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"I ask this... If there should be an assassination, I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out - - If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door... And that's all. I ask for the movement to continue. Because it's not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power... it's about the 'us's' out there. Not only gays, but the Blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us's. Without hope, the us's give up - I know you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living" (Harvey Milk). Only a man with enough audacity to throw himself in the line of danger for the pursuance of equality, would state something in that manner. The only man with the courage of a lion, the pride of a peacock, and the hope of a new nation. Only Harvey Milk--"The Mayor of Castro Street", "The Gay MLK Jr."--would be brave enough, proud enough, and tenacious enough to declare that. Milk, born May 22, 1930, in Woodmere New York, knew, "by his early teens... of his homosexuality, but he chose to keep it to himself" (Harvey Bernard Milk). He lived in New York for the first 40 so years in his life, holding jobs as a high school teacher, insurance actuary, and Wall Street investment analyst. In 1972, he moved to San Francisco with his partner and opened a camera store on Castro Street. He ran for a political position in San Francisco in 1973. In 1977, he was the first gay man elected to office, before Dan White assassinated Milk merely a year later. A hero is someone brave enough to know death is waiting just around the corner for you, and continuing to work towards your goal. They have the courage to face a crowd, though they know the whole crowd is against them. A hero knows who they really are, and knows that for other people to like them, they have to have pride in themselves first. A hero stops at nothing to achieve what they deserve. Harvey Milk is a true hero because of not only the courage he possessed to come out as the first gay man elected into office, but also because of his unrelenting pride in who he really is, and his will to fight for his rights, and the rights of the homosexuals, and the rights of the entire minority population.
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Being the first gay politician, Harvey Milk showed courage through taking the chair in office, and helping homosexuals on the streets of San Francisco. He altered the present just as much as he changed the past: "Although there are still relatively few openly gay politicians in the United States, their numbers would be even fewer had it not been for Harvey Milk. His 1977 election to San Francisco's Board of Supervisors brought a message of hope to gays and lesbians across the country" (Harvey Bernard Milk). He blazed a trail for politicians, though he knew the public disagreed with his beliefs and sexual orientation. He also showed through his action that the gays and lesbians of California did not have to hide anymore, and that change was on its way. Even before elected to office, Milk was an active participant in the gay-rights struggle: "Castro Camera became Milk's political office, as those living in the neighborhood that would come in for advice or assistance in regard to personal or political issues. He soon recognized that a gay voting bloc could potentially follow the example set by ethnic voting blocks in other areas of the city that had achieved significant political power" (Milk, Harvey). Milk, being recognized as a gay-rights activist, and began to sport his new nickname, "The Mayor of Castro Street", even in the streets, where the only thing standing between him and the angry anti-gay citizens of San Francisco was merely his clothing. He knew the imbalanced ratio of homosexuals to discriminatory laws was unfair and degrading. Milk began to encourage homosexuals to support each other and rally together to fight for the rights they deserved. Milk was inspiring and brought people the boldness and bravery that they had waited so long for, and soon thereafter, began to transfer some of that courage to his followers.
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Milk knew the majority of the public was against him and his followers, and to change that, all they needed was to stand up for themselves. Milk had a plan of action to radically change California's view on homosexuality: "Milk firmly believed that the only way for homosexuals to break down homophobia - 'the last major dam of prejudice in this country' - "was for homosexuals to make themselves visible: to step out of the closet, and into the consciousness of the nation" (FitzGerald). He urged homosexuals not to hide their sexual orientation and embrace who they really were. His logic translated to: being afraid of one's self, would only encourage people against gay rights to remain in the same mindset. The lack of support was because the public knew nothing of gays and lesbians, which then allowed the media to spin their ignorance into hate and spite. Homosexuals had to change their view on themselves before others could see them differently, too: "Thus, the majority of American homosexuals remain trapped behind walls of fear - 'the proverbial "closet'" - rendering them utterly invisible to mainstream America. Milk argued that this invisibility only fosters homophobic stereotypes" (FitzGerald). The only option they had to help people understand that homosexuals are not different from anyone else in California was to prove it. They all had to step forward and proclaim that just because a man prefers men, or a woman prefers women, should not mean that they should be treated differently than any other heterosexual person. Milk knew if they could convince the general public that homosexuals are the same as most of the people in the general public, the hate aimed towards homosexuals might soften and eventually transform into compassion. Pride was one of the keys to Milk's success; to make one's self known, to be proud of one's self, and to persevere through all obstacles until one gets what they deserve.
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Milk fought peacefully, but
passionately, to obtain civil rights for homosexuals and all minorities. Though
roadblocks always managed to block Milk's path, he continued to fight for what
he believed was fair: "Harvey Milk's message has been to some extent overshadowed by
his murder. Often referred to as the gay Martin Luther King, he argued for
equal rights for homosexuals during the 1970s, just as African Americans had
begrudgingly been granted the same rights in the prior decade. As did King, he
paid the ultimate price for being in the forefront of a battle for equal
rights" (Pearson). In just years prior, King had shown the same determination
to gain civil rights for African Americans, as Milk did for homosexuals. They
both also, essentially, sacrificed themselves for their struggles in politics,
as Milk was killed in 1978 by former colleague, Dan White. Milk's listeners
ranged widely: "Whether his audience was sympathetic or hostile, Milk always
depicted the struggle for gay rights as 'the fight to preserve your
democracy'" (FitzGerald). Milk understood that not everyone would agree
with the idea of homosexuals having the same rights as heterosexuals, but he
continued to fight for the rights of those being discriminated against. He
fought because he knew his work would pay off, that people would follow in his
footsteps, and continue to fight for gay rights even after he couldn't. Milk
struggled through the toughest times, but continued to fight for homosexual rights - his
rights - until eventually, it led him to an early grave.
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Milk inspired many people, from the bravery he showed, the pride he emitted, and the determination that led him; not even his death halted his struggle for civil homosexual rights. His fight for gay-rights, even in his awareness of assassins, was unstoppable. He persisted with his head held high, and encouraged his audience to become the same. Milk inspired California and because of his actions, there is now a holiday devoted to him on May 22: "California is the only state with an official Harvey Milk Day, but 26 cities in 20 states scattered nationwide will hold rallies and events to honor the first openly gay man to be elected to public office and icon of the gay-rights movement. 'He knew you had to make change,' Galbraith says. 'Our community has to understand you have a voice, and if you don't use it, nothing will change'"(Bello, Marisol). People all over the nation gather in the memory of Harvey Milk and continue to rally for civil rights. In Milk's eyes, his death would only lead to a stronger march towards civil rights. He knew if he were to die, his work would continue. He that because of him, people would embrace their sexuality and fight for their rights. He knew they would not stop until every homosexual has every right as every heterosexual. I believe that, in the present day, just because a person does not have the same sexual orientation as you, doesn't mean they can't marry the person they love, or teach at the school they want to. Milk believed the same thing, and fought for those rights. Only a man with that courage, pride, and determination would fight that hard for his own rights, and the rights of everyone that deserved them.
Works Cited
Bello,
Marisol. "Cities across the USA to observe Harvey Milk
Day." USA
Today 21 May 2010: 3A. Global
Issues In Context. Web. 12 Dec. 2011.
FitzGerald, Frances. "The Castro, Part One." The New Yorker,
July 21, 1986.
“Harvey Bernard Milk." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Gale
Biography In Context. Web. 7 Dec.
2011.
Holleran, Andrew. "If they know us ..." The
Gay & Lesbian Review Worldwide 16.2 (2009): 18+. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 7
Dec. 2011.
"Milk, Harvey." World Book Advanced.
World Book, 2011. Web. 11 Dec. 2011.
Pearson, John. "Harvey Milk." Harvey Milk
(2005): 1. Biography
Reference Center.
Web. 12 Dec. 2011.
