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Harvey Milk, 1930-1978
Born Woodmere, Long Island, New York
Having run for office in 1973, Harvey Milk became the first openly gay elected official in a major American city with his 1977 election to the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco, California. Milk had remained closeted when serving in the Navy during the Korean War and while working in the financial industry in New York City. He publically embraced his homosexuality after settling in San Francisco in 1972 and opening a camera shop in the Castro District -- the city's growing gay enclave. Outspoken and determined, Milk soon emerged as a leading activist in California's gay rights movement. In 1978, he spearheaded the successful drive to defeat Proposition 6 -- a statewide initiative that would have banned gays and lesbians from working in California's public schools. On November 27, 1978, a gay rights opponent assassinated Harvey Milk and San Francisco mayor George Moscone in their City Hall offices.
Crawford W. Barton, 1973 |