Biography of Harvey Milk
Upon first moving to San Francisco, Milk and his parter, Scott
Smith, opened up Castro Camera in the Castro District of San
Francisco. Milk shortly became well known and liked within
this neighborhood. Everyone "from gay teens to little old ladies
began coming into his store to talk about their problems, which
Harvey loved trying to solve. He soon became the unofficial Mayor of
Castro Street."[1]
Because of his interest in community issues and his drive to solve
them, Milk decided to run for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
in 1973. He lost, but continued to develop a love for campaigning.
He ran for the Board of Supervisors in 1974 and lost again but this
time with more support than ever.
On
November 27, 1978,
only a year after his ellection to Supervisor, Harvey Milk was
assassinated by his colleage, Dan White. White was also a San
Francisco Supervisor but his political agenda continuously clashed
with Milk's. In an effort to avoid the metal detectors, Dan White
entered City Hall through a basement window. That day he not only
shot and killed Harvey Milk but also Mayor George Moscone. Harvey Milk's legacy as an openly gay politician and a civil rights leader of the 1970's paved the way for many civil rights that the LGBT community enjoys today. Harvey Milk was named one of the most influential people of the 20th century by Time Magazine and is an Icon in San Francisco, California and the larger LGBT community. |