Harvey Milk

"I have never considered myself a candidate. I have always considered myself part of a movement, part of a candidacy. I considered the movement the candidate. I think that theres a distinction between those who use the movement and those who are part of the movement. I think I was always part of the movement. I wish I had time to explain everything I did. Almost everything was done with an eye on the gay movement."

"If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country."

"My name is Harvey Milk—and I want to recruit you. I want to recruit you for the fight to preserve your democracy from the John Briggs and the Anita Bryants who are trying to constitutionalize bigotry. We are not going to allow that to happen. We are not going to sit back in silence as 300,000 of our gay sisters and brothers did in Nazi Germany. We are not going to allow our rights to be taken away and then march with bowed heads to the gas chambers. On this anniversary of Stonewall, I ask my gay sisters and brothers to make the commitment to fight. For themselves. For their freedom. For their country."

"I call upon all minorities and especially the millions of lesbians and gay men to wake up from their dreams.. . to gather in Washington and tell Jimmy Carter and their nation: “Wake up.. wake up, America... no more racism, no more sexism, no more ageism, no more hatred…no more!” It’s up to you, Jimmy Carter... Do you want to go down in history as a person who would not listen…or do you want to go down in history as a leader, as a President?"

"Milk’s life was cut short on November 27, 1978, when Dan White, a disgruntled former city supervisor, assassinated him and Mayor George Moscone. White had resigned from the Board of Supervisors but wanted to rejoin it, and he believed Moscone and Milk were blocking him from that. The murders shocked the nation and sparked widespread outrage and activism. Police charged White with two counts of murder and illegal firearms possession. Dianne Feinstein, then president of the Board of Supervisors, became acting mayor following the tragedy. The assassinations shocked San Francisco and the nation. Stunned friends and colleagues expressed their grief and admiration. President Jimmy Carter acknowledged Milk as “a leader of San Francisco’s gay community, who kept his promise to represent all constituents.” Thousands of San Franciscans paid their respects as Milk and Moscone lay in state at City Hall. A massive candlelight march from the Castro district to City Hall honored Milk’s legacy, with more than 25,000 people participating. Milk had received numerous death threats due to his activism. He left a recording to be played after his death in which he said, “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door in the country.” White was convicted in 1979 of manslaughter, not murder, and received a sentence of eight years in prison, which was widely considered too light. Outraged San Francisco residents lashed out in what became known as the White Night Riots in May 1979. White was released from prison in January 1984, having served only a portion of his sentence, and he died by suicide in 1985."

"Harvey Milk was a groundbreaking political figure and an activist in the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Milk was born in Woodmere, on New Yorks Long Island, on May 22, 1930, to William and Minerva Milk. He had a brother, Robert. Both of his parents had served in the Navy. They ran a family store called Milks Dry Goods and were active in the Jewish community on Long Island. Among other things, they helped found a synagogue. Milk went to college at what is now the State University of New York in Albany, studying math and history, and writing a column for the student newspaper, often dealing with issues of diversity, according to the Harvey Milk Foundation. After he graduated college in 1951 he joined the Navy. He went to officer candidate school, but he left the Navy in 1955 after questions about his sexual orientation began popping up. Milk went on to work as a teacher on Long Island, then became a stock analyst and later a production associate on Broadway. He worked on several high-profile shows, including Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. Milk began his activist career while protesting the Vietnam War. In the early 1970s, he moved to San Francisco and opened a camera shop on Castro Street. The camera store became a community gathering place, and Milks political activity increased. After some gay business owners met with hostility from established merchants, he helped found the Castro Village Association and became its president. It was the first predominantly LGBTQ+ business organization in the U.S."

"Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has directed the Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a rare move that comes amid Pride Month and has already drawn sharp criticism from prominent political figures and activists. Military-dot-com reviewed internal documents and confirmed through defense sources that Navy Secretary John Phelan was ordered by Hegseth to remove the name from the John Lewis-class oiler. A memo from the Secretary of the Navy’s office outlined rollout plans for the name change, which is expected to be publicly announced on June 13 aboard the USS Constitution. The renaming is reportedly intended to “align with president and SECDEF objectives and SECNAV priorities of reestablishing the warrior culture,” referencing priorities held by President Donald Trump, Hegseth, and Phelan. No new name has yet been announced for the vessel. The timing and intent of the move have generated immediate backlash. Former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, who represents much of San Francisco, condemned the decision, calling it “a surrender of a fundamental American value: to honor the legacy of those who worked to build a better country.” She also criticized the broader potential renaming of other John Lewis-class ships, including the USNS Thurgood Marshall, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Harriet Tubman, which have yet to be completed. Marshall was the first African-American Supreme Court Justice. Meanwhile, Ginsburg was the second woman to become a Supreme Court justice. Tubman was a Black abolitionist who helped slaves escape the South via the Underground Railroad. “This spiteful move does not strengthen our national security or the ‘warrior’ ethos,” Pelosi added."

"In 1977, Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, making history as the first out gay elected official in California. It was his third race for the board, which is San Franciscos version of a city council. He had made a run for the California State Assembly as well. His election was a significant milestone for the LGBTQ+ movement, symbolizing the community’s growing political power and visibility. He also noted what it meant for other marginalized groups. "Its not my victory, its yours and yours and yours," he said after winning the election. "If a gay can win, it means there is hope that the system can work for all minorities if we fight. Weve given them hope." Milk used his position to champion various progressive causes, including affordable housing, public transportation, and civil rights. He played a crucial role in defeating Proposition 6, a.k.a. the Briggs Initiative, a 1978 ballot measure that sought to ban LGBTQ+ people from working in California’s public schools. Milk often stressed the importance of being out. “We are coming out to fight the lies, the myths, the distortions," he said in one of his speeches. "We are coming out to tell the truths about gays, for I am tired of the conspiracy of silence, so I’m going to talk about it. And I want you to talk about it. You must come out.” “Harvey understood that the single most important political act anyone could take was simply to come out — to reveal their true nature to their friends, families and coworkers,” his fellow activist Cleve Jones told NBC News in 2018. “Harvey understood that that was important, because he understood that hatred of us was grounded in fear, and that that fear would evaporate once people could understand that in fact they had gay people in their families and in their congregations and in their neighborhoods.”"

"Harvey Milk was one of the first openly gay elected officials in US history and a pioneering figure in the LGBTQ civil rights movement. A Navy veteran, Milk served during the Korean War as a diving officer aboard the USS Kittiwake and left the service in 1955 with a "less than honorable" discharge after being questioned about his sexual orientation. In 1977, Milk won a seat on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors, where he championed anti-discrimination legislation. His life was cut short in 1978 when he was assassinated while in office. Milk was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009."

"In 2018, on the 40th anniversary of Milk’s assassination, The Advocate spoke with his nephew, Stuart Milk, who cofounded the Harvey Milk Foundation. Stuart Milk highlighted his uncle’s courage and the ongoing relevance of his legacy. He recalled that Harvey Milk was a touchstone for his self-acceptance and authenticity, noting that his uncle’s courage was evident as he campaigned for office when it was illegal to be openly LGBTQ+ in California. In March the USNS Harvey Milk, the first U.S. Naval ship named after an out gay person, embarked on its maiden voyage. A ceremony was held in San Francisco to honor Milk, attended by local and national officials, including San Francisco Mayor London Breed and Rear Admiral Richard Meyer. Stuart Milk and Anne Kronenberg, Milk’s campaign manager, also spoke at the event. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi noted that the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein was one of the original sponsors of the ship. Milk’s enduring impact on LGBTQ+ rights and his pioneering role in American politics make him a seminal figure in civil rights history. His life and work have been commemorated in numerous ways, including the annual Harvey Milk Day in California, celebrated on his birthday, and the Harvey Milk Foundation, which continues his advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights globally. His story has been told in the 1982 book The Mayor of Castro Street by Randy Shilts; Rob Epsteins 1984 documentary film The Times of Harvey Milk, which won the Oscar for Best Documentary; and the 2008 biographical film Milk, starring Sean Penn, written by Dustin Lance Black and directed by Gus Van Sant. Penn won the Oscar as Best Actor, and Black won for his screenplay. An opera and several plays have also chronicled Milks life. There are schools and other public buildings named after Milk. In 2009, President Barack Obama posthumously awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor. Stuart Milk accepted the medal."

"Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay elected official in California. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. On November 27, 1978, Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by Dan White, a disgruntled fellow city supervisor. White was sentenced to seven years in prison for manslaughter, which was later reduced to five years. Mass uprisings in the gay community, known as the White Night Riots, followed the sentencing. Milk became an icon in San Francisco and in the LGBTQ community and he continues to be honored today."

"Gay brothers and sisters, what are you going to do about it? You must come out. Come out to your parents. I know that it is hard and that it will hurt them, but think of how they will hurt you in the voting booth! Come out to your relatives. I know that it is hard and will upset them but think of how they will upset you in the voting booth. Come out to your friends. If indeed, they are your friends. Come out to your neighbors, to your co-workers, to the people who work where you eat and shop. Come out only to the people you know, and who know you. Not to anyone else. But once and for all, break down the myths, destroy the lies and distortions. For your sake. For their sake. For the sake of the youngsters who are being terrified by the votes coming from Dade County to Eugene. If Briggs wins, he will not stop. They never do. Like all mad people, they are forced to go on, to prove they were right."