Happy Birthday Harvey! You continue to inspire us.
Showing posts with label Harvey Milk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Harvey Milk. Show all posts
Sunday, May 23, 2010
A Day of Significance
Yesterday would have been Harvey's 80th birthday and marked the first annual Harvey Milk Day - a day of "special significance" in California. People in California as well as all over the country used the day to celebrate Harvey's life through picnics, gatherings, and performances, but also to protest discriminatory practices.
Happy Birthday Harvey! You continue to inspire us.
Happy Birthday Harvey! You continue to inspire us.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Program Note from the Dramaturgs
In 2008, when San Diego State Alum Patricia Loughrey began developing Dear Harvey with SDSU undergraduate Thomas Hodges, many people had never heard of Harvey Milk. Important gay and lesbian figures are rarely mentioned among the great leaders and civil rights activists children learn about in school. As the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States, Harvey Milk gave hope to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer community that they could live their lives openly and with pride. By bringing together diverse community members, Harvey successfully fought discrimination and improved his city during his eleven months in office. Dear Harvey is a story of an American hero, told through the words of people whose lives he continues to inspire.
In the 1970s, gays and lesbians won important battles in the fight for equal rights; it seemed the movement was gaining momentum. Harvey Milk was sworn in as a city supervisor, gay rights ordinances were passed in several cities, including the ordinance signed in San Francisco by Mayor George Moscone, and Proposition 6, a proposal to terminate the employment of all gay and lesbian teachers in California, was defeated. The assassination of Harvey Milk and George Moscone on November 27, 1978, devastated the LGBTQ community. Not only had they lost two great leaders, but many felt that their deaths represented the symbolic death of the gay rights movement.
Over the last 30 years, due in no small part to the work of dedicated activists, the United States has become a better place to live for members of the LGBTQ community. However, there continue to be setbacks, such as the passage of Proposition 8 last November. Instead of feeling discouraged, Harvey Milk often saw the positive side of such situations. For example, he saw Proposition 6 as a catalyst to energize and motivate the gay community to fight for change. Harvey believed that progress would be made through dialogue – his televised debates with John Briggs likely changed many minds. He would have seen Proposition 8 as both a motivator for action and an opportunity for education.
If Harvey were here today, his message of hope would be the same. He would encourage all of us to come out, not only gays and lesbians to their families, friends, and coworkers, but everyone else as friends, family, and supporters of the LGBTQ community.
Dear Harvey is a celebration of the life of Harvey Milk, the contributions of LGBTQ leaders, and the continuation of the fight for equal rights for all. In the words of Patricia Loughrey, "Dear Harvey is not a story that was – it is a story that is."
By Lauren Beck, Tawnya Pataky, and Derek Smith
In the 1970s, gays and lesbians won important battles in the fight for equal rights; it seemed the movement was gaining momentum. Harvey Milk was sworn in as a city supervisor, gay rights ordinances were passed in several cities, including the ordinance signed in San Francisco by Mayor George Moscone, and Proposition 6, a proposal to terminate the employment of all gay and lesbian teachers in California, was defeated. The assassination of Harvey Milk and George Moscone on November 27, 1978, devastated the LGBTQ community. Not only had they lost two great leaders, but many felt that their deaths represented the symbolic death of the gay rights movement.
Over the last 30 years, due in no small part to the work of dedicated activists, the United States has become a better place to live for members of the LGBTQ community. However, there continue to be setbacks, such as the passage of Proposition 8 last November. Instead of feeling discouraged, Harvey Milk often saw the positive side of such situations. For example, he saw Proposition 6 as a catalyst to energize and motivate the gay community to fight for change. Harvey believed that progress would be made through dialogue – his televised debates with John Briggs likely changed many minds. He would have seen Proposition 8 as both a motivator for action and an opportunity for education.
If Harvey were here today, his message of hope would be the same. He would encourage all of us to come out, not only gays and lesbians to their families, friends, and coworkers, but everyone else as friends, family, and supporters of the LGBTQ community.
Dear Harvey is a celebration of the life of Harvey Milk, the contributions of LGBTQ leaders, and the continuation of the fight for equal rights for all. In the words of Patricia Loughrey, "Dear Harvey is not a story that was – it is a story that is."
By Lauren Beck, Tawnya Pataky, and Derek Smith
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Harvey Milk: A Timeline
May 22, 1930. Harvey Bernard Milk is born in Woodmere, New York.
1943-1947. Harvey attends Bay Shore High School. He is a basketball player, a linebacker on the football team, and is popular with everyone because of his quick wit and sense of humor. He knows he is gay, but is in the closet. Living so close to Fire Island and New York City, Harvey finds many opportunities to meet other gay young men.
1947-1951. Harvey attends New York State Teachers College at Albany and earns a degree in Mathematics. No one suspects him of being gay. He is described as a “man’s man.”
1951-1955. Harvey serves in the Navy and is an expert deep sea diver on the San Diego-based U.S.S. Kittiwake. He is honorably discharged. Loving a good story, Harvey never contradicts the rumor that emerged during his campaign – that he was dishonorably discharged (like so many others) for being gay.
1956. Milk meets Joe Campbell, a beautiful younger man, whom Harvey courts with love letters. They will be together for six years – Harvey’s longest relationship. Joe Campbell is later immortalized as the “Sugar Plum Fairy” in Lou Reed’s song “Walk on the Wild Side.”
1957-1961. While Joe stays at home as a typical “housewife,” Harvey works as a high school math teacher and basketball coach at Hewlitt High School in New York. When he tires of teaching, he becomes an actuary.
1962. Harvey stops seeing Craig Rodwell, a man he is dating, when he realizes Craig is involved with fighting for gay rights. Harvey prefers to live a peaceful, closeted life.
1963. Harvey begins working in a Wall Street investment firm. His math skills, his quick thinking, and his ability to visualize and predict social trends, enable Harvey’s success. He settles into a new short-lived “marriage” with Jack McKinley, a stage manager for Hair.
1970. After nearly a decade of living with the influence of young hippies, Harvey is fired from his job in finance when he refuses to cut his long hair and burns his BankAmericacard. Craig Rodwell hardly recognizes his formerly conservative friend.
1972. Harvey and his new boyfriend, Scott Smith, move to the Castro in San Francisco. The neighborhood has been a gay mecca for less than a decade.
March 1973. Harvey opens Castro Camera with Scott. The store becomes a place that people go for help. Cleve Jones says, Harvey “was just always helping people, fixing problems.”
1973. Harvey helps the Teamsters union with their Coors boycott, convincing all Castro bar owners to remove the beer – in exchange for jobs for gay deliverymen.
November 1973. Angry about the way San Francisco is seemingly controlled by real estate moguls and huge corporations, Harvey runs for supervisor for the first time. He is not backed by most of the gay political clubs and organizations that think that Harvey wants too much, too soon. He loses.
1974. Harvey organizes the Castro Village Association of local merchants, and helps launch the first Castro Street Fair.
November 8, 1977. Milk is elected to the Board of Supervisors for District 5 in his fourth run for elected office. He is the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States. Harvey insists on being sworn in the steps of City Hall surrounded by his supporters (including a new boyfriend, Jack Lira) who march from the Castro for the event.
June 25, 1978. Harvey rides in the Gay Freedom Day Parade, urging bystanders and television viewers to come out to their families, friends, and coworkers. Harvey himself never comes out to his parents.
May 21, 1978. The day before his 48th birthday, Harvey dresses up like a clown as part of a promotional publicity campaign for Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. He runs all over town telling people he’s an elected official.
March 7, 1978. Harvey serves as Deputy Mayor for a day. Art Agnos (a future mayor of San Francisco) tells Harvey he has the potential to be mayor within ten years.
April 1978. George Moscone signs the San Francisco Gay Civil Rights Ordinance – a bill that Harvey introduced.
November 7, 1978. Proposition 6, which would have authorized the firing of gay teachers and their supporters, is defeated due in part to Harvey’s diligent campaign against it.
November 10, 1978. Dan White, Harvey’s fellow supervisor, resigns, claiming that he cannot support his family on his salary. He later asks for his job back, but is refused.
November 27, 1978. Dan White assassinates Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone at City Hall. That night, more than 30,000 people peacefully march from the Castro to City Hall and hold a candlelight vigil.
December 2, 1978. Milk’s friends scatter his ashes, along with Kool-Ade and bubble bath, into the Pacific Ocean.
May 21, 1979. Dan White is convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to seven years in prison. Thousands of furious people converge upon City Hall, throw rocks, break windows, and set police cars on fire. Later that evening, several police cruisers filled with officers wearing riot gear arrive at the Elephant Walk Bar on Castro Street, storm into the bar and beat patrons at random. These incidents become known as the White Night Riots.
1982. The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk, by Randy Shilts is published.
January 7, 1984. Dan White is released from prison – after serving just five years – and moves back to San Francisco with his family.
March 25, 1985. The Times of Harvey Milk wins the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Director Rob Epstein thanks his partner in his speech.
October 21, 1985. Dan White commits suicide in his garage.
June 14, 1999. Time Magazine names Harvey Milk one of the “Time 100 Heroes and Icons” of the 20th century.
May 22, 2008. On what would have been his 78th birthday, a sculpture of Milk is unveiled in the Ceremonial Rotunda of City Hall – where wedding ceremonies are held.
September 30, 2008. California State Assemblyman Mark Leno’s bill to mark Harvey Milk’s birthday, May 22, as a state day of special significance, which has been passed by the State Assembly and State Senate, is vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
February 22, 2009. After being nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the film Milk, directed by Gus Van Sant, wins Best Original Screenplay (Dustin Lance Black) and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Sean Penn).
2009. The ACLU steps in when a Ramona 6th grader, Natalie Jones, is barred from giving a presentation on Harvey Milk. The principal and district superintendant later apologize and allow Natalie to present her report.
1943-1947. Harvey attends Bay Shore High School. He is a basketball player, a linebacker on the football team, and is popular with everyone because of his quick wit and sense of humor. He knows he is gay, but is in the closet. Living so close to Fire Island and New York City, Harvey finds many opportunities to meet other gay young men.
1947-1951. Harvey attends New York State Teachers College at Albany and earns a degree in Mathematics. No one suspects him of being gay. He is described as a “man’s man.”
1951-1955. Harvey serves in the Navy and is an expert deep sea diver on the San Diego-based U.S.S. Kittiwake. He is honorably discharged. Loving a good story, Harvey never contradicts the rumor that emerged during his campaign – that he was dishonorably discharged (like so many others) for being gay.
1956. Milk meets Joe Campbell, a beautiful younger man, whom Harvey courts with love letters. They will be together for six years – Harvey’s longest relationship. Joe Campbell is later immortalized as the “Sugar Plum Fairy” in Lou Reed’s song “Walk on the Wild Side.”
1957-1961. While Joe stays at home as a typical “housewife,” Harvey works as a high school math teacher and basketball coach at Hewlitt High School in New York. When he tires of teaching, he becomes an actuary.
1962. Harvey stops seeing Craig Rodwell, a man he is dating, when he realizes Craig is involved with fighting for gay rights. Harvey prefers to live a peaceful, closeted life.
1963. Harvey begins working in a Wall Street investment firm. His math skills, his quick thinking, and his ability to visualize and predict social trends, enable Harvey’s success. He settles into a new short-lived “marriage” with Jack McKinley, a stage manager for Hair.
1970. After nearly a decade of living with the influence of young hippies, Harvey is fired from his job in finance when he refuses to cut his long hair and burns his BankAmericacard. Craig Rodwell hardly recognizes his formerly conservative friend.
1972. Harvey and his new boyfriend, Scott Smith, move to the Castro in San Francisco. The neighborhood has been a gay mecca for less than a decade.
March 1973. Harvey opens Castro Camera with Scott. The store becomes a place that people go for help. Cleve Jones says, Harvey “was just always helping people, fixing problems.”
1973. Harvey helps the Teamsters union with their Coors boycott, convincing all Castro bar owners to remove the beer – in exchange for jobs for gay deliverymen.
November 1973. Angry about the way San Francisco is seemingly controlled by real estate moguls and huge corporations, Harvey runs for supervisor for the first time. He is not backed by most of the gay political clubs and organizations that think that Harvey wants too much, too soon. He loses.
1974. Harvey organizes the Castro Village Association of local merchants, and helps launch the first Castro Street Fair.
November 8, 1977. Milk is elected to the Board of Supervisors for District 5 in his fourth run for elected office. He is the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States. Harvey insists on being sworn in the steps of City Hall surrounded by his supporters (including a new boyfriend, Jack Lira) who march from the Castro for the event.
June 25, 1978. Harvey rides in the Gay Freedom Day Parade, urging bystanders and television viewers to come out to their families, friends, and coworkers. Harvey himself never comes out to his parents.
May 21, 1978. The day before his 48th birthday, Harvey dresses up like a clown as part of a promotional publicity campaign for Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. He runs all over town telling people he’s an elected official.
March 7, 1978. Harvey serves as Deputy Mayor for a day. Art Agnos (a future mayor of San Francisco) tells Harvey he has the potential to be mayor within ten years.
April 1978. George Moscone signs the San Francisco Gay Civil Rights Ordinance – a bill that Harvey introduced.
November 7, 1978. Proposition 6, which would have authorized the firing of gay teachers and their supporters, is defeated due in part to Harvey’s diligent campaign against it.
November 10, 1978. Dan White, Harvey’s fellow supervisor, resigns, claiming that he cannot support his family on his salary. He later asks for his job back, but is refused.
November 27, 1978. Dan White assassinates Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone at City Hall. That night, more than 30,000 people peacefully march from the Castro to City Hall and hold a candlelight vigil.
December 2, 1978. Milk’s friends scatter his ashes, along with Kool-Ade and bubble bath, into the Pacific Ocean.
May 21, 1979. Dan White is convicted of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to seven years in prison. Thousands of furious people converge upon City Hall, throw rocks, break windows, and set police cars on fire. Later that evening, several police cruisers filled with officers wearing riot gear arrive at the Elephant Walk Bar on Castro Street, storm into the bar and beat patrons at random. These incidents become known as the White Night Riots.
1982. The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk, by Randy Shilts is published.
January 7, 1984. Dan White is released from prison – after serving just five years – and moves back to San Francisco with his family.
March 25, 1985. The Times of Harvey Milk wins the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Director Rob Epstein thanks his partner in his speech.
October 21, 1985. Dan White commits suicide in his garage.
June 14, 1999. Time Magazine names Harvey Milk one of the “Time 100 Heroes and Icons” of the 20th century.
May 22, 2008. On what would have been his 78th birthday, a sculpture of Milk is unveiled in the Ceremonial Rotunda of City Hall – where wedding ceremonies are held.
September 30, 2008. California State Assemblyman Mark Leno’s bill to mark Harvey Milk’s birthday, May 22, as a state day of special significance, which has been passed by the State Assembly and State Senate, is vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
February 22, 2009. After being nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the film Milk, directed by Gus Van Sant, wins Best Original Screenplay (Dustin Lance Black) and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Sean Penn).
2009. The ACLU steps in when a Ramona 6th grader, Natalie Jones, is barred from giving a presentation on Harvey Milk. The principal and district superintendant later apologize and allow Natalie to present her report.
Monday, September 7, 2009
November 27, 1978
The following videos include media coverage the day that Harvey Milk and George Moscone were shot.
The media announces the breaking news story - Mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk are shot.
NBC NEWS November 27, 1978
The media announces the breaking news story - Mayor George Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk are shot.
NBC NEWS November 27, 1978
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Character Research: Harvey Milk
Attention Actors: The following videos demonstrate Harvey Milk's vocal and/or gestural qualities. Please view these videos in order to channel your own Harvey in the show! And be sure to watch the documentary The Times of Harvey Milk.
Harvey being interviewed on TV
The Hope Speech
The Last Words of Harvey Milk
Harvey being interviewed on TV
The Hope Speech
The Last Words of Harvey Milk
Saturday, August 22, 2009
A List of Resources
I have begun a list of books and films about Harvey Milk and LGBTQ history that I have seen/read and liked. The list includes the easiest (and cheapest) ways to access these resources for San Diego State students. 
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Character Research: Stuart Milk
Stuart Milk was only 17 when his uncle, Harvey Milk, was assassinated. Although Stuart never came out to Harvey, he did share with his uncle that he felt different from others. Harvey praised that difference and encouraged Stuart to always be himself.
Stuart Milk is Vice President at Arbor Education and Training, a company that provides job-related education, counseling, and assistance. He is also a gay rights activist and the official spokesperson for the Milk family.
On August 12, 2009, Stuart Milk accepted his uncle's Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama.
Here are two of the many videos available of Stuart Milk on YouTube.
Christina Marie interviews Stuart Milk on SF Live TV.
Stuart Milk speaking at a rally at the Florida Capitol Campus.
Stuart Milk is Vice President at Arbor Education and Training, a company that provides job-related education, counseling, and assistance. He is also a gay rights activist and the official spokesperson for the Milk family.
On August 12, 2009, Stuart Milk accepted his uncle's Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama.
Here are two of the many videos available of Stuart Milk on YouTube.
Christina Marie interviews Stuart Milk on SF Live TV.
Stuart Milk speaking at a rally at the Florida Capitol Campus.
Harvey Milk Day
In February, out State Senator Mark Leno introduced SB 572 - a bill that would require the Governor of California to proclaim May 22 of each year (Harvey Milk's birthday) as a day of special significance. According to the fact sheet, the bill would "allow schools to conduct activities that would foster respect for all, and educate students about an important figure who is often omitted from history lessons."
A similar bill was vetoed last year by Governor Schwarzenegger after it passed in the State Assembly and State Senate. According to Equality California, a group that is backing the bill, The Governor’s Secretary of Education recently sent a letter opposing the bill stating that the Governor's previous veto sends a message that "Harvey Milk's contributions should continue to be recognized at the local level by those who were most impacted by his contributions. Since this bill is nearly identical, the veto message remains applicable."
To express support for Bill SB 572 - Harvey Milk Day:
Sen. Leno on creating Harvey Milk Day
A similar bill was vetoed last year by Governor Schwarzenegger after it passed in the State Assembly and State Senate. According to Equality California, a group that is backing the bill, The Governor’s Secretary of Education recently sent a letter opposing the bill stating that the Governor's previous veto sends a message that "Harvey Milk's contributions should continue to be recognized at the local level by those who were most impacted by his contributions. Since this bill is nearly identical, the veto message remains applicable."To express support for Bill SB 572 - Harvey Milk Day:
- Sign the online petition at the Equality California website.
- Call the Governor's San Diego Office at 619-525-4641.
- Call the automated line and choose the Harvey Milk Day bill. 916-445-2841
Sen. Leno on creating Harvey Milk Day
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk
by Dustin Lance Black (Introduction),
Armistead Maupin (Foreword)
New Market Press, New York, 2009.
This new book (published just this year) is an excellent resource that can be consumed in one sitting. While The Mayor of Castro Street provides hundreds of pages of details on Harvey Milk and the gay movement, Milk: A Pictorial History of Harvey Milk provides brief summaries, short quotations, and a wealth of large, detailed photographs.
Part I, "The History," gives a short overview of Harvey Milk's early life before moving on to cover his campaigns for supervisor, the fight against Prop 6, and life on Castro street in the 1970s.
At the time of this post, this book is not available through the San Diego public libraries or the SDSU library. It is available, however, through the Circuit. The book is sold online at Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Half.com, and Ebay.com.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Harvey Milk to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom | San Francisco Examiner
By: DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press, July 30, 2009
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 16 people, including gay rights activist Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978.
The White House announced the list of recipients Thursday.
Shared via AddThis
UPDATE
Start watching the following video at the 26 minute mark to see Stuart Milk accept Harvey Milk's medal from President Obama.
The White House announced the list of recipients Thursday.
The medals, representing the nation's highest honor for a civilian, are the first to be awarded by Obama. He will present them at a White House ceremony on Aug. 12.
Shared via AddThis
UPDATE
Start watching the following video at the 26 minute mark to see Stuart Milk accept Harvey Milk's medal from President Obama.
Boogie Nights Blog
Last night my roommate Megan and I sat down for my first viewing of the epic cinematic adventure that is Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights.” I fell in love with this movie, in case you were still wondering.
For those of you who haven’t seen it, it is a story about people who work in the adult film industry in the 1970’s. Even for those who don’t wish to watch a movie of that particular subject matter, no one can deny that this is, at least, a fantastic period piece worth watching.
Mr. Anderson, who wrote and directed the film, does a dazzling job of representing the sexual revolution as such an important time in history. He shows the wide sexual attitudes that our society once possessed and also touches upon the gay community in the Seventies and the sudden emergence of men and women living open lives as members of the LGBT community.
During the movie I had a train of thought that made me press pause. I realized that these characters were the people who would eventually grow into their Thirties and Forties in the Eighties and Nineties.
It reminded me of every time anyone in the gay community, who lived through that era, talks about experiencing friends and lovers "dropping like flies" around them during the AIDS epidemic.
These people, who are living in an era of such unquestioned sexual promiscuity and drug use will, without warning, fear death and change their lifestyle immediately in order to survive. These are also people who would eventually grow angrier and angrier, questioningRonald Reagan, who ignored the virus for seven years.
The whole very idea of living through a shock resulting in an abrupt cultural u-turn has to be devastating. All the while, attending funerals three or four times a month for friends who had died of a “gay disease” that had taken over cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City.
When I pictured San Francisco in the 80’s, I immediately thought of Cleve Jones. I think this cultural attitude change may be one of the reasons why Cleve Jones began his activism for HIV/AIDS research. He lived the dramatic cultural change in San Francisco, just two years after Harvey died.
Many believe that Harvey Milk could have gone on to be a large political influence on HIV/AIDS Research and Awareness. The truth is that after assisting on Harvey’s campaigns for four years, Cleve went on to do just that himself. He continued Harvey’s legacy of leading the LGBT civil rights fight in San Francisco, but instead of working alongside Harvey, working towards fighting AIDS.
For those of you who haven’t seen it, it is a story about people who work in the adult film industry in the 1970’s. Even for those who don’t wish to watch a movie of that particular subject matter, no one can deny that this is, at least, a fantastic period piece worth watching.
Mr. Anderson, who wrote and directed the film, does a dazzling job of representing the sexual revolution as such an important time in history. He shows the wide sexual attitudes that our society once possessed and also touches upon the gay community in the Seventies and the sudden emergence of men and women living open lives as members of the LGBT community.
During the movie I had a train of thought that made me press pause. I realized that these characters were the people who would eventually grow into their Thirties and Forties in the Eighties and Nineties.
It reminded me of every time anyone in the gay community, who lived through that era, talks about experiencing friends and lovers "dropping like flies" around them during the AIDS epidemic.
These people, who are living in an era of such unquestioned sexual promiscuity and drug use will, without warning, fear death and change their lifestyle immediately in order to survive. These are also people who would eventually grow angrier and angrier, questioningRonald Reagan, who ignored the virus for seven years.
The whole very idea of living through a shock resulting in an abrupt cultural u-turn has to be devastating. All the while, attending funerals three or four times a month for friends who had died of a “gay disease” that had taken over cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City.
When I pictured San Francisco in the 80’s, I immediately thought of Cleve Jones. I think this cultural attitude change may be one of the reasons why Cleve Jones began his activism for HIV/AIDS research. He lived the dramatic cultural change in San Francisco, just two years after Harvey died.
Many believe that Harvey Milk could have gone on to be a large political influence on HIV/AIDS Research and Awareness. The truth is that after assisting on Harvey’s campaigns for four years, Cleve went on to do just that himself. He continued Harvey’s legacy of leading the LGBT civil rights fight in San Francisco, but instead of working alongside Harvey, working towards fighting AIDS.
Monday, June 22, 2009
BOOK REVIEW: The Mayor of Castro Street
Not only does Randy Shilts’ biography of Harvey Milk shed light on all aspects of his life, but also reveals miniscule encounters and facts that combined, create a beautiful, well-crafted story.
Though widely classified as a biography, there is a lot more to be found in this epic battle for civil rights. This book does not read like other biographies. There is something about the style that brings you into a wonderfully poetic and elaborate story of good and evil. Maybe it’s the incredibly detailed and well-researched complexity of city politics, which gives intention to Harvey's decisions and political style, or maybe it’s the heart breaking severity of Milk’s struggle to make a difference in the world. Either way, there is something in this book for every reader.
There is another reason why many readers who tend to steer away from biographical works should invest some time in Mayor of Castro Street. Mr. Shilts includes events, in his book,that took place far before and after Milk’s life, which ultimately opens the view of homosexuality’s place in our society over the past two hundred years.
While this book is one of the most famous pieces of non-fiction gay literature, it is also one of the most debated. Many gay historical figures (even some that happen to be depicted in the book, including Cleve Jones) disagree with many statements made in Shilts’ book, as well as actions made within the author’s personal life.
Though many do disagree, most scholars and historians will testify to Mayor of Castro Street being the most accurate and detailed account of modern gay history.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Free Speech scores a point!
Natalie Jones, the Ramona 6th grader who was barred by her school from giving a presentation about Harvey Milk, was allowed to present today to her class! The school claimed that they were "overly cautious" after the ACLU threatened to take action. Read the whole story here.
Giving a presentation about a gay person is not the same is giving a presentation about SEX.
Giving a presentation about a gay person is not the same is giving a presentation about SEX.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Thirsty for Milk after some Twinkies?.....
Twinkie Defense.
What is it? Thirty years ago anyone in California would be able to answer that question without thinking, but now society's knowledge on Harvey Milk's death is minimized to what is fed through the film MILK. Here is an article describing what specifically the Twinkie Defense is and why such an absurdly titled event led to the production of violence now referred to as the 'White Night Riots'.
What is it? Thirty years ago anyone in California would be able to answer that question without thinking, but now society's knowledge on Harvey Milk's death is minimized to what is fed through the film MILK. Here is an article describing what specifically the Twinkie Defense is and why such an absurdly titled event led to the production of violence now referred to as the 'White Night Riots'.
Myth of the 'Twinkie defense' (as written by Carol Pogash of the San Francisco Cronicle, November 23, 2003) :
Ask anyone who's heard of Dan White -- and there are fewer and fewer people who have -- how it was that the clean-cut, conservative San Francisco supervisor received such a light sentence in the shooting deaths of progressive San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and gay Supervisor Harvey Milk 25 years ago, and it brings an automatic response: the "Twinkie defense." The impressionable jury, they'll say, swallowed the defense contention that Dan White gobbled Twinkies, which blasted sugar through his arteries and drove him into a murderous frenzy. About as simple as: "Eat a Twinkie, commit a murder."
As Thursday's 25th anniversary of the killings approaches, what survives is a shared understanding of the gross miscarriage of justice: that an angry young man many thought should have received the death penalty instead was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and got a meager sentence of less than eight years (with time off for good behavior, he would end up serving only five years, one month and nine days).
The "Twinkie defense" is so ingrained in our culture that it appears in law dictionaries, in sociology textbooks, in college exams and in more than 2, 800 references on Google. Only a few of them call it what it is: a myth.
"I don't think Twinkies were ever mentioned in testimony," said chief defense attorney Douglas Schmidt, who recalls "HoHos and Ding Dongs," but no Twinkies. In fact, the cream-filled confections were mentioned, but only in passing. Junk food was an insignificant part of the defense. The matter was raised briefly in testimony by Marin psychiatrist Martin Blinder, one of five defense therapists. Today, the entire episode is characterized by Schmidt as "a throwaway witness . . . with a throwaway line.''
The main focus of the defense's case in May 1979 was diminished capacity -- that White had suffered from periodic bouts of depression, amounting to "a major mental illness." That, along with "the machinations of dirty politics at City Hall," White's co-counsel Stephen Scherr said in a recent interview, "drove him 'round the bend."
During his day on the stand, Blinder, a former mayor of San Anselmo and a onetime teacher at UCSF's medical school and at Hastings College of the Law, characterized White as his family's black sheep, a man with rigid values and locked-up emotions. In a recent interview, Blinder said his intent was to explore, "What is it that makes a good man kill?"
In his daylong accounting of how White's life "unraveled," one small aspect of something Blinder said -- "two minutes of a greater part of the day on the stand" -- was later turned into the irrational explanation for everything that came after. "Studies show," he said recently, "that if you have a general predisposition to bipolar mood swings, things you ingest can play a part." In the days leading up to the killings, the psychiatrist told the jury, White cast aside his normal habits and grew slovenly, quit working, shunned his wife, grew a stubble beard and rather than eat his healthful diet, indulged in Twinkies and Coke -- all symptoms, Blinder testified, of depression. The junk food, he said, only made White more depressed, which caused him to binge even more.
The gay community's agony spewed out onto the streets of San Francisco. During what came to be called the White Night riot, protestors set fire to police cars and stormed City Hall. The violence was in marked contrast to the day Moscone and Milk died. Then, a candlelight march flowed quietly and peacefully from the Castro district to City Hall.
All that many people remember about the case that still engenders such anger and passion is that jurors succumbed to the defense claim that a politician ate Twinkies and then executed the mayor and a fellow supervisor.
"America loves labels," said Dr. Alan Dundes, UC Berkeley professor of anthropology and folklore. He compares our belief in the "Twinkie defense" to the conviction that George Washington cut down the cherry tree. He didn't. Folklore trumps history.
"I don't care if the 'Twinkie defense' has any validity or not," he said. "People think it was a factor. And thinking makes it so."
Friday, May 29, 2009
A short article to kick off your summer reading list
Last week, in honor of Harvey Milk's birthday (also known as "Harvey Milk Day" in San Diego) the Gay and Lesbian Times ran a story about Harvey that includes interviews with Dear Harvey playwright Patty Loughrey and the real life people that appear in the play. (Actors, you may recognize some of your lines!) Read the article here!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Harvey Milk’s legacy honored at local event: San Diego News Network
San Diego | Harvey Milk’s legacy honored at local event | San Diego News Network
"Megan Hogan - like the late, gay activist Harvey Milk, who was honored in San Diego at a diversity breakfast Friday - knows the value of building strong coalitions and inspiring others.
Posted using ShareThis
"Megan Hogan - like the late, gay activist Harvey Milk, who was honored in San Diego at a diversity breakfast Friday - knows the value of building strong coalitions and inspiring others.
Despite taunts from classmates and objections from parents, the 18-year-old high school senior started the Diversity Club and Gay-Straight Alliance in January at Del Mar’s Winston School, a college-prep school for students with learning disabilities. The goal: to unite students from different backgrounds to underscore the importance of embracing one another’s differences."
Click here to read more.
Posted using ShareThis
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Milk is good for kids (and grownups)!
Although The Harvey Milk Story, by Kari Krakow is ostensibly a children's book, it serves as an excellent, albeit brief, introduction to Harvey Milk for adults. Unlike the film, Milk, which focuses on the brief political career of Harvey Milk, The Harvey Milk Story gives a broad, yet personal overview of Milk's entire life. Krakow's text, along with David Gardner's charming illustrations, show Harvey as an adorable big-eared baby, a sensitive yet energetic child, a popular and athletic teenager, a deep-sea-diving Naval officer, and a closeted school teacher. The book, like the film, also describes Harvey's life after he moved to the Castro, when he was out and proud and campaigning for city supervisor. Although the book is merely 32 pages (and less that 1400 words) Krakow manages to portray Harvey as more than an important figure in the struggle for gay rights - as a unique, complex person whose life was taken too soon. 
Amazon.com classifies the book as appropriate for children ages 4-8, but I believe The Harvey Milk Story also serves as a valuable resource for older children and adults, particularly through the Author's Notes at the end which expand on some of the issues the author touches on only briefly in the book, as well as the bibliography which lists books, films, and periodicals to consult for more information about Harvey Milk. My book, checked out from CSU San Marcos through The Circuit, also has a sticker in the front of the book listing San Diego-specific LGBTQ websites. The book's website provides ideas for teachers on how to use the book to teach about concepts such as: bullying, belonging, discrimination, hope, and non-violent activism. The Harvey Milk Story is available directly from the publisher, Two Lives Publishing. You can also order new and used copies from Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.
Amazon.com classifies the book as appropriate for children ages 4-8, but I believe The Harvey Milk Story also serves as a valuable resource for older children and adults, particularly through the Author's Notes at the end which expand on some of the issues the author touches on only briefly in the book, as well as the bibliography which lists books, films, and periodicals to consult for more information about Harvey Milk. My book, checked out from CSU San Marcos through The Circuit, also has a sticker in the front of the book listing San Diego-specific LGBTQ websites. The book's website provides ideas for teachers on how to use the book to teach about concepts such as: bullying, belonging, discrimination, hope, and non-violent activism. The Harvey Milk Story is available directly from the publisher, Two Lives Publishing. You can also order new and used copies from Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Dear Harvey: The Beginning
In December 2007, Diversionary Theatre commissioned Patricia Loughrey to write a new play about Harvey Milk. She interviewed dozens of community leaders as well as Harvey’s friends and family including: Tom Ammiano, Toni Atkins, Jackie Grover, Cleve Jones, Christine Kehoe, Anne Kronenberg, John Laird, Stuart Milk, Nicole Murray-Ramirez, Daniel Nicoletta, Mary Stockton, Robin Tyler, Dottie Wine and others. The play, Dear Harvey, directed by Dan Kirsch, with original music composed by Thomas Hodges, premiered at Diversionary, April 18-25.
San Diego State University's School of Theatre, Television, and Film will present Dear Harvey, directed by Peter Cirino, September 24 – October 2, 2009.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
