Harvey
Milk
arvey Milk, was a visionary civil and human
rights leader who became one of the first openly
gay elected officials in the United States when
he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in
1977. During his time in office, he fought for bills banning
discrimination in employment, housing, and public
accommodations based on sexual orientation, one of the
nation's strongest gay-rights measures to date.
Although he spent less than a year in office, Milk's brief
time in the public eye marked an important steppingstone
in the battle for gay rights. His story became known to
wider audiences through Randy Shilts's 1982 biography,
"The Mayor of Castro Street," and Rob Epstein's 1984
Oscar-winning documentary, "The Times of Harvey Milk."
Milk's courageous honesty, inspired more elected officials,
including Massachusetts Congressman Gerry Studds
and Barney Frank, to also publicly acknowledge their
homosexuality during this period.
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