May 22 is an annual event that commemorates the birthday of the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States. It’s Harvey Milk Day.
Born on this day in 1930, Harvey Bernard Milk became a pioneer, politician, activist, leader and iconic figure who worked tirelessly to help stop discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGTB) communities in the 1970s. He served on the Board of Supervisors for the City of San Francisco for less than a year in office before he and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by Dan White on Nov. 27, 1978. White entered City Hall through a basement window with a loaded .38, and shot and killed both men. White was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and after serving five years in prison, White committed suicide when he was 39.
Harvey Milk Day
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger established Harvey Milk Day to be held annually on May 22. Each year, a wide varietyof events take place in honor of the occasion.
In 2012, Stuart Milk, the Founder and President of the Harvey Milk Foundation (and Harvey’s nephew) said,
Harvey Milk Day is a reminder to put hate and separation in their place, a place of learning of wrongs that have been righted and reminders not to repeat them, a day to create the dream and vision of what is possible, even in the all too many places around the world where it is still so hard to visualize that dream….
While progress has been made over the years, discrimination still exists today. Randy Thomasson, the founder of Save California.com, has been representing “parents, grandparents and concerned citizens since 1999, promoting moral virtues for the common good.” According to the Facebook page, they want to protect children from being brainwashed by reaching out to parents about “Harvey Milk Gay Day.”
Harvey Milk Day serves as a reminder that hate, ignorance and bigotry should no longer be tolerated. We all are equal, regardless of race, gender or who we love.