Harvey Milk Research Paper

There once lived a man who believed that the government should insure equality for all citizens: gay, straight, black, or white. In 1977, he became the first openly gay elected official in the United States to win a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. This human rights leader was Harvey Milk and today represents a symbol of gay liberation all over the world. Milk was born on May 22, 1930 in Long Island, New York to a Jewish family. Milk worked at his families retail clothing business during high school and enjoyed playing football and singing Opera music (Cava,2008). As a young boy, Milk was made fun of for his big ears and long nose. It wasn’t until his teenage years that he realized he was gay. After High School, Milk studied

Milks famous quote, “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door,” has stuck in Americans minds for an opportunity for equality. Milk had achieved national recognition for being the first gay man elected into public office. He knew his life was in danger due to the constant death threats but that never stopped him from pursuing his dream. A former police officer, Dan White climbed through a basement window in the city hall wearing a suit and tie. He came unannounced and made his way into the mayor’s office where he used a revolver to kill his former colleagues (Eyerman,2012).

Harvey Milk will always be remembered for his social movement with gay rights. He was an important figure during his short lifetime and today. His legacy continues on through activism and memorial sites both in San Francisco City Hall and Harvey Milk Plaza. Milk and Mayor Moscone both have schools named after them so that future generations will know the struggles that Milk and other gay and lesbian people faced. I wander what Harvey Milk would think about the recent law granting same-sex marriage. It’s a shame he isn’t here to witness all of his hard work being paid