Harvey Milk

#HarveyMilk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978): Born in #Woodmere, #LongIsland, Milk was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents. After graduating from what is now #SUNYAlbany, Milk served during the Korean War in the #UnitedStatesNavy as a diving officer and instructor, becoming a teacher after being honorably discharged. Though certainly gay, Milk did not become involved in the budding gay rights movements in New York or even align himself with their politics, remaining closeted and caring for lovers who survived multiple suicide attempts. Once a supporter of #BarryGoldwater for president, Milk eventually became more liberal, letting his hair grow long and moving to #SanFrancisco where he made his mark on American history. After opening a camera store on #CastroStreet with his then-lover #ScottSmith, Milk began running for political office in San Francisco (much to the chagrin of the gay political establishment there). Milk was a man of the people and formed coalitions among not just the letters of the LGBTQIA community, but also with immigrants, senior citizens, and even the Teamsters to work to make his new home a better place for all. As such, he began calling himself “the Mayor of Castro Street.” In 1977, Milk became famously involved in debates against #JohnBriggs, who was actively fighting to remove all gay and lesbian school employees and their supporters from their jobs in California. After successfully defeating the #BriggsInitiative, Milk won a seat as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors (making him the first openly gay elected official in California history), sponsoring bills to ban discrimination in the public sphere on the basis of sexual orientation. After only eleven months in office, Milk and Mayor #GeorgeMoscone were assassinated by a disgruntled colleague. Milk’s message of living one’s truth to give people hope still rings ever true today: “…you have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home are too great…Without hope, not only gays, but the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us’es, the us’es will give up.” #Pride#LegendsOfPride #YouCannotEraseUs