Harvey Milk Day

Smiling man with dark brown hair, pointed out ears. Suit jacket, white shirt, and tie. Black and white photo.
Harvey Milk
If you do not know who Harvey Milk is then this is where you find out! If you haven't already realized I am a part of the LGBTQIA family. I am a non-binary witch. I go by he/they pronouns. Today is Harvey Milk Day. 

Harvey is an important part of LGBTQIA history. Just like the rioters at Stonewall they played an important part in obtaining equality for our community. They started it all by standing up to New York city police and their continuous raids on gay bars. Being gay in the 1960's was illegal. This was only 60 years ago people. Our rights are still being threatened and we are still dying for the fight for human rights. Fighting for basic HUMAN RIGHTS is in our blood. (Note: Tip your drag queen!!)

The day was started by the Harvey Milk Foundation and what put into California law by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009, through perseverance, and a movie titled "Milk", it passed in the California Assembly and Senate, via petitions from Darren Ball.

So why is Harvey Milk so significant? Well he ran for San Francisco's Board of Supervisors 3 times until he was finally elected in 1977. He was the very first open LGBTQIA politician in the country. He showed everyone that being gay doesn't matter. You can still take care of business and be a positive force for the world. He was a visionary! 

Harvey was born on May 22nd, 1930 in Woodmere, NY. Graduating from Bay Shore High School, serving in the military from 1951 to 1955, and then working for a Wall Street investment firm. At first he was not open about his sexual orientation. But he became more open when he go into his Bohemian theater scene. When he moved to San Francisco he became open about his sexuality and with his leading activism for gay rights. 

When he was younger he was a class clown. He knew he had to fit in and keep his orientation, like so many, a secret. He knew he was gay at an early age too. But he did not come out then, he explored his sexuality with illicit trysts as a teenager and into adulthood. Even today there are those that are not in a safe place to come out and are doing the same thing. I for one was one of them!

I, myself, was exploring at a young age and grown men took advantage of that very fact. I did not feel safe to come out at all. But when I did it was freeing. I made sure I thought I had everything set for me to be on my own. I did not, but that is a story for another time. 

Like Harvey and so many others in 1960 it was not safe to come out. Not only was it illegal but it was a death sentence in some places. Violence in fear and misinformation. Harvey fought for rights in a San Francisco. He sponsored bills that would protect LGBTQIA people from being kicked out of their homes, driven out of any public accommodations, and being fired from a job, all based on your sexual orientation. 

After he was elected he went above and beyond the gay rights activism. He formed the San Francisco Gay Democratic Club. Campaigned for reorganization of the city's board of supervisors. Helped in reformation of tax code boosting industry in the Bay Area, create low-income housing, and establish day cares for working mothers. He saw a world where it could be a better place and he set out to do it. 

He later fought against Proposition 6, which was to ban gay teachers and any other LGBTQIA person from working in California Schools. He helped defeat the proposition. He went on to do more things for his city, not knowing he, along with Mayor George Moscone would be assassinated by Dan White. 

Dan was a fellow Supervisor and had resigned from his post and was hoping to be reinstated, but he had carried a revolver with him. He was very much anti-LGBTQIA everything because of his "Christian" upbringing. He was angry that his hopes of being reinstated to his former position, he shot and killed both men. Later he was found and brought to trial. He was only sentenced to less than 8 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter. Sadly his defense of eating Twinkies and being under mental duress was a good enough defense for the jury. 

After all of this, and less then a year in office, Harvey Milk gave a legacy to all gay rights activists. He gave us all hope for a better world and that it was okay to fight for it. Since then we have discrimination protection laws in place in most cities across the US, along with a victory for marriage and all the legality that comes with it. We can even hold hands in public without being arrested on sight. Granted some places are not that open, but you can still legally be allowed to do it. 

A lot has come in the way of LGBTQIA rights and more is yet to come, even in our own community. The best we can do is to keep on fighting all the different types of hatred in the world. Self-hate. Transphobia. Hell even racism! This is day, to me, is about continuing the hope that our activists before us have shown us. A better world is out there and it is up to us to make it happen. One for all and all for one! So, please honor Harvey and all the activists before you in continuing to fight for your rights. Thank you!

Posted by: Sean Eblin, the War Witch
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