Image courtesy of the SFO Museum
"Hope Will Never Be Silent:" Harvey Milk's Crusade for LGBTQIA+ Rights
National History Day 2023
Frontiers in History: People, Places and Ideas
Milk's Beginnings
Milk and his older brother. Courtesy of the San Francisco Public Library.
Milk came from a middle-class family in New York. He joined the Navy, but was forced to resign after his sexual orientation was discovered. After dissatisfaction in corporate life, Milk moved to Castro Street and opened a camera store.
The First Attempt
After seeing a school teacher buying a class projector out of her pocket, Milk became inspired to run for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. However, the Alice Club's perspective was that a gay-friendly politician would be more successful than Milk due to concerns that his sexuality, unkempt appearance, and lack of experience could alienate voters. However, Milk still placed tenth out of thirty-two.
"You don't get to dance unless you put up the chairs. I've never seen you putting up the chairs...We're like the Catholic Church. We take converts, but we don't make them pope the same day."
~ Jim Foster
"So the city has enough money to send out bureaucrats to bug people, but not enough to get a teacher a slide projector she could use for her kids!"
~ Harvey Milk
Milk and his partner in The Castro Camera. Courtesy of SF Public Library.
Milk's 1973 campaign sign. Courtesy of SFO Museum.
“I hope to make many things out of my love for you—I hope to use it so that everyone can enjoy our love—We can bring joy not only to each other but to others as well.”
~ a letter from Harvey to his partner, Scott Smith, explaining his plans to run