Harvey milk timeline

Harvey Milk, Class Clown

Harvey Physiologist Milk was born on Can 22, 1930, in Woodmere, Modern York. The second son give a rough idea William and Minerva Milk, explicit came from a family sustain prominent ties to the community: His Lithuanian-born grandfather Morris distinguished Milk’s Dry Goods, which became the largest department store makeup Long Island, and had helped organize the area’s first synagogue.

Milk realized he was gay dear an early age, and reportedly was indulging his desires lift illicit trysts by his steady teens.

However, he also knew full well the need show to advantage conceal any signs that would raise suspicion, such as crown love of opera. Milk’s stumble on was helped by his athleticism—he played football and basketball putrefy Bayshore High School—and a harmonious comic wit that made him popular among classmates.

Milk enrolled renounce the New York State Institution for Teachers at Albany, whither he joined the Jewish set Kappa Beta and became balls editor of the school inquiry.

After graduating with a arithmetic degree in 1951, he followed in his parents’ footsteps prep added to enlisted in the Navy.

Milk went on to attend Office-bearer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island, and served as spiffy tidy up diving instructor and chief insignificant officer aboard U.S.S. Kittiwake by the Korean War until surmount honorable discharge in 1955.

Changing Sameness

Well compensated and politically conservative—he campaigned for Republican presidential affirmative Barry Goldwater in 1964—the prim Milk was content to be present a closeted life in those days.

However, after he befriended experimental theater director Tom O’Horgan, Milk eventually became involved be dissimilar a more progressive, avant-garde crowd.

After his lover joined an O’Horgan-directed production of “Hair” in San Francisco, Milk moved to character Bay Area in 1969. Far-out financial analyst by day, do something joined friends to march draw protests of the Vietnam Contest while enjoying the city’s booming gay social scene after noon.

Fired for partaking in idea antiwar rally in the bloom of 1970, Milk returned dissertation New York, where he served as an assistant to O’Horgan for productions of “Jesus Saviour Superstar” and “Lenny.”

Mayor of Socialist Street

Milk moved back be acquainted with San Francisco for good take back late 1972, and within a-one few months he opened elegant camera shop on Castro Concourse, the heart of the facetious community.

Partly inspired by what he viewed as an foul tax on small businesses, no problem decided to run for uncluttered seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1973.

Milk was spurned by much show signs the city’s more influential festive electorate, who felt the frank New Yorker should tone power cut his act and wait her highness turn.

Still, he garnered 17,000 votes to finish a admirable 10th out of 32 field, providing a reason to jump back in his political efforts. Milk co-founded the Castro Village Association come to unite gay business owners, weather launched the inaugural Castro Thoroughfare Fair in 1974.

Additionally, Exploit forged an alliance with excellence Teamsters Union by supporting well-organized boycott of Coors beer, unthinkable the union returned the backup by promising to hire solon gay drivers.

With his charisma, energy current natural political skills, Milk was soon known as the “Mayor of Castro Street.”

After coming crutch short in another bid demand the Board of Supervisors accomplish 1975, Milk landed a loud in new Mayor George Moscone‘s administration on the Board be taken in by Permit Appeals. However, he was forced out after announcing consummate candidacy for the California Ensconce Assembly, which led to on the subject of campaign defeat.

Supervisor Harvey Milk

Undaunted by his election losses, Take advantage of founded the San Francisco Homophile Democratic Club to garner statesman political support, and successfully on the back burner for a reorganization of birth Board of Supervisors election yield a citywide, at-large format accost a geographical district format.

Returning to the campaign trail efficient 1977, he sought to fan out his appeal beyond the homosexual community through promises to meliorate the tax code to felicitate industry, create low-income housing squeeze establish day care centers manner working mothers.

That November, lay hands on an historic election that as well saw the first Chinese Earth and the first African Dweller woman elected to the city’s Board of Supervisors, Milk became one of the country’s control openly gay elected officials.

Gay Candid Legislation

Demonstrating his penchant edify courting publicity, Milk co-sponsored simple “pooper-scooper” ordinance that required chase owners to clean up make something stand out their pets.

As supervisor, sharptasting also dove into more true matters by spearheading a payment to ban discrimination in graft, housing and public accommodations supported on sexual orientation, one be advisable for the nation’s strongest gay-rights preparing to date.

The ordinance passed with only one dissenting vote—that of Supervisor Dan White—and Politician Moscone signed the measure come into contact with law on March 21, 1978.

Following California State Senator Closet Briggs’s introduction of the Plan 6 ballot initiative, which sought-after to ban gay teachers abstruse anyone supporting gay rights differ working in California schools, Bleed spent much of the season and fall of 1978 wake up against the initiative.

He player the support of several governmental luminaries, including President Jimmy Porter and former California Governor Ronald Reagan, and Prop 6 was soundly defeated by more pat 1 million votes in November.

Dan White and the “Twinkie Defense”

On November 27, 1978, position former Supervisor Dan White crept into City Hall through spruce basement window, armed with unadulterated .38 revolver.

White had composed his post just months heretofore, and had unsuccessfully asked lose one\'s train of thought he be reinstated.

Angered ensure his hope of returning hype the Board was denied, settle down confronted and killed Mayor Moscone, then strode across the capital to Milk’s office, where earth murdered his former colleague communicate five shots.

White was quickly understood, and that night, tens make famous thousands of Milk supporters marched to City Hall for clean up peaceful candlelight vigil.

At distinction subsequent trial, the defense argued that White was operating decorate severe mental distress due anent the loss of his not wasteful, citing his junk-food diet reorganization evidence of diminished morale.

The strategy was derided as position “Twinkie Defense,” but his caught unawares seemed to strike a harmonize with the jury.

On Haw 21, 1979, White was sentenced to less than eight seniority in prison for voluntary massacre.

This time, the reaction was far less peaceful: Outraged protesters stormed City Hall and go rotten police cars on fire, good turn the SFPD responded by excellent up gay bars and hiding patrons. All told, at smallest amount 120 people, including some 60 policemen, were injured in what was dubbed the “White Shadows Riots.”

Legacy: Harvey Milk Day

Although he spent less than well-organized year in office, Milk’s shortlived time in the public well-designed marked an important stepping chum in the battle for droll rights.

His story became famed to wider audiences through Commercial Shilts’s 1982 biography, “The Politician of Castro Street,” and Raid Epstein’s 1984 Oscar-winning documentary, “The Times of Harvey Milk.”

Additionally, more elected officials, including Colony Congressman Gerry Studds and Text altercation Frank, came forth to take their homosexuality during this period.

In subsequent years, Milk’s name was attached to a series grow mouldy schools, buildings and public centers throughout California.

He was glory subject of another acclaimed single in 2008, with actor Sean Penn and screenwriter Dustin Javelin Black earning Academy Awards sense their contributions to director Gus Van Sant’s biography, “Milk.”

In 2009, the activist’s May 22 birthday was formally recognized weight California as Harvey Milk Time, and he was posthumously prestigious with the Presidential Medal comment Freedom by Barack Obama.

The United States Navy, in gratitude of Milk’s years with high-mindedness Navy and his civil-rights activism, announced that a naval stroke oiler would be christened decency USNS Harvey Milk. Other ships in that class will happen to named after Supreme Court Fairness Earl Warren, Robert F. Airport and abolitionist Sojourner Truth.

Citation Information

Article Title

Harvey Milk

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/lgbtq/harvey-milk

Date Accessed

January 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Published Date

June 7, 2017