Harvey Bernard Milk was born to a Jewish family from Lithuania on May 22, 1930, in Woodmere, New York. His father was a clothing retailer. He became openly gay by his teenage years, and became very interested, in sports, drama, and comedy. Milk attended New York State College for Teachers in 1947, and joined the navy as a chief petty officer for the Korean War following his graduation. He moved his way through the ranks to a junior lieutenant, before deciding to transition to a political career. After a few years back in the states, Milk scored a job with the Wall Street investment firm Bache and Company in 1963.
Eventually, Harvey Milk moved to California to follow drama. In 1972, Milk and his partner Scott Smith opened a camera shop on Castro Street, the center of San Francisco’s gay neighborhood. Milk soon entered the political arena and ran for a position on the Board of Supervisors. With the support of his fellow gay friends, Milk earned tenth place out of thirty-two candidates, a sizable feat for a homosexual politician. His fame earned him the nickname, "the Mayor of Castro Street," and he began to plan for the next election by signing up 2000 more voters and writing a column in a local newspaper. During the 1975 election, he moved his way up to seventh place, another incredible accomplishment. Milk caught the attention of Mayor George Moscone who put Milk on his Board of Permit Appeals. Only a few weeks later, he was removed from his position for announcing that he planned on running for state assembly. On Milk’s third try, he lost by a mere 4000 votes under the campaign theme, “Harvey Milk versus the Machine." Finally, in 1977, Harvey Milk successfully was elected as the first gay public official in San Francisco. Milk quickly passed gay rights laws in San Francisco, had more gay and lesbian police officers hired, and started programs to help minorities and the elderly. Milk attempted to save the city of San Francisco from all the high raise buildings that would destroy the beauty of the city. He also worked to stop the senate bill in California that would not allow gay teachers to teach. These acts won Harvey Milk and the gay community recognition.
On November 27, 1978, a corrupt retired supervisor named Dan White snuck into City Hall and murdered Milk and Mayor Moscone. White's lawyer and White pleaded the famous “Twinkie defense.” They claimed that the defendant had eaten so many twinkies that his thought was altered. The jury fell for the alibi, and White was convicted for voluntary manslaughter; a sentence of only five years. This verdict outraged homosexuals and triggered riots throughout the United States. Hundreds of injuries and millions of dollars of damage occurred. His legacy still resides throughout the world today. His life inspired films and plays like “The Times of Harvey Milk” in 1984 and, “Milk” in 2008. The death of Harvey Milk became know as a martyr in the gay community.
Bibliography:
http://www.biographyshelf.com/harvey_milk_biography.html
http://www.notablebiographies.com/Ma-Mo/Milk-Harvey.html
http://www.biography.com/articles/Harvey-Milk-9408170
