Harvey Milk’s words in his speeches and columns for the Bay Area Reporter resonate as much today as they did in the 1970s. On this May 22, which would have been Milk’s 95th birthday, we look back at when Milk, a gay former San Francisco supervisor, attained revered status after he was gunned down along with then-mayor George Moscone in San Francisco City Hall on November 27, 1978. He had not even served a year in office. But since his death, the LGBTQ community has rallied around Milk’s calls for queer people to come out, including running for public office, and to work with other minority groups to build coalitions that can further the fight for equal rights.
Yet, Milk was also keenly aware of the forces fighting against equality – namely Republican lawmakers, presidents, and members of the religious right. And even 47 years after his death, we see that same alignment trying to deny us the very freedoms that other Americans take for granted. In this second term of Republican President Donald Trump, the similarities are stark, especially for transgender people.
All those decades ago, it was former beauty queen Anita Bryant who led the charge against rights for gay people. Today, it’s transphobic lawmakers, authors, and others who are obsessed with a few trans athletes and are working overtime to paint the members of the trans community as being “deceptive.” They are so surprised and can’t believe it when someone comes out as trans, as though the public coming out happened overnight. It did not. Trans people often experience gender dysphoria for years before coming out. But instead of trying to understand this, the anti-trans forces want to make it so that trans people cease to exist.
They have an ally in Trump, who on his first day in office issued an executive order on “gender ideology.” That was quickly followed by an order that states the federal government will only recognize two sexes, male and female, leaving trans people in limbo when it comes to U.S. passports and other identity documents. Some are now experiencing significant obstacles to traveling.
And corruption among federal officials is something that Milk wrote about in his Milk Forum columns in the B.A.R. Though this was written during the Ford administration, it is true today: “It is giving the okay to everyone to go ahead and rip off whatever you can as long as you are on their team. It is telling everyone that stealing is okay.” Milk was referring to what was considered minor corruption by an FBI official. Today, we have Kash Patel, the unqualified leader of the FBI, who has said he will “come after” his and Trump’s perceived enemies in government and media.
Above all, Milk wanted to inspire hope. We think he succeeded in that goal. His courage to stand up to bigots, his willingness to work with others, and his left-of-center politics all converged to tell a story of resilience during a dark time. We in the LGBTQ community must remember that, because we’re once again at a terrible point in U.S. history.
Happy birthday, Harvey. You are missed but not forgotten.
