Sky above San Francisco shines bright to honor Harvey Milk

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Two light installations honoring Harvey Milk's 40th anniversary of his historic election beamed over the plaza named after him Wednesday night.

"Harvey's Halo" is a collection of rainbow lights that shoot into the sky, while a neon sign immortalizes the words of Milk himself -- "Hope will never be silent".

"Hope is strong today. I can feel it this evening just like I felt it 40 years ago," said community activist Gwenn Craig.

Harvey Milk became California's first openly gay elected official when he won a seat on the Board of Supervisors 40 years ago.

RELATED: Bay Area remembers the revolutionary Harvey Milk

Now, another milestone -- the election of Danica Roem.

By winning a seat in the Virginia statehouse, Roem became one of the country's first openly transgender people to win an election. A huge boost for the LGBTQ community, who says the Trump Administration has taken away much of the progress they've made.

"I hope it will be a tidal wave of what will happen in the next few elections to overcome this tragedy that we're dealing with now," said William Hack of San Francisco.

To keep that hope alive, the light installations come at the perfect time.

"It's meant to be a beacon of equality that rises up and helps Californians and San Franciscans reaffirm our commitment to equality," said Ben Davis, the founder and CEO of Illuminate, the nonprofit that spearheaded the light installations.

The neon sign is now a permanent addition to Harvey Milk Plaza.

As for Harvey's Halo, it will shine above the Castro for the next weekends.