Behind the Scenes of our massive Trans Flag in Yosemite

When Pattie Gonia calls, you answer. 

We have been fans of Pattie Gonia for years, so when we got the chance to construct such a monumental flag, we jumped at the opportunity to be included. Based out of California, we've seen the massive scale of El Cap in person and up close. The idea of making our biggest custom Trans flag yet and seeing it there felt unreal. Trans Joy in nature is powerful and we really wanted to help create a special moment. 

The production:

We knew we wanted to use our 200 denier nylon. It was lightweight, durable, and had a beautiful sheen that really popped at this scale. The flag size we all agreed on was 35'x66'. This would put the flag's final weight at 60 pounds. 

Just before starting this project we had seen footage of a protest in Yosemite that featured a US flag, and we were shocked by how violently the wind was whipping it around. Watching this video made us realize that a flag this big could be pushed and pulled by serious wind depending on the conditions near El Cap. That means our flag construction had to be seriously engineered. We didn't want it tearing or create an unsafe environment for the climbers.

We started looking into industries that dealt with extreme winds. Skydivers use incredibly high strength webbing in their gear, so we took inspiration from that world. We reinforced all edges of the flag with industrial grade tubular webbing rated to withstand 4,000 pounds of force. This webbing was rolled into every hem so the entire perimeter of the flag could handle tension without tearing. 

We also finished the corner with loops made from the same webbing so the flag could be easily attached, weighted, and handled. We wanted zero chance of ripping.

The design was meant to unfold like a curtain. So we added D-rings along the entire flag to make that possible. They ran along the top, sides and bottom, allowing the flag to be unfolded in a controlled and intentional way. 

When we saw footage of the flag unveiling and blowing in he wind we were beyond proud. We felt really confident in it's construction and loved being apart of the journey. 

We were so thankful to have been included in this incredible display of Queer love and Trans Joy in a really difficult time. We just make the flags, it's our creative community that puts them out into the world.