Rainbow Pride flag in SF's Castro District officially becomes a city landmark

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- With the flick of a pen, San Francisco Mayor London Breed officially made the rainbow Pride flag that flies over the Castro neighborhood a city landmark.

"Whatever happens in this neighborhood, whatever happens in this plaza, that if any change is going to be made to this, it has to be looked at through its implications through historic preservation," said Supervisor Rafael Mandelman.

Mandelman, who serves as the supervisor for this district, spearheaded the legislation.

On Friday, he co-hosted the signing ceremony before city leaders and community activists symbolically carried a new Pride flag down the street to Harvey Milk Plaza.

Once there, the new Pride flag was hoisted up the flag pole.

LGBTQ PRIDE: Gilbert Baker, creator of rainbow flag, shares story of strength and pride

It's a process that's happened every few months since 1997.

Jeff Sheehy was at that first flag-raising.

"You could just feel this whole neighborhood just kind of explode with exhilaration and joy and hope. It was such an amazing moment," Sheehy said.

A large part of Friday's event also focused on Gilbert Baker.

Baker created the original rainbow flag in the 1970s and was the one who petitioned then Mayor Willie Brown to fly it in the Castro.

WATCH: 2024 San Francisco Pride Parade exclusively on ABC7

Baker sat down with ABC7 News in 2017 to talk about the flag's creation, in what would be the last interview before his death.

"Pink is for sex and red for life, and orange for healing, yellow for sun, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity and purple for the spirit," Baker said.

While the flag has enormous significance within San Francisco, many also tell us its importance reaches far beyond the city.

Charley Beal is the president of the Gilbert Baker Foundation.

MORE: 'We were here': Sonoma Co. historians look to preserve LGBTQ history in North Bay

He says earlier in the week, he received an email from a gay teenager in rural Pennsylvania, after his school district voted to ban Pride flags.

"I get these emails every week. People that become scared because there's concrete evidence that shows after this flag has been banned in these communities, hate crimes go up," Beal said.

All the more reason, Mandelman says, San Francisco must remain a beacon of hope for all in the LGBTQ+ community.

"It's a permanent celebration of queer liberation, which is what Gilbert intended," Mandelman said.