Oldest San Francisco: Pride Flag

San Francisco laid many of the bricks that built the road to LGBTQ+ liberation, equality, and Pride. One of them takes the shape of a piece of fabric, that’s also a piece of living history. In this story from 2023, by reporters Sandra Halladey and Alastair Boone, we hear about how the first Pride Flag came to be. And how the bit of cloth, the iconic rainbow, and the pride movement, live on. On the corner of 18th and Castro Street, images of the rainbow flag are ubiquitous. They’re hanging in store windows, they stud the escalators in Harvey Milk plaza, and even make up the stripes in the crosswalk. But as we’ll learn, the rainbow flag has only been a symbol for the Queer community for less than 50 years.