Harvey Milk the first Gay Governor of California Murdered!!!!
- jessetorres358
- Apr 7, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 23
Harvey Milk Legacy early Life.
Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician who became the first openly gay man elected to public office in California, serving on the San Fransico Board of Supervisor.
Milk was born and grew up in New York. He recognized his homosexuality during his teenage years yet continued to engage in secretive sexual relationships into adulthood.
During his childhood, Milk was mocked for his large ears, prominent nose, and big feet, often drawing attention as the class clown.
Throughout his school years, he was involved in football and developed a passion for opera. His high school yearbook mentioned, "Glimpy Milk." After completing his education, Milk enlisted in the United States Navy during the Korean War and served on a submarine rescue ship. In 1955, he left the Navy with the rank of lieutenant (junior grade), having to accept an "other than honorable" discharge to avoid a court-martial due to his homosexuality.
Milk's early career was marked by many transitions; in his later years, he relished talking about his journey from a middle-class Jewish upbringing. He started teaching at George W. Hewitt High School on Long Island. In 1956, he encountered Joe Campbell at Jacob Riis Park beach, a well-known spot for gay men in Queens. Milk pursued Campbell with enthusiasm.
Milk continued to write romantic notes and poems to Campbell after they began living together. In search of a warmer climate with milder winters, Milk and Campbell left New York in 1957 and moved to Dallas, Texas. However, after facing difficulties finding employment and feeling let down by the city's social scene compared to New York, they decided to return to New York.
In 1961, after almost six years together, Campbell and Milk went their separate ways. Milk tried to keep his early romantic experiences separate from his family and work life. Feeling bored and single once more in New York, he thought about moving to Miami to marry a lesbian friend, which would provide them both with a façade while not interfering in each other's lives.
Nevertheless, he chose to stay in New York, where he discreetly engaged in gay relationships. In 1962, Milk started a relationship with Craig Rodwell, who was a decade younger. Despite Milk's enthusiastic courtship of Rodwell, waking him each morning with a call and sending notes, Milk felt uneasy about Rodwell's association with the New York Mattachine Society, a gay-rights group.
What Legacy Milk left Behind.
Milk's political career was focused on ensuring government responsiveness to individuals, advocating for gay liberation, and highlighting the significance of neighborhoods to the city. At the start of each campaign, a new issue was incorporated into Milk's public political philosophy. His 1973 campaign emphasized the first point, arguing that as a small business owner in San Francisco—a city dominated by large corporations favored by the municipal government—his interests were neglected because he lacked representation by a major financial institution.
Although he was candid about his homosexuality, it became a major focus during his 1976 campaign for the California State Assembly. The topic was emphasized in the supervisor race against Rick Stokes, as it related to his views on personal freedom.
During the final year of his life, Milk stressed the importance of gay individuals becoming more visible to combat the discrimination and violence they faced. Despite not having come out to his mother before she passed away many years earlier, in his recorded prediction of his assassination, he encouraged others to come out.
I cannot stop anyone from feeling angry, upset, or frustrated. My hope is that they will channel those feelings into something positive, inspiring two, three, four, or five hundred individuals to step forward. I wish for gay doctors, lawyers, judges, bankers, architects, and other professionals to stand up and declare 'enough', to come forward, tell their stories, wear a sign, and let the world know. Perhaps that will make a difference. "Milk Quoted"
Nevertheless, Milk's assassination is closely linked to his political impact, in part because he was murdered at the peak of his fame. Historian Neil Miller notes, "No current American gay leader has attained in life the status that Milk achieved in death."
His legacy has taken on an ambiguous nature; Randy Shilts concludes his biography by stating that Milk's achievements, assassination, and the unavoidable injustice of White's verdict symbolized the experiences of all gays. Milk's life served as "a metaphor for the homosexual experience in America".
Frances FitzGerald noted that Milk's legend has not endured because no one seemed capable of filling his role in the years following his death. On the 20th anniversary of Milk's passing, historian John D'Emilio stated, "The legacy I believe he would want to be remembered for is the necessity to live one's life with integrity at all times."
Despite Cleve Jones's brief political career, he believes his assassination had a greater impact than his life: "His murder and the reaction to it solidified and ensured the undeniable involvement of gay and lesbian individuals in the political sphere."
In conclusion to a legacy
The City of San Francisco has honored Milk by naming various locations in his memory. At the intersection of Market and Castro streets in San Francisco, a large Gay Pride flag is displayed at Harvey Milk Plaza. In 1978, the San Francisco Gay Democratic Club renamed itself the Harvey Milk Memorial Gay Democratic Club (it is now called The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club) claims to be the largest Democratic organization in San Francisco.
In April 2018, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, along with Mayor Mark Farrell, approved and signed a law to rename Terminal 1 at San Francisco International Airport in honor of Milk, with plans to include artwork commemorating him. This decision came after an earlier proposal to rename the entire airport after him was rejected. Officially opening on July 23, 2019, Harvey Milk Terminal 1 became the world's first airport terminal named after an LGBTQ community leader.
Story By Britney J Torres
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