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Narrator (Lindsey Graham)
It's the morning of June 25, 1978, at United Nations Plaza in the heart of San Franc. 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 dyed 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 passersby 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 pulley, 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. 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 building 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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Narrator (Lindsey Graham)
From noiser and airship, I'm lindsey graham and this is history. Daily. History is made every day on this podcast. Every day we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world. Today is June 25, 1978. The first rainbow flag. It's January 9, 1978 in San Francisco, six months before gay Freedom Day. Beaming with pride, Harvey Milk marches down the street arm in arm with his boyfriend. Milk has recently been elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors and the day has come for him to take office. The two men are followed by hundreds of Harvey supporters, all heading toward City hall for his swearing in. As they round a corner, the gold tipped dome of City hall comes into view and Harvey's smile grows even wider. This grand neoclassical building is surrounded by a crowd that roars with approval when they See Harvey detaching himself from his boyfriend. Harvey steps forward to greet them. He throws his arms in the air, prompting another huge cheer. His election as supervisor last November wasn't just his victory. It was theirs, too. And today they'll witness history together. When Harvey is sworn in as California's first openly gay elected official. It's the culmination of a long and difficult journey for Harvey. Having drifted through life for several years. He found renewed purpose when he moved to San Francisco in 1972. There, he opened a store selling cameras. And quickly established himself as a prominent figure in Castro. The city's thriving gay neighborhood. Some of the community's existing leadership resented this, though. But Harvey didn't let their skepticism stop him. And he soon set his sights on being elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors. Harvey had a natural flair for politics. Politics. But despite his talents, he kept falling short. Running for office three times without success. He was determined to keep trying, though. And when the 1977 election came around. Harvey threw his hat into the ring again. He put everything he had into it. He combined the lessons he'd learned from his previous campaigns. With a relentless schedule of public meetings, interviews and debates. He was up against 16 other candidates. But on Election Day, he. He came out on top with over 30% of the vote. So today, as the other new supervisors are sworn in at City Hall. Harvey Milk waits for his turn to speak. Those before him thank their husbands and wives and families for their support. But when Harvey stands, he doesn't have a spouse to thank. As a gay man, he cannot legally marry. But he loves his partner just the same. And one day, he hopes there will be equal rights for all. In the meantime, he closes his speech with a promise to fight for all his new constituents. In his first few weeks in office. Harvey follows through on his vow with two major initiatives. First, he sponsors a civil rights bill Banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. Then he starts a campaign against the scourge of dog waste on San Francisco sidewalks. This is classic Harvey Milk. Mixing transformative social reforms with more traditional street politics. And it works. With his sharp eye for a photo opportunity. He's soon getting more press coverage than anyone else on the board. And as the most prominent public face of San Francisco's gay community. Harvey naturally involves himself. In the preparations. For the city's annual Gay Freedom Day parade. And as the celebration approaches, he thinks more and more about the community's visibility. And how it can show its pride all year round. For decades, the most recognizable iconography. Associated with gay people. Has been a pink triangle. In the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, gay men were forced to wear these badges as a mark of shame. In the years since, though, it's been reclaimed by some queer people in America who wear the pink triangle to protest homophobia and show that they are no longer afraid. But for many others, the badge's origins are too painful to be ignored. So Harvey believes the time has come for the queer community to create a symbol rooted in joy rather than persecution. Question is, what it could be. Harvey is no artist, so to find an answer, he seeks out the help of a friend who is the activist Gilbert Baker. Harvey soon discovers that he isn't the first to suggest this idea to Gilbert. But as an elected official, his backing gives the project the push it needs. So at Harvey's urging, the organizers of the Gay Freedom Parade will come up with a $1,000 budget. Then it will be up to Gilbert and a small band of volunteers to create something attention grabbing, representative and truly iconic.
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Narrator (Lindsey Graham)
It's June 1978 inside the gay Community center in San Francisco, less than a week before the parade. In the makeshift workshop on the top floor of the center, 27 year old artist and activist Gilbert Baker hunches over a sewing machine. All around him are piles of cotton. Some of the material has already been dyed into vibrant colors, but other pieces are still awaiting their transformation. Gilbert feeds red and hot pink cotton through his machine, joining them together as one combined piece of fabric. When it's finished, it will be part of a giant flag 30ft tall by 60ft wide. It's an ambitious undertaking, but Gilbert isn't tackling it alone. With him are many other volunteers, including the co chair of the decorating committee for the Freedom Parade Fairy Argyll Rainbow, and as Gilbert sews, Fairey manages her team of a dozen volunteers to get the colors of the material just right. It's a long and arduous process, but Gilbert and his colleagues believe the effort will be worth it. They're sure they are creating something special, a flag that will inspire people to stand up, be proud and not feel that they have to hide who they are the way Gilbert once did. Gilbert was born in a conservative small town in Kansas, where his grandmother owned and ran a women's clothing store. After his parents discouraged his dream of becoming an artist, he joined the army as a medic and was stationed in San Francisco. Gilbert soon found a home among the gay community there, and when he left the service with an honorable discharge, he was finally free to embrace his old artistic ambitions. He learned how to sew and use his new skills to create banners for the growing gay rights movement. Gilbert's designs were often seen on marches in San Francisco, where they eventually caught the eye of a promising young politician named Harvey Milk. When Harvey suggested the creation of a new symbol for the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parade, Gilbert immediately saw the potential. The parade's organizing committee provided $1,000 and a team came together to make the new symbol a reality. But Gilbert and his friends still had to decide on what to do with their funding. Their first idea was to decorate City hall with bunting. When the parade was given permission to use the poles at the United Nations Plaza, a flag became the obvious choice instead. In the years to come, several people will claim credit for the rainbow design. But whoever first suggested it, the committee quickly embraced the idea. The stripes echoed the United States flag, grounding the queer community in their nation, while Gilbert wrote down a meaning for each color of the rainbow, from hot pink at the top of the flag to violet at its base. Everything from art to healing to sunlight is represented in the design. And once it was set, Gilbert and his dozens of volunteers got to work. He had everything he needed to turn the idea into reality. Except time. The parade is now just days away, so the team works long into the night. They decide to make two flags with slight variations on the rainbow design, but the same core message. Working at the sewing machines alongside Gilbert is James McNamara, a photographer and fashion designer. Meanwhile, Fairy Argyll spends her hours on the community center's rooftop, dipping huge sheets of cotton into trash cans of dye and crossing her fingers that everything would be ready in time. But after a string of sleepless nights, Gilbert, Fairey, James and the others are ready to unveil their designs to the world. On June 25, they heave the flags into a van and drive them across the city to the United Nations Plaza. And as gay and lesbian people and their allies from San Francisco and beyond head to the start of the parade, Gilbert and his team run their flags up the pole. A timely gust of wind catches the material, and the rainbow shines out against a bright blue sky. After its unveiling, the queer community in San Francisco quickly embraces this new symbol. But its message of love, pride, and acceptance will soon, soon be needed more than ever. Only four months after Gay Freedom Day, Harvey Milk will be shot dead alongside the mayor at City Hall. The death of the first openly gay man to be elected to office anywhere in America will lead to an outpouring of grief and anger in San Francisco. But the symbol Harvey helped champion, the symbol he wanted his community to unite under, will live on without him.
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Narrator (Lindsey Graham)
It's June 26, 1994, on First Avenue in New York, 16 years after the rainbow flag was first flown. The now 43 year old artist Gilbert Baker parks his van at the starting point for the International March on the U.N. a demonstration in support of gay and lesbian rights around the world. And just as he did a decade and a half earlier, Gilbert opens the back of a truck and begins the painstaking process of lifting out a giant rainbow flag. This one weighs thousands of pounds, and when fully unfurled, it will be a mile long. Since the rainbow flag was first unveiled, it has evolved and now features six colors rather than the original eight. But its message remains the same. And in 1994, that is needed just as much as ever, the queer community in America has endured enormous loss. Harvey Milk's tragic death in 1978 was followed by the devastating AIDS epidemic that continues to kill thousands every year in major cities like San Francisco and New York. Almost every gay man knows someone who has died. But alongside the grief, there's anger at the government's inaction in the face of the disease. And today, Gilbert wants to help give voice to that frustration. So as well as the official march on the UN There is a second protest underway today. A group of activists want to mark the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, a watershed moment in the history of the gay rights movement in the United States. They've been denied a permit by the authorities, but are still determined to march down Fifth Avenue anyway. Gilbert wants to show his support. So once the mile long flag has been completely unfurled, Gilbert takes a pair of scissors and cuts off a huge section of the material. Then he and some volunteers carry it over to Fifth Avenue. A cheer erupts as Gilbert unfolds it and hands it to the protesters there. Despite lacking a permit, this unofficial mark march will be allowed to continue. And later that afternoon, the two demonstrations will meet, all under the same flag, the rainbow symbol that was first unveiled on June 25, 1978. Next on History Daily June 26, 1948 the Berlin Airlift begins after the USSR closes off all road and rail links to the enclave of West Berlin. From Nouser and Airship, this is History Daily. Hosted, edited and executive produced by me, Lindsey Graham Audio editing by Jake Sampson Sound design by Molly Bock Music by Thrung this episode is written and researched by Owen Paul Nichols Edited by William Simpson Managing Producer Emily Byrne Executive producers are William Simpson for Airship and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.
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Host: Lindsey Graham
Date: June 25, 2026
This episode of History Daily, hosted by Lindsey Graham, recounts the creation and first raising of the iconic rainbow flag at San Francisco’s 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parade. Graham explores the inspiration behind the flag, the efforts of Gilbert Baker and his collaborators, the role of Harvey Milk, and the enduring power of the flag as a global symbol of LGBTQ+ pride and resilience.
[00:24] The episode opens with a vivid reconstruction of the morning the rainbow flag is debuted, with Gilbert Baker and volunteers preparing to raise their hand-crafted flag at the United Nations Plaza in San Francisco.
The annual Gay Freedom Day Parade brings together the city’s queer community, and this year, a bold new symbol is about to be revealed.
“Eight stripes, a rainbow of color that seems even brighter against the gray municipal building 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.”
— Narrator (Lindsey Graham), [01:28]
The parade’s participants quickly embrace the rainbow flag, which becomes “a symbol of their community,” foreshadowing its place in future movements and milestones.
[05:02] The story rewinds to January 9, 1978, as Harvey Milk, recently elected to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, prepares to take office—becoming the first openly gay elected official in California.
Graham details Milk’s history, his persistent campaigns, and ultimate victory in the 1977 election.
Milk’s experience as both a community leader and political strategist is highlighted:
“Mixing transformative social reforms with more traditional street politics. And it works. With his sharp eye for a photo opportunity. He’s soon getting more press coverage than anyone else on the board.”
— Narrator, [07:47]
A key concern for Milk: the gay community’s visibility and need for a symbol of pride, rather than one rooted in persecution (like the pink triangle).
“For many others, the badge's origins are too painful to be ignored. So Harvey believes the time has come for the queer community to create a symbol rooted in joy rather than persecution.”
— Narrator, [08:53]
Milk enlists Gilbert Baker, an artist with experience crafting political banners, and crucially, secures both a budget and institutional backing to create something “attention-grabbing, representative and truly iconic.”
[12:44] Focus shifts to the frantic days leading to the parade, as Gilbert Baker, Fairey Argyle Rainbow, James McNamara, and volunteers work tirelessly in the Gay Community Center.
The design process:
Graham highlights the collective, community effort and personal stakes for Gilbert:
“They’re sure they are creating something special, a flag that will inspire people to stand up, be proud and not feel that they have to hide who they are the way Gilbert once did.”
— Narrator, [13:10]
Vivid descriptions of the labor:
[15:20] The new flags are raised as the 1978 parade begins, met by overwhelming approval and quickly becoming a beloved symbol.
But months later, tragedy strikes: Harvey Milk is assassinated, a loss that shakes the community.
“But the symbol Harvey helped champion, the symbol he wanted his community to unite under, will live on without him.”
— Narrator, [16:58]
[19:34] The narrative fast-forwards to June 26, 1994: Gilbert Baker again unfurls a giant rainbow flag—now a mile long—at the International March on the U.N. in New York, commemorating 25 years since the Stonewall uprising.
By 1994, the flag’s six-color version is standard, its message unchanged despite the losses endured during the AIDS crisis and ongoing struggles for equality.
“Gilbert wants to show his support. So once the mile long flag has been completely unfurled, Gilbert takes a pair of scissors and cuts off a huge section of the material. Then he and some volunteers carry it over to Fifth Avenue. A cheer erupts as Gilbert unfolds it and hands it to the protesters there.”
— Narrator, [21:12]
The merging of official and unofficial marches, both “under the same flag,” signifies unity and hope in the face of adversity.
On the first flag’s symbolism:
“The stripes echoed the United States flag, grounding the queer community in their nation, while Gilbert wrote down a meaning for each color of the rainbow, from hot pink at the top of the flag to violet at its base. Everything from art to healing to sunlight is represented in the design.”
— Narrator, [15:01]
On Harvey Milk’s motivations:
“But when Harvey stands, he doesn’t have a spouse to thank. As a gay man, he cannot legally marry. But he loves his partner just the same. And one day, he hopes there will be equal rights for all.”
— Narrator, [06:51]
On the original pink triangle vs. the new symbol:
“For decades, the most recognizable iconography…was a pink triangle…In the concentration camps of Nazi Germany, gay men were forced to wear these badges as a mark of shame…Harvey believes the time has come for the queer community to create a symbol rooted in joy rather than persecution.”
— Narrator, [08:33–08:53]
Lindsey Graham’s episode paints a moving picture of how the rainbow flag became a beacon for LGBTQ+ pride worldwide—a design born of activism, tragedy, and unyielding hope. Listeners gain both a historical overview and a personal account of the people whose vision and labor transformed a simple piece of fabric into one of the most recognized and enduring symbols of equality.