Harvey Milk (22 May 1930 – 27 November 1978) was a city supervisor of San Francisco from 8 January to 27 November 1978, preceding Harry Britt. He was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California, and he became an icon of the gay rights movement. However, Milk and mayor George Moscone were murdered by closeted gay man Dan White in 1978 in a tragic end to the great Harvey Milk.
Biography[]
Harvey Milk was born on 22 May 1930 in Woodmere, New York, descended from Lithuanian Jews. Milk loved opera music as a teenager, and he decided to keep his homosexuality to himself, remaining in the closet for many years. He joined the US Navy during the Korean War, being discharged as a Lieutenant in 1955. Milk had several gay relationships during the 1950s and 1960s, but he lived in the closet while working as a insurance man in New York City; he even supported the conservative US Republican Party.
Move to San Francisco[]
Milk soapboxing during his first run for public office, 1974
On 22 May 1970, he met a younger man named Scott Smith on a subway platform and invited him to spend his birthday with him, and the two began a relationship. They decided to run off to San Francisco, California in 1972, and Milk took up an interest in photography, opening "Castro Cameras". Milk was faced with discrimination from the locals as well as from police, so he decided to work together with other gay businesses to take over The Castro district and empower themselves. The gays helped with a boycott of Coors beers, and the Teamsters responded by hiring openly gay truck drivers for the first time, a major victory for the gay rights movement. Milk later decided to run for city supervisor, losing as the tenth-place candidate in 1974; he lost again in 1975, but with even more votes than the last time.
Gay rights movement[]
Milk marching to his inauguration as city superviser
In 1976, he began to lead a movement that protested against conservative actress and Christian fundamentalist Anita Bryant's support of anti-gay laws in Florida, and he called on gays across the country to rise up and fight for their rights. He defeated Rick Stokes in the 1977 Board of Supervisors election with the help of his new campaign manager Anne Kronenberg, becoming the first openly gay man to win a political office in America. During this time, he also formed a relationship with Jack Lira, as he had fell out with Scott Smith because of Smith's objections to Milk's political activism. Milk was inaugarated by Mayor George Moscone in 1978, and he fought to achieve a change in gay rights.
City supervisor[]
Milk speaking at the gay rights festival in 1978
Milk campaigned for democracy and gay rights as a city supervisor, but he needed to make some allies first. His campaign to impose fines on dog owners that did not pick up dog feces led to him gaining popularity, and he fought against state senator John Briggs' "Proposition 6", which aimed at banning gays or their friends from teaching at schools. Milk challenged Briggs to public debates, and he called on all gays across the country to come out to their friends, families, and employers, and Milk even secured the endorsements of Governor Jerry Brown and former governor Ronald Reagan.
Assassination[]
Milk after being shot
On 7 November 1978, Proposition 6 was struck down in a close but great victory for gay rights, and Milk celebrated with his allies. Shortly afterwards, his rival Dan White resigned from his post, and Milk convinced Mayor Moscone to ignore White's pleas to allow him to reconsider his resignation. On 27 November 1978, White entered the Mayor's office and shot him after he refused to reconsider, and he then entered Milk's office. He pulled a gun from his suit jacket and shot Milk in the hand, then twice in the chest, and he then shot him execution-style in the back of the neck. He was mourned as a martyr for the gay rights cause, and he remained an icon of the gay community.