s only right” for the county to fly the trans flag 365 days a year. She currently works at the Young Women’s Freedom Center, mentoring trans and other gender-nonconforming youth, making sure they “feel empowered” and have the resources and support they need
“I grew up in a community where you don’t often see trans and gender-expansive people,” Peaches said. “It wasn’t normalized or accepted as it is today. It was because of the lack of education in my community. And when I say education, I don’t mean the definition, I mean the resources, the community, the allies, the diversity and the difficult conversations.”
On Tuesday, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors is expected to adopt a resolution declaring the county as an “affirming county for transgender, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, queer and intersex community members.”
Board President Otto Lee, who introduced the resolution, said the county will stand against efforts from “ignorant” federal lawmakers or other states looking to roll back “these fundamental human rights.”
“The word ally is not just a noun, but an action word,” he said. “We take action to support our LGBTQ+ families and the transgender community, celebrating the joy and protecting their rights to live (as) their authentic selves.”
Tiffany Woods, the transgender health manager for the California Department of Public Health, called the decision to raise the trans flag 365 days a year a “bold statement of Santa Clara County’s values and an act of resistance.”
Woods came out as a trans woman in 1989 during the AIDS epidemic. In the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s, she said, “our main visibility was in the gay bars far away from the public.” Still, she said they always found community.
“Trans people have been hated and targeted throughout history since the beginning of time. We’ve always won. We will win again,” she said. “We will continue to rise and overcome these current threats. We have always existed and we will never ever be erased by executive orders or let others define our existence.”
