Irish Community Rallies Behind LGBTQ+ HeroRoger Casement with New Plaque for the Rainbow Honor Walk
Irish Community Rallies Behind LGBTQ+ Hero
Roger Casement with New Plaque for the Rainbow Honor Walk
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18 August 2025 San Francisco, CA: In a powerful show of unity and remembrance, members of the Irish community in San Francisco and beyond have come together to honor Irish humanitarian and LGBTQ+ icon Roger Casement with a dedicated bronze plaque on the Rainbow Honor Walk (www.rainbowhonorwalk.org)
The Roger Casement plaque will be installed this fall on the sidewalk near 501 Castro St. The Rainbow Honor Walk is partnering with the Consulate General of Ireland, along with Tourism Ireland, the United Irish Societies, and the 2025 St. Patrick’s Day Grand Marshal, Mark Gorman.
“Roger Casement was a champion of human rights, and a fearless voice for Ireland,” said Micheál Smith, Consul General of Ireland to the Western United States. “This project has been ten years in the making, and we are delighted to partner with the Rainbow Honor Walk and our community including the United Irish Societies and Matthew Rothschild, to bring it to completion. With the installation of this plaque, we celebrate Casement’s legacy as a patriot and as a deeply compassionate individual who was never less than courageous and principled in his pursuit of justice.”
Roger Casement is widely remembered for his moral courage and fierce commitment to human rights. As a British diplomat, Casement exposed atrocities committed in the Belgian Congo under King Leopold II’s brutal colonial regime. His 1904 report revealed widespread exploitation, forced labor, and violence against the Congolese people—helping to galvanize international outrage and pressure for reform. Casement later became a champion for Irish independence and was executed by the British government in 1916 for his role in the Easter Rising. Today, he is also honored as a historical figure whose private life became a flashpoint in the British campaign to discredit his legacy, and to hang him for treason.
“This plaque is about more than one man,” said Donna Sachet, Rainbow Honor Walk President. “It’s about remembering how one voice—driven by truth and compassion—can change the world. And with respect to Casements plaque, it’s about people coming together to honor that legacy.”
This collective effort is especially meaningful in today’s challenging fundraising landscape. “With budget cuts, fewer grant opportunities, and corporations shying away from DEI giving, it’s become more difficult than ever for small nonprofits like the Rainbow Honor Walk to raise funds,” said Charlotte Ruffner, Rainbow Honor Walk Vice President who has been spearheading the fundraising effort. “That’s why this outpouring of support around Roger Casement is so inspiring.”
To date, the Irish Consulate has donated $5,000, the United Irish Societies has pledged $1,000, and more than 80 individual donors have contributed over $9,000 to the Rainbow Honor Walk’s general fund to help cover fabrication and installation costs for plaques. Mark Gorman, CEO of Gorman Pipeline, Inc., who is on the City of San Francisco’s list of approved contractors, has generously volunteered to install the Casement plaque at no cost.
“We are honored to take part in this historic moment,” said Gorman. “It makes us proud as San Franciscans, and as a business with Irish roots.”
For more information about the plaque and the community efforts behind it, please contact Elizabeth Creely at the San Francisco Irish Consulate at (415) 494-1487 or via email at Elizabeth.Creely@dfa.ie
About the Rainbow Honor Walk:
The Rainbow Honor Walk is a nonprofit organization that celebrates LGBTQ+ pioneers and trailblazers with bronze sidewalk plaques in San Francisco’s Castro District. Each plaque honors a historic figure who made a significant impact on history and culture.