Tonight is the sneak preview of Milk held at 7pm in the James Bridges Theatre (in Melnitz Hall… AND ITS FREE). A biographical film directed by the great Gus Van Sant, the film depicts the life of San Francisco’s first openly gay politician, Harvey Milk, who was assassinated along with the mayor George Moscone back in 1978. With the devastating amount of support we just witnessed FOR Prop 8, the release of this film couldn’t have come out at a better time. Like it was for him in the 1970’s, today the nation faces new challenges dealing with equal rights for the gay community. Harvey was a serious politician, a man with a full heart that wanted nothing but good. Harvey Milk was a martyr for the LGBT community. He knew that the root cause of the gay predicament was invisibility. He encouraged everyone to get out there and be heard. His dream was that one day the people of the gay community will have equal rights around the country, and all of his work within San Francisco shows today. Milk’s killing probably awakened as many gay people as his election had. His death inspired many. With what he had accomplished in his short life, it would have been thrilling to see how far he could have gone. 

On May 22, 2008, I witnessed the unveiling of the bust of Harvey Milk in San Francisco’s City Hall. It was a happy, but emotional event. Castro characters, politicians, and Milk’s personal closest all came to speak about the challenges he overcame and about the hope and light he spread throughout the nation. Finally, 30 years after his death, Milk’s legacy will be heard worldwide thanks to everyone who supported this film.

“If a bullet should go through my head let that bullet go through every closet door.”