Harvey Milk: What His Presidential Medal of Freedom Means to All Americans

When Stuart Milk stands before the president and the country to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom on behalf of his late, slain uncle Harvey Milk, it'll be a moment of incredible pride for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT).

Yet this is a moment that will transcend identity politics because Harvey Milk represents the aspirations of all Americans. More than 200 years ago Washington, Jefferson and Adams fought to create a more perfect union. They probably had no idea that their vision would be embodied in the late 20th century by a gay, Jewish camera shop owner in San Francisco.

Milk's story, as recounted in last year's Academy Award-winning movie Milk and books such as The Mayor of Castro Street, involves his struggle to become one of the first openly elected gay public officials in the U.S. His political ambitions coincided with the rising gay rights movement and resulted in him winning a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

Simultaneous to his election, another candidate named Dan White won a seat on the board. In 1978, White resigned his seat only to later want it back. He became frustrated that the appointment wasn't going to happen, went to City Hall, and murdered Milk in cold blood along with Mayor George Moscone.

Milk's murder could have had a chilling effect on the then burgeoning gay rights movement. Many forces were already actively at work to put gays back in the closet including crusader Anita Bryant. Instead it's a testament to American idealism that in the 30 years since Milk's assassination, we have continued to appreciate and honor his political work.

In fact, there are now more than 440 openly LGBT public officials in our country who serve in states as diverse as Alabama, Idaho and Kentucky. That's real progress, but even that number seems small when you realize there are more than one half million elected offices in the U.S.
We believe that, in a country as diverse as America, truly representative democracy demands that all voices should have a seat at the table. The dialogue is enhanced when policymakers must look colleagues in the face and negotiate with them over important issues. It's much more difficult to demonize a segment of the population when you need a vote from an elected member of that community.

A case in point is the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law dealing with gays in the military. It clearly has outlived its usefulness. Future Congressional action will be enhanced because there are three U.S. Representatives who are part of the LGBT community (Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin and Jared Polis).

Even as the LGBT community commemorates Milk's role in our history, we recognize that achieving success in American political life requires a broad understanding of all its citizens. While Milk certainly received strong support from San Francisco's LGBT community, he knew how to reach out to others. His commitment to tackling every day issues is humorously remembered for his campaign to protect the city from the troublesome problem of dog waste.

Likewise, today candidates who are LGBT know that we don't live in a Balkanized country and to succeed in public office requires a deep commitment to being true to yourself while opening up your mind to the problems others face. This is the strategy that has led Lupe Valdez to twice be elected sheriff of Dallas County in Texas. It's also the way Houston City Controller Annise Parker is currently running for mayor. If elected this fall, she will become the first openly LGBT mayor of a major U.S. city.

Many had dreams that Milk would have been the first to stake that claim. His political future was bright. Before he was gunned down he had already been part of a successful effort in California against the heinous Briggs Amendment that would have banned gays from teaching in public schools (a measure so extreme that even Ronald Reagan came out against it). One has to wonder what role Milk could have played last fall in the Golden State when Proposition 8, the measure to ban gay marriages, was approved. Would Californians really have rejected the appeals from a man who had served as mayor of San Francisco or even as their Governor at one point?

When Stuart Milk accepts the Medal of Freedom this Wednesday we will beam with pride, but it will be tinged with the thought of what might have been -- for Harvey, for our movement, and for our country. And then we will remember what he taught us about perseverance, pride and telling the truth about who we really are, and we will press on.

Wolfe serves as the leader of the Victory Fund, a D.C.-based political action committee that identifies, trains and elects LGBT leaders to all levels of office. Further information is available at victoryfund.org.

Comments

[ramal]

An honor long overdue. Thank you, Harvey from every Gay man and woman in America.

[TurnToTheLeft]

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is a great posthumous honor for Harvey Milk. I moved to San Francisco in 1978. The assassination of Harvey Milk broke the hearts of a generation. Instead of being passive; we took his words as inspiration. By 1990's we elected 2 gay people to the Board of Supervisors and a gay California State Representative for San Francisco. We also built coalitions which helped bring the progressives to power which now dominate the Board - THANK YOU HARVEY for opening that closet door! President Obama is a good ally of the Gay Community - I know he will come through on his promise to reverse DODT after Health Care Reform for all passes. We do not need to give the right wing extremists another way to undercut President Obama. These August Town Meetings serve as a loud reminder of the white minority's intolerance toward change. We must have patience while at the same time holding our local representatives feet to the fire. The Gay Community must build its support from the bottom up. Time is on our side. My nieces and nephews and their friends will be able to vote soon. They have all grown up with gay relatives and friends of their parents as positive role models.

[Yeah-Me]

I glad the Harvey Milk and Billy Jean King have won this award.

Kudos to you both. :o)

[S1m0n]

It means the president had some bridges to mend with the gay community.

[superstition]

After that DOMA brief, dealing with former activists strikes me as a bit too easy.

Milk can't refuse the award to protest the continued firing of gay veterans, some of whom have their own medals. He can't refuse the award to protest the DOMA brief, either.

[wisconsingod]

Not to be picky on a topic about Harvey Milk, but I was concerned about a point in the middle of the article
"It's also the way Houston City Controller Annise Parker is currently running for mayor. If elected this fall, she will become the first openly LGBT mayor of a major U.S. city."

What Constitutes a "Major U.S. City"? Are San Diego & Portland not Major Cities? All have metro populations of over 2 million . Toni Atkins has been San Diego's Mayor since 2005, and Sam Adams has been mayor of Portland since 2008. Both are openly Gay.

[TJinSoCal]

As a San Diegan, I can say that Toni Atkins is not nor has ever been our mayor, nor has she ever run for the office. Our mayors have been straight, white republicans for a very, very long time, though our current mayor, Jerry Sanders, has a gay daughter and because of that, "came out" for gay marriage.

Toni Atkins is on our City Council. Christine Kehoe, lesbian, former City Councilman, is now a state senator.

[MarkBoston]

Least we forget Providence RI's gay mayor David C !!

[John Beach]

What right does a straight person have that a gay doesnt? This civil rights bs you guys are claiming is a fantasy. A gay man has the same rights as a straight person. Nothing different.

[antaeus]

The fantasy exists only in the minds of those who can claim, with a straight face, that gay folks aren't denied housing and employment in some parts of this country only for being gay. It happens.

[Liberal Angel]

You're absolutely right, we do have the same rights, ours are just trampled on by people such as yourself. Incapable of empathy and seeing hypocracy. We want our families to be protected and they're not. You know damn well what rights you have that we're denied. Many things different.

[menmykoko]

Don't you have to visit the local parasitic congregation which enjoys the public utilities that we gays pay for such as roads, schools, the post office, and probably any governmental assistance for the baby whose picture you're posting on the internet--just to name a few.

[superstition]

"What right does a straight person have that a gay doesnt?"

Technically, none. Rights are not special privileges. However, sometimes rights are mistakenly treated as if they're special privileges. The right to marry is one of those rights.

Right now, marriage is being treated as if it's a special privilege for heterosexuals only. That is a denial of the full humanity and citizenship of gay Americans.

[superstition]

A right isn't the same thing as a privilege. Sometimes rights are mistakenly treated as if they're privileges.

The right to marry is an example. Denying gay people the right to legal same-sex marriages is the denial of their full citizenship and humanity.

[Helmsey]

Another great moment in the civil rights movement in America! I am happy to hear of that Harvey Milk is being given this award and I hope it moves many hearts and minds to be more open and accepting of all people regardless of age, sex, creed, sexual orientation, and skin color. Every step in that direction can only help to wipe out all the hatred and ignorance that has unfortunatly plagued America from the time Columbus set foot here to the present.

[pinkibus]

It is time to acknowledge the visciousness perpetrated by religious fanatics against people who are different. On my street the gay guys are moving. They are the only sane ones on the street. The others go to church, never swear and hate - they hate Jews, homosexuals, blacks and anyone else who doesn't fit their narow bit of Biblical Old Testament madness.

[Cool-headed]

Funny they love the Old Testament but hate Jews, the very people who wrote it, and who gave birth to Jesus. No logic there. But then who says there's logic in religion?

[HuffingCommentator]

Milk certainly was an inspirational figure.

And he represented his constituents faithfully: pro-gay, pro-union, pro-marijuana.

[Teresa201]

Harvey Milk was a gift from God to all people...

I was so excited to see that he is receiving the medal.
Wish he was here to get it.

We are all different for so many reasons.
That's what makes the world go 'round.
But we all want the same things......
Peace, love, and respect.

[Winning09]

He did great things.

It's too bad that polls in California show most Californians are against a Harvey Milk Day.

[LMPE]

I think that within a generation or two, most if not all hardcore homophobes will have died out.

[superstition]

Whatever else... there's always a fantasy future to look forward to.

In Berlin, under the Kaiser, gay couples enjoyed quite a bit of freedom. They could be seen in public in some locations even holding hands. Guess what happened? The politics changed.

Nothing is guaranteed except that apathy won't get the job done and there are problems that need to be corrected now rather than later.

I was one of those who awaited a better brighter future with Democratic control of Congress and the White House. Surely, I thought, they would deliver on their many promises to their gay constituents. They wouldn't file unnecessary legal briefs in favor of DOMA and DADT, one of which goes beyond even what was done to use during the Bush years.

[RagingStallion]

Newsflash. You can disagree with the homosexual lifestyle and not be a "homophobe." The same way someone can disagree with portions of Islam and not be an "Islamaphobe."

[superstition]

Homosexuality is not a lifestyle. Although a person can "disagree" with aspects of reality, like the existence of gay people, reality isn't going to change.

[Strepsi]

You can disagree with anything you like, but if you act on your opinion to have my equal civil rights taken away you are a homophobe.

[Liberal Angel]

Newsflash. Sexual orientation is not a lifestyle. If you think that, you are in deed a homophobe (a real one so no quotes needed). Disputing religion is different because what you people seem to forget is that religion IS A CHOICE. We chose to be gay when you chose to be straight. But if you go along with that, you admit you have it in you to be gay. Why can't you people understand science?

[newtom]

That's what all the homophobes say.

[SouthJerseySteve]

I was in San Francisco recently (last May) and took a walking tour of the Castro District. I have a photograph of The Castro Theater, restored for the filming of the movie Milk. My photograph shows the theater's marquee and guess what? The movies playing there back in May were a double feature... "Milk" and "The Times of Harvey Milk". I cried and took another picture. I felt like I was visiting my Mecca and was standing on Holy Ground as I stood in front of Harvey Milk's old apartment and his old camera shop and have the pictures to proof it.

[superstition]

The title of this article is "Harvey Milk: What His Presidential Medal of Freedom Means to All Americans"

Well, I'm an American, and there are some things that it means to me.

For one thing, we have a President who didn't put DADT on hold on his first day in office. He chose to continue firing gay veterans, some of whom had their own medals. Lt. Col. Fehrenbach had a medal for heroism in combat, which is a big deal to me. What is his reward for his valor to be? A dishonorable discharge? Why? Because he was naive enough to believe Obama's election would make fighting his discharge worthwhile because candidate Obama made a lot of very strongly worded promises to gay veterans.

We have a President who has fired over 337 troops (I don't know the actual number now since SLDN decided to hide it on their website for some reason unknown to me). Why were these women and men fired? Homophobia. Heterosexism. Both mandate that gay people be held accountable for the prejudice of others. All the excuses fail to change that basic unfairness.

So, yes, when I think of Harvey's medal, I think of Lt. Col. Fehrenbach's impending dishonorable discharge because he believed in President Obama.

[Teresa201]

I would like to respond to that.

Although we want a perfect world, it is not. I am not sure when the law was clearly in place anyone spoke up except to push that it be revoked.
What I think you must keep in mind is the safety of our soldiers. If you think these macho men will change their way of thinking because the law has been changed......I don't think so.

We are not on the battlefields with them for protection.
I believe this is for their safety, even tho' it may not be politicly correct.
I feel that is more important but that's just my opinion.

[superstition]

The notion that DADT is necessary for the safety of the troops is not supported by actual evidence. It doesn't take a perfect world to stop a pernicious policy of bigotry.

[Strepsi]

If you think someone who can't fight because of the mere presence of a gay person is "macho" you are wrong. The troops are tough. They can handle *reality*. Most western nations have gay troops with only positive consequences - the "safety of the troops" like is just that - a lie. Think about it -- it doesn't even make any sense!

[The Albany Kid]

Dumb question from a straight dude: Who is Stuart Milk? Is he Harvey Milk's brother or nephew perhaps?

[Stephen Jones 1]

Stuart Milk is Harvey Milk's nephew.

[The Albany Kid]

Thanks Stephen.