16 photos that show the evolution of American gay pride celebrations over four decades

Since then, LGBT rights have come a long way. The Supreme Court passed marriage equality. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," was repealed. Oregon elected the nation's first openly bisexual governor. Cultural icons like Ellen DeGeneres, Caitlyn Jenner, and RuPaul Charles have started national conversations about what it means to be queer.

At the same time, many in the LGBT community worry that their rights could erode under the current White House. In late February, the Trump administration announced that it will rescind federal protections over transgender students. And in May, Trump signed an executive order that provides

June 2017 also marks a year since the Pulse gay nightclub shooting, which killed 50 and injured 53 people in Orlando, Florida. This year, a number of Pride celebrations around the US are manifesting as parades, vigils, and protests.

Let's take a look at the history of Pride.

The first Pride celebrations happened in San Francisco and New York City in 1970.

In 1970, just 30 people marched down Polk Street in San Francisco. (Today, San Francisco marchers add up to around 1.8 million.)

They were in response to New York City's Stonewall Riots, LGBT demonstrations against the police in 1969 that were considered the beginning of the gay liberation movement. Here is a photo from a San Francisco Pride march on its 10-year anniversary:

At the time, police raids on gay bars were frequent — Men in drag or women not wearing "at least three pieces of feminine clothing" were sometimes arrested.

New York's first annual Pride parade was called Christopher Street Liberation Day, named after the location of Stonewall bar.

Performers danced in headdresses made of fruit and feathers.

Many flew rainbow flags — a symbol of LGBT pride designed by activist Gilbert Baker— for the first time at 1978 Pride celebrations in San Francisco.

As Slate notes, the original rainbow flag had eight colors, each with a separate meaning:

Following the two cities, more downtowns across the US started to hold Pride parades of their own. The photo below shows one in Portland, Oregon in 1982:

At Chicago's 1985 Pride, many people celebrated in a park ...

... and carried large, decorative banners.

The first nationwide Dyke March, led mostly by lesbians, occurred in Washington, DC on April 24, 1993. Its success encouraged other cities to hold their own annual Dyke Marches during Pride month.

Over time, participants' costumes became more festive. The photo below shows a performer during San Francisco Pride in 2001.

Thousands marched down the street during the 2004 Pride parade in Boston, Massachusetts. That year marked the first time the parade had taken place since the state legalized same-sex marriage.

An LGBT-friendly church carried a long rainbow flag as part of the 2008 Pride parade in Long Beach, California.

Pride parades in NYC and San Francisco remain the largest LGBT celebrations in the country.

The 2013 Pride parade in San Francisco featured lots of glitter, feathers, balloons, and extravagant floats. It took place just two days after same-sex marriages were reinstated in California.

In recent years, LGBT activists have criticized the corporate sponsorship and police presence of the official Pride parades. Some have organized alternative celebrations and marches.

The celebrations are meant to promote equality for LGBT Americans and show that "love is love."