"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 Epstein's 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 Milk's 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 nation's highest civilian honor. Stuart Milk accepted the medal."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
United States Navy peopleLGBT rights activistsHuman rights activistsActivists from San FranciscoPoliticians from San Francisco
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Christopher Wiggins & Trudy Ring, was Harvey Milk?", Advocate, 22 May 2024
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Harvey_Milk
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Harvey Milk
Harvey Bernard Milk (22 May 1930 – 27 November 1978) was an American politician and gay rights activist, and the first openly gay city supervisor of San Francisco, California. He was assassinated in 1978, and is commonly seen as a martyr to the LGBT community.
24 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Harvey Milk →
Related Quotes
"This is Harvey Milk speaking from the camera store on the evening of Friday, November 18. This is to be played only i…"
"I have never considered myself a candidate. I have always considered myself part of a movement, part of a candidacy. …"
"The other aspect of this assassination. I cannot prevent some people from feeling angry and frustrated and mad, but I…"
"I ask for the movement to continue, for the movement to grow, because last week I got a phone call from Altoona, Penn…"
"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…"
"In the Examiner, Kevin Starr defames and libels gays. In the Chronicle, Charles McCabe warns us to be quiet, that tal…"
"Gay people, we are painted as child molestors. I want to talk about that. I want to talk about the myth of child mole…"
"There is a difference between morality and murder. The fact that more people have been slaughtered in the name of rel…"
"And the young gay people in the Altoona, Pennsylvanias and the Richmond, Minnesotas who are coming out and hear Anita…"