The first anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall riot in New York was observed with a small march to the Civic Center followed the next day by a "Gay In" at Speedway Meadows in Golden Park.

The event was broken up by SFPD and several arrests were made.

“We told [the police] that we were only indulging our constitutional right of assembly and asked them to dismount and join us in our love, but they wanted to hassle us instead.... The gathering was beautiful and peaceful before the police came, the homophiles gathered in pride in their identity. But if they continue to persecute minorities like ours, we have no choice but armed revolution.”—Leo Laurence describing the arrival of equestrian officers from the San Francisco Police Department at the June 28 Gay-In that attracted some 200 people to Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park. Police detained several of the participants. Source: Berkeley Barb (July 3–July 9, 1970)
(Research provided by SF GLBT Historical Society)
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In 1972, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that 15,000 spectators watched 2,000 people march in the "Christopher Street West" parade. In 1972, the committee incorporated as the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Parade and Celebration Committee, Inc., becoming one of the first formal Pride organizations in the world. In 1973 the event officially became the "Gay Freedom Parade" and would retain that name until 1981.
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As the LGBTQ+ movement gained momentum, gays and lesbians flocked to San Francisco by the thousands. Suddenly aware that our numbers were greater than we imagined, we were attracted by the promise of true community and the opportunity to live freely and love each other openly, and importantly, to organize ourselves politically. The shame that straight society had heaped upon us was replaced by PRIDE, and the Gay Freedom Day Parade evolved into a larger and more organized celebration that delivered an unmistakable message to the rest of the world.

1978 brought the debut of the rainbow flag, commissioned by the Gay Freedom Day committee. Primarily credited to Gilbert Baker, it was produced as well by Lynn Segerblom, James McNamara and other artists and activists. The massive flags with 8 stripes (later reduced to 6 due to a shortage of hot pink fabric and a desire for symmetry) flew proudly in San Francisco's Civic Center, giving the borderless "nation" of Pride an official flag.

The 1978 parade saw nearly a quarter million people attend, with numbers swelling in opposition to Anita Bryant's anti-gay campaign and spurred on by the massive fight over the Briggs Initiative, a California ballot measure to deny employment to gay and lesbian public school teachers.

Del Martin, the pioneering lesbian activist and Harvey Milk, the newly elected San Francisco Supervisor, spoke from the Civic Center Stage.

The Briggs Initiative would go down in defeat on November 7, 1978 thanks to a massive statewide outreach campaign organized by activists in San Francisco. It was the first major political victory for the gay rights movement and a heady moment for the San Francisco gay and lesbian community.

In the 1979 Gay Freedom Day Guide, Cleve Jones wrote, "On Election Night we danced on Castro Street, toasting our progress and embracing our friends. We had won statewide and overwhelmingly in San Francisco. There was no hint of the event that would next bring us together in the streets."
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