"Milk",
starring Sean Penn and Josh Brolin is about San Fransisco City
Supervisor Harvey Milk, an openly gay businessman who had gotten sick of
not only watching other gay people being harassed and bullied by a
stiff city establishment but other minorities such as African Americans,
the poor, elderly and people with disabilities being used as scapegoats
and the first to suffer in any major city decision of that time. He not
only stood up for the underdog, but he championed them. He put PEOPLE
first - something a lot of politicians only pay lip service to. Milk
actually did something about.
Milk transcends
being a mere gay bio-film. While Milk's sexuality is never too far off,
the real gist of the movie is how he gave the system a major wake up
call and how he paid the ultimate price for standing up for what he
believed in. From his beginnings as a flamboyant camera store owner in the Castro
district of San Fransisco to the political battles he fought against the
city and self-righteous anti-gay crusaders such as Anita Bryant to
finally being elected city supervisor of San Fransisco and the turmoil
that followed, especially from his biggest opponent, Dan White who assassinated Milk and San Fransisco Mayor George Moscone.
The
story of Harvey Milk is a fascinating one for me, having read
The Mayor
Of Castro Street by Randy Shilts several years ago.
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| HIGHLY recommended reading! |
I always loved his
appeal to the social outcasts and how he worked to level the playing
field for all people. We sure as hell could use a guy like him today.
One
could only wonder what could have been had he not been assassinated. He
most likely would have ended up mayor of San Fransisco and would
probably have made it to Washington DC by now. I'd take Harvey Milk anyday over Diane Feinstein.
Harvey Milk never
got the recognition he truly deserves for not only breaking down a LOT
of doors and glass ceilings for gays and lesbians, but for inspiring all
of us that the underdog can lose many battles, but still win the war in
The Good Fight. The people know a true hero when they see one.
