Silicon Valley bus honors local LGBTQ+ leaders

VTA’s support for the local LGBTQ+ community is going beyond celebrating Pride.

The Silicon Valley public transit agency drove its decorated Pride bus during last weekend’s 50th anniversary parade. The celebration’s theme was “50 years of Love, Legacy & Liberation,” with portraits of LGBTQ+ community leaders from across the nation and San Jose’s own backyard as part of the art. The bus will keep the decorations and drive regular routes through the end of the year.

The agency has celebrated LGBTQ+ Pride by decorating a bus every year since 2017, according to a VTA spokesperson. The bus features well-known historical figures as well as local leaders, such as former San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and Billy DeFrank, a drag queen and activist who is the namesake of the Billy DeFrank LGBTQ+ Community Center.

“VTA Artist Haley Tang wanted to pay homage to the trailblazers and activists who have in turn created the queer community we have today — specifically in the Bay Area,” the spokesperson told San José Spotlight.

The bus also features Ken Yeager, a former San Jose councilmember and Santa Clara County supervisor and the city and county’s first openly gay elected official. Yeager marched alongside the bus and dozens of VTA workers, families and friends during the 50th anniversary parade.

Yeager said it’s especially important to see government organizations recognize and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community amid federal attacks and ongoing turmoil.

“It sort of sends a signal to the rest of the population, that we support our LGBTQ community and we’re willing to do it in a very visible way,” Yeager told San José Spotlight. “That feeds upon itself, particularly with all the issues that are going on and increases in homophobia.”

He said he felt honored to be depicted alongside other champions for the LGBTQ+ community. He sat on VTA’s board of directors for 16 years through his time as a councilmember and county supervisor. While in office, Yeager established the Santa Clara County Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, which supports and empowers residents from inside county government and connects residents to direct service providers.
The design of this year’s bus wrap stands out to Yeager. He said it presents an opportunity to educate residents about local LGBTQ+ figures.

“That might give people the impetus, particularly those who are queer, to say, ‘Hey, I’ve never heard of this person, I wanna know more about people who played a part in creating the community that we have,'” he told San José Spotlight.

Contact B. Sakura Cannestra at [email protected] or @SakuCannestra on X.