Today would have marked Harvey Milk’s 96th birthday. Milk was the first openly gay politician elected into public office in California. A visionary leader, Milk was sworn in as the Supervisor of the newly created 5th district of San Francisco on January 8, 1978.
On April 11, Mayor George Moscone signed the Human Rights Ordinance, which Milk had co-sponsored, banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in employment, housing, and public accommodations in the private sector. On June 15, at the Gay Freedom Day, Milk gave his famous, “My Name is Harvey Milk and I want to recruit you” speech. On November 27, Milk and Moscone were assassinated by former city supervisor Dan White.
Milk’s legacy lives on at SFO in our exhibition “Harvey Milk: Messenger of Hope.”
See “Harvey Milk: Messenger of Hope” and read the full exhibition catalog online at: http://bit.ly/HarveyMilkExhibition
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San Francisco Gay Democratic Club members rejoice on
Harvey Milk’s day of inauguration January 9, 1978
Photograph by David Waggoner (1947–90)
Courtesy of the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, SFPL
R2019.0203.017
Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone at City Hall March 29, 1978
Photograph by Efren Convento Ramirez (1941–2017)
Collection of Efren Ramirez; Courtesy of the GLBT Historical Society
R2019.0202.007
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Harvey Milk during the Gay Freedom Day parade June 1978
Courtesy of the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, SFPL
04101B; R2019.0203.020
SFO Museum