It's the morning of June 25, 1978, at United Nations Plaza in the heart of San Francisco.

Gilbert Baker opens the back of his van and then climbs inside. A 27-year-old artist and

activist, Gilbert has made plenty of political banners in his time, but nothing as big as this.

Tucking his long, dark hair behind his ears, he grabs hold of a huge hand-died flag that's folded up

in the corner of the van. With a hefty pull, Gilbert drags the fabric to

the edge of the vehicle where other volunteers are waiting to help lift it from the van.

It's Gay Freedom Day in San Francisco, with an annual parade that brings the city's queer

community into the streets to celebrate who they are. And this year, Gilbert and a team of other artists

have been tasked with creating a new symbol to mark the occasion. Now they're ready to present it

to the world. Gilbert and his helpers carry the flag across the square between them. A few passers

by stop and watch as they reach a flagpole and then begin attaching their new design to its ropes.

When they're done, Gilbert yanks hard on the pulling, sending the material up into the sky.

When the flag is halfway up the pole, there's a sudden gust of wind from the bay.

The enormous flag ripples and unfurls, revealing the design in all its glory, eight stripes, a rainbow of

color that seems even brighter against the gray municipal buildings surrounding it.

Gilbert smiles. It's even better than they imagined. It's joyful, unique, unapologetic,

impossible to ignore. And its story is only just beginning.

The rainbow Flag's first appearance at the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade is a huge success.

For the thousands who gather beneath it, the colorful design is quickly adopted as a symbol of

their community, and its influence will only grow through the years

of protest, tragedy, and progress that follow the flag's first appearance in San Francisco

on June 25, 1978.

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