LGBT POV

I am very moved by Dustin Lance Black, who I’ve only met a couple of times. But consider that the young screenwriter, who won an Academy Award for “Milk” – could very well just sit back and enjoy a “Hollywood lifestyle.” Instead, Black has written the book for the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles’ Harvey Milk Day Schools Project on Harvey Milk Day and he is working with Equality California on grassroots visibility efforts. Oh, yeah – and he’s on the board of the American Foundation for Equal Rights – the group that’s funding the Ted Olson/David Boies federal challenge to Prop 8. There are many people who’ve been touched by the legacy of Harvey Milk – but perhaps none have taken it so personally as Dustin Lance Black. For which we might all thank him.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (pictured here with “Milk” producer Bruce Cohen and his husband Gabe Catone moments after the mayor married the couple in City Hall) announced that he is devoting Saturday’s “Day of Service” in honor of Harvey Milk. Here’s an excerpt from the press release from the mayor’s office (click inside for the full release:

“Harvey Milk had the courage to stand up, live his life openly, and challenge people to judge him first on his ability to get the job done,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “What he accomplished in his few years in public office remains nothing short of extraordinary, and tomorrow I encourage all Angelenos to celebrate his life and legacy by giving back to their own communities.”

Vermont Square Community Garden Clean-up

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Office, in partnership with Gay for Good, Office of Councilwoman Jan Perry, LA Neighborhood Land Trust, LA Garden Council, LA Conservation Corps, Tree People, and FAIR will be getting their hands dirty, rebuilding plant beds, clearing brush and weeds, & planting new plants and flowers!

When: Saturday May 22 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Where: 4712 S. Vermont Ave (between 47th and 48th)

Had he lived, the late San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk – one of the first openly gay elected officials in America – would have been 80 years old on Saturday, May 22. But he was assassinated Nov. 27, 1978, along with Mayor George Moscone, and became a martyr whose life and accomplishments are being marked in California by the first-ever Harvey Mild Day. LGBT POV has posted a number of stories and videos to commemorate Milk, starting with a video in which Milk talks about defeating the antigay Briggs Initiative.

According to Cleve Jones, who considered Milk his mentor, and the Bay Area Reporter – which revisited some of the columns Milk wrote for the gay paper – Milk stressed visibility, building coalitions, and getting out the vote. And if the plethora of events listed here commemorating Milk’s life are any indication, he has left an important legacy – including one felt by the first openly gay Speaker of the California Assembly John A. Perez, who is being honored by the Harvey Milk Foundation at Madame Tussauds Museum in Hollywood and by West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tem John Duran (pictured rehearsing on a soap box), who is starring as Milk in the Dustin Lance Black-written story/concert by the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles at Fairfax High School.

Here’s a quick list of events. Please click inside for details and information about each event:

10:00am – 3:00pm – Equality California has a HUGE roster of events – including Marriage Equality Canvass in EAST LA.

10:00am – 3:00 – LA Gay & Lesbian Center’s Vote for Equality Harvey Milk Day Canvass in the Valley!


10:30 am — 12:30 pm — The ACLU is also hosting a “coffee and discussion” featuring Mark Thompson and Mia Frances Yamamoto.

12:00p.m – The City of West Hollywood and Equality California will also host a celebration at West Hollywood Park.

3:00 – 4:00pm – Equality California fundraiser hosted by Sharon and Kelly Osbourne at the Osbourne family estate in Hidden Hills.

3:00-6:00pm – Equality Across America has organized a march and rally starting at Father Serra Park.

7:00 – Harvey Milk Foundation – “Red Carpet Celebration of Harvey Milk with Laughter and Music in Hollywood” on the Rooftop of World Famous Madame Tussauds Museum.

7:00 – Gay Men’s Chorus: The Harvey Milk Schools Project! – a concert performed at Fairfax High School Auditorium.

Midnight – Toast for Equality at bars and restaurants around LA.

It’s Time for a US Harvey Milk Postage Stamp!

By San Diego City Commissioner Nicole Murray Ramirez

National Milk Stamp Campaign Chair

Last year, a major national letter writing campaign was launched to get the US Postage Service to issue a commemorative stamp to honor civil rights icon Harvey Milk. This Harvey Milk Stamp rendition is by San Francisco artist Jim Leff.

Last year, I launched this letter writing campaign, as Chairman of the City of San Diego’s Human Relations Commission, which voted unanimously to send an official letter to the national Citizens Stamp Advisory Committee to give serious consideration to this proposal. Congressmembers Bob Filner and Susan Davis followed with their personal letters, as well as the President Pro-Tem of the San Diego City Council, Kevin Faulconer.

Please click inside to read the rest of Nicole’s post – including information about how you can help get a national stamp honoring Harvey Milk. Also inside is information about the Imperial Court’s 45th anniversary and a photo of Nicole with Harvey Milk in 1977.

One has to imagine the late Harvey Milk beaming down from heaven as he watches openly gay California Assembly Speaker John A. Perez walk into Wednesday night’s White House State Dinner with Mexican President Felipe Calderón Hinojosa and be seated with his male date at President Obama’s head table.

One has to wonder if Perez thought of Milk, too. He was thinking of him last Wednesday, May 12 at the California Museum in Sacramento when Perez joined Milk’s nephew Stuart Milk of the Harvey Milk Foundation and a slew of notables, including “Milk” producer Bruce Cohen and Milk’s 1977 campaign manager Anne Kronenberg, for an event kicking off the1st Annual Harvey Milk Day.

San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, one of America’s first openly gay elected officials, was assassinated in 1978 by former Supervisor Dan White, who also murdered Mayor George Moscone. Perez reflected on Milk’s legacy:

Milk was inducted into the California Hall of Fame at the California Museum last Dec. 1 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Stuart Milk accepted the posthumous honor for his slain uncle.

Before the induction, I conducted an email interview with Stuart Milk about his famous uncle, which I re-post inside.

Grasp this: on Saturday, for the first time in American history, an openly gay man will be officially recognized for his accomplishments by the state of California. May 22 marks the birthday of the late LGBT martyr Harvey Milk, who will be honored with an official State Day of Recognition – Harvey Milk Day.

Openly gay San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk was assassinated on Nov. 27, 1978, along with his ally, Mayor George Moscone. Last September, when his when his Equality California-sponsored Harvey Milk Day bill passed the Assembly, openly gay Sen. Mark Leno said:

“[Harvey Milk] is an inspiration to people worldwide who believe in fairness and equality and he fought for many of the issues we value today, including access to education, public transportation, affordable housing and protecting the environment.”

EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors says, “I am truly thrilled that after several years of hard work we have succeeded in making Harvey Milk’s Birthday an official State Day of Recognition.”

Today begins a weeklong series of posts about Harvey Milk, including a calendar of events happening on Harvey Milk Day on Saturday so LGBTs and allies can more easily find a commemoration to attend. But who better to kick off the series than Harvey Milk himself, here speaking about the antigay Briggs Initiative that he helped defeat:

And here is a promo for the excellent documentary Times of Harvey Milk by Rob Epstein – which can be seen in its entirety on Hulu and purchased on Amazon:

After the federal Prop 8 trial ended Tuesday afternoon, Stuart Milk, nephew of the assassinated San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, reminded me that so many of the antigay arguments used by proponents of the Brigg’s Initiative in 1977/78 are similar to those used by the Prop 8 proponents today, namely that children must be “protected” from gay people. Click here for my interview with Stuart when his uncle was inducted in the California Hall of Fame. Here’s Harvey in 1978:

It was a red carpet night in Sacramento as 13 stellar Californians were inducted into the California Hall of Fame at the California Museum.

Joining actress/comedienne Carol Burnett and filmmaker George Lucas (”Star Wars”) and other luminaries was Stuart Milk, accepting the posthumous honor for his slain uncle, San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk, one of America’s first openly gay elected officials. Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated in 1978 by former Supervisor Dan White. Click inside to read an inspiring interview with Stuart Milk and see a video of the induction ceremony.

Here is a 1978 interview with Harvey Milk about the Briggs Initiative.

Slain San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk will be inducted into the California Hall of Fame on Dec. 1 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver.

Along with Milk, 12 others, including tennis great and women’s sports advocate Billie Jean King, will also be inducted and presented with the Spirit of California medal at a formal ceremony in the museum in Sacrament. Click inside to read more about the upcoming ceremony, Milk, and my question about if Milk had lived, might the AIDS epidemic have been dealt with differently? Also – on this anniversary of his death – Milk was assassinated on Nov. 27, 1978 – listen to an audio recording made on Nov. 18, knowing he was a target for hate.

This started out as a simple story about how the Harvey Milk bill is being attacked by Religious Right professionals. Not surprising. But then the story morphed into how former GLSEN head Kevin Jennings is being pilloried by the right wing, with the Family Research Council determined to bring him down. That reminded me of Project 10 founder Virginia Uribe who fought Rev Lou Sheldon in the mid-80s. And then I got an email defending Harry Hay’s part in all this. Huh? Well, click inside to see how it all fits together.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs the Harvey Milk Day bill and a significant marriage “clarification” bill that is sure to cause an uproar. Click inside to see the governor’s signing message, and a memo from Equality California explaining what the bill would do and reaction from EQCA Executive Director Geoff Kors. UPDATED with a quote from Sen. Mark Leno.