Lighting of laser rainbow flag kicks off San Francisco Pride weekend festivities
SAN FRANCISCO -- Market Street officially lit up with the world's largest pride flag from the Ferry Building to Twin Peaks Friday night.
Illuminate, the nonprofit arts group behind the Bay Lights, slowly blasted each laser down Market Street over 90 minutes after a formal kickoff.
The vibrant celebration started with a DJ and colorful dancers on stilts and roller skates. 12-year-old San Francisco resident Rowan Stephanian was among the crowd.
"It's just a really fun way to celebrate who you are and show your colors," she said of what pride month means to her.
Stephanian said she identifies as bi.
"There's nothing to hide really, everyone's so welcoming now so there's nothing to not be confident about, unless people don't like that," she said.
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Mayor London Breed carried the pride torch and helped light the display.
"San Francisco has been getting a bad rap lately but for those of you who live here, those of you who walk the streets of San Francisco you can tell another story, you can talk about the story of San Francisco based on your own experience, based on love, based on acceptance, based on bringing people together," she said.
Dozens came together for the public lighting. After a successful debut last year, this installation, called "Welcome," is more striking. It is 4.1 miles long, 49-feet wide and consisting of 12 laser cannons, double the number of lasers than last year's installation had. The lasers will light up each night through Sunday.
The installation has been the center of some controversy recently due to an artist who insists the people behind the display copied her work.
Artist Yvette Mattern first displayed her laser light installation "Global Rainbow" in 2009, projecting across downtown Manhattan on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She took her work all over the world, touting it as a symbol of diversity.
Mattern says she reached out to Illuminate and is adamant that they directly credit her for the Pride display.
"Our hearts go out to all LGBTQ+ people across the country, it's awful that they're being persecuted. and books are being banned. There's a lot of hatred and violence," said Stephanian's mother Quinn Kanaly. "We hope that we can show a beacon of welcome and celebration here in San Francisco."
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi said just before she left Washington D.C., she was at an event sadly observing the one year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
"I was making my remarks and I said when I leave here I'm going home to San Francisco to see all of you, and turn on the rainbow lights to express our pride. And you know what they said to me? 'Get outta here!'" she said with a laugh.
