Rain Christi
June 10, 2015
Politics and Literature
Milk
Does a Body Good
Here in the great United States of America it is pretty
much guaranteed that a politician is lying to his hopeful constituents to gain
their votes. Most politicians speak in brown sugar coated sentences making
promises of what they can do to make our lives better. Most of them rarely, if
ever, live up to those promises. Granted, a politician’s life is under constant
scrutiny in the public eye. Those that do make a difference are discounted once
they commit some “atrocious crime” sending the media into a feeding frenzy.
Take President Clinton for instance. He made a tremendous amount of positive
difference in our nation and was highly esteemed until he received fellatio
from Monica Lewinsky. Public figures must sacrifice their private lives in
order to stand before us, honest or not. Once in a while, an honest politician
comes along.
Meet Harvey Milk. Born in Long Island, New York on May 22nd,
1930, he was the first openly homosexual person to take public office. In the
wake of his assassination in 1978, many books have been written; policies on
homosexuality approached and even the rise of special schools for gays and lesbians.
The Harvey Milk High School was founded in 1985 in Greenwich Village and was
segregated to the enrollment of gays and lesbians only (Hedlund, 2004). The
Harvey Milk Institute in San Francisco, California was founded in 1994 and
focuses on bettering life for the gay and lesbian community (Ellis, Highley,
Schaub and White, 2001). Much media has been devoted to the story of Harvey
Milk.
In 2008, Universal Studios released a major motion
picture dedicated to his story. Confucius said, “Wherever you go, go will all
your heart.” For a gay man in 2008, that is trying enough. For a gay public
figure in the seventies, it was a whole different story. For Harvey Milk, there was no other option
than to be himself. A charismatic figure, he entranced his audience with his
poise, with his passion. His honesty was a refreshing change in public figures.
People trusted him. People believed he would be what he said he would be.
People believed he would accomplish what he said he would accomplish. However,
being a gay man made his political path that much harder.
Harvey Milk did not set out to be a politician. In 1970,
in a public stairwell, on the eve of his fortieth birthday he met and fell in
love with Joseph Scott Smith. His charm convinced Scott to come enjoy his
birthday with him and they soon moved in together. Shortly after moving in to a
quaint apartment on Castro Street, Harvey decided to open Castro Camera. An
enthusiastic photographer, Harvey hoped to make enough money to enjoy his life
with Scott. As they were hanging the sign for their new business, a neighboring
business owner came over to welcome them. Once he realized that Scott and
Harvey were lovers, his tune quickly changed. He warned the men that their shop
would never survive. It was about this time that the wheels began turning for
Harvey Milk, the politician to be.
Harvey’s shop became a home away from home for gay men
everywhere. He compiled a list of shops that welcomed gay business and a list
of those who did not. The gay community only purchased from those shops that
were on the support list. Soon, many of the non-supporters were closing their
doors forever. Castro Street quickly became a haven for gay men. Castro Camera
became more than just a home away from home; it became a spot for political
activism. Castro Street drew the attention of more than just the gay and
lesbian community. Savvy business owners with political agendas realized how
much of an advocate such a thriving community could be. Teamster leaders
visited Harvey Milk, and asked for help boycotting Coors beer. They were able
to successfully remove Coors beer from all the gay bars winning the approval of
the teamsters. Soon driving positions were offered to openly gay men and this
is when they received their first taste of power. It was about this time that
people began to call Harvey Milk the Mayor of Castro Street.
By 1973, Castro Street belonged to the gay community;
however, this did not ensure their safety. Police brutality was an all too
often occurrence. One particular night while treating Scott for a head injury
due to the police, Harvey realized that just like the black community, the gay
community needed political representation. Standing on a box on which he painted
“Soap” he spoke through a loud speaker about the relevant issues of the gay
community. He announced his candidacy that day as their City Supervisor. He ran
and lost the race for City Supervisor twice; however, Harvey knew that it was
not just winning that mattered.
He stood on every stage, and echoed through every
campaign microphone speaking in advocacy not only for the gay community but
also for the elderly, the youth, the minorities, and every group big politics
had forgotten. His campaign lifestyle was not easy for Scott at times, yet he
remained loyally at his side for years. However, after a third loss, Scott
proclaimed he could not make it through another campaign, packed his bags and
left. Harvey soldiered on. Voting protocols by district had been changed so
that those voting for or against Harvey would be voters from Castro and Haight
only. He was confident this would give him the winning votes. Once again, he
campaigned for City Supervisor.
On January 9th, 1978, Harvey Milk was
inaugurated as City Supervisor for San Francisco. His years of campaigning had
finally paid off. In an interview by Channel Five News he was asked if he would
represent all people or only the gay community. He replied with exuberance that
he would of course represent all people. His new position brought a lot of new
responsibility. He was constantly on the go. Jack, the lover that he began
seeing after Scott left was very lonely without him at home and was jealous of
his life in the public eye. One night as Harvey arrived at six fifteen rather
than six, he found notes strewn all along his apartment. Jack had hung himself
and was dead when Harvey found him. With the upcoming vote for Proposition Six
right around the corner, Harvey didn’t even have time to mourn.
On November 7, 1978, Proposition Six was voted out.
Sponsored by John Briggs and supported by Anita Bryant, Proposition Six would
have banned gays and lesbians and perhaps all who supported them from working
in the school system. This would have caused a colossal loss of jobs within the
gay and lesbian community. Harvey Milk and all who supported his cause won a
victory that changed America forever on that profound day in November. Only
twenty days later, the fear of assassination became a reality.
Harvey stated in tapes he had been making prior to his
murder that he hoped tens of thousands would rise in his wake if an
assassination became a reality. Over thirty thousand people marched from Castro
Street to City Hall to honor his life and mourn his death. Dan White, a City
Supervisor who had resigned his post and turned around and asked for his job
back was denied. In a rage, he snuck into City Hall through a window to avoid
detection of his weapon by the metal detectors. He shot both the Mayor and
Harvey Milk that tragic day in November. However, the legacy of Harvey Milk
lives on to this day.
Harvey Milk was more than just the first openly gay man
to hold public office. Harvey Milk was a man who spoke the truth, who stirred
the crowds, who accomplished great things. I wish he could have taken a sneak
peek into 2015 in order to see just how far we have come where gay rights are
concerned. More than thirty states (along with the District of Columbia) now
allow the right for same sex couples to engage in marriage (http://www.cnn.com).
Please see the Reference Section for the full link. As far as we have come on
the matter of rights for the gay and lesbian community, there is still a long
way to go.
As a young girl, I already knew that I was different. I
knew I was attracted to girls by the age of four. I kept it buried inside me
for so many years. My father was a Baptist Minister and my mother a teacher.
There was no room for my persuasion in my household. By sixteen, I had kissed
my first girl, and by nineteen I knew it was time for me to come out of the
closet. I was shunned by much of my family. My great-grandmother called me
crying hysterically. She wanted to know what had caused me to become this way.
I lost friends. The part that shocked me the most was the judgment laid upon my
breast by the LGBT community. According to many gays and lesbians, I was not
bisexual; I was confused. I felt like I didn’t belong to any group. It was a
very hard period of adjustment for me.
In our Western society we are trained to focus on an
ideal way of being. We are also trained to scrutinize those who are not the
same; those who do not fit that ideal. Many have taken their own lives in order
to escape the hatred they face daily for not being considered normal by society
at large. Many live their life in fear of being beaten or abused. Some choose
rather to live a lie and never let anyone know that they are homosexual. It is
unfathomable to some, how painful living a life as a homosexual in this country
can be. Yet, some still proclaim that being gay is a choice. Harvey Milk spoke
out at a time when not many knew how to lift their voices and be heard on the
subject of gay rights. Harvey Milk paved the way for many developments in the
gay and lesbian community.
If we hope to see a day when America is not afraid of the
color of skin; if we hope to see a day when America is not afraid of the
religion of choice; if we hope to see a day when America is not afraid of
sexual preference; we must stand up and speak out just like Harvey Milk. It
amazes me how bold and brave he was during a time when it was much less
acceptable to be gay than it is today. We cannot change what we do not discuss.
In the film, there were a couple instances where a young man called Harvey Milk
and thanked him. He saved lives. He set young men free. His life was not a life
of luxury, but it was a life fulfilled.
Just before his assassination, two poignantly powerful
and excruciatingly sad things occurred. Harvey loved to listen to opera. Just
before he was murdered he saw his first and last opera. That night from his
bed, he called Scott and told him about his evening. Scott suggested that
Harvey call him the next time he was going to go because he would very much
like to accompany him. Harvey said he would love to. Scott told him in that
conversation just how proud of Harvey he was. It seemed obvious that they would
rekindle their love. If only someone had stopped Dan White from entering City
Hall that day.
In 1984, just five short years later, Dan White was
released from prison. It is hard to understand what the judicial system was
thinking. Two murders and five years later, a man should not be free. His
lawyers defense was coined “The Twinkie Defense” claiming that his junk food
diet has impaired his judgment. However, Dan White committed suicide shortly
after his release and return to San Francisco. Perhaps Harvey’s suspicion that
Dan was gay was correct.
Harvey Milk made a tremendous impact on the gay and
lesbian rights movement. His courage and passion drove him to speak even after
recognizing the probability of his own assassination. May we all find the
courage to stand for what we believe in. May we all find the strength to march
against our opposition. May we all live a life that we can die proud of. “My
name is Harvey Milk and I am here to recruit you”.
References:
Ellis, A., Highley, L., Schaub, K., &
White, M. (2001). The Harvey
Milk Institute guide to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer internet
research. The Haworth Press, Inc.
Hedlund, R. (2004). Segregation by any other
Name: Harvey Milk High School.JL & Educ., 33, 425.
Jinks, D., Cohen, B. (Producers) & Van
Sant, G. (Director). (2008). Milk [Motion
Picture]. United States: Universal
Studios.
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