Harvey Milk Elected — America's First Openly Gay City Official
Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States. A camera shop owner in the Castro district, Milk ran on a platform of gay rights, neighbourhood empowerment, and coalition politics. He successfully sponsored a gay rights ordinance for San Francisco and fought against the Briggs Initiative (Proposition 6), which would have banned gay teachers from California schools. On 27 November 1978, Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by former Supervisor Dan White. White received a controversial manslaughter verdict that sparked the White Night riots.
Impact & Significance
Milk's election proved that openly LGBTQ+ people could win public office. His famous plea — 'You gotta give 'em hope' — became a rallying cry. He was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009, and his story was told in the Oscar-winning 2008 film Milk.
Reference Record
- Date
- 8 November 1977
- Era
- 1970-1989
- Sources
- 1
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