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E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
Harvey Milk's Legacy
When we think of civil rights struggles, American citizens marching and protesting for equal rights under the Constitution, the tendency is to think of the past. We have seen the grainy footage, heard the speeches and read all about the struggles for equality of race, gender and religion. These fights, it's easy to believe, are over and won.
While things have certainly improved, there is still much to be done. Where gay rights are concerned this is especially true.
The new film, Milk, is timed perfectly to highlight both the ongoing struggles for gay rights and the power of hope to inspire change. Former San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk was the first gay man elected to major public office in the United States. Along with SF Mayor Howard Moscone, Milk was gunned down in his office after serving only eleven months. He was a powerful advocate for change and, in his short time in office, was able to make great strides for gay rights in America.
Yet, as far as we have come in the decades since Milk campaigned so tirelessly for equal rights regardless of sexual orientation, it is now more obvious than ever that his struggle goes on. I'm talking, of course, of Proposition 8, the recent California legislation that denies same-sex couples the right to marry.
The forces that Milk fought against are still very much alive in America today. Sadly, there is no shortage of people in this country who believe that our government should be able to tell two adults that they can't get married because they happen to be the same sex. That they believe the Bible tells them this is perhaps the saddest thing of all, and makes one wonder if they missed the part about “love thy neighbor”. Isn't it all supposed to be about love anyways, and what is marriage but the ultimate statement of love?
The silver lining to all this, though, is that there are many people still fighting Milk's fight in his absence, among them the makers of this film. Go see Milk and be inspired by its message of hope, and reminded that America still has a way to go before it is truly the land of the free.