Milk
Background:
Timeline
1969 June 28 – The StonewallRiots in New York City’s Greenwich Village spark the birth of the Gay
Liberation movement
1972 Milk moves from New York
City back to San Francisco with his lover Scott
Smith
1973 Milk
and Smith open the Castro Camera shop in the Castro District
Allied with Teamsters
representative Allan Baird, Milk
effects a ban of Coors Beer from bars in the Castro District and elsewhere in
the city
[during this timeline through 1978] Dick Pabich and Jim Rivaldo
work with Milk as political strategists; Frank
Robinson works as Milk’s speechwriter
With a campaign managed
by Smith and Rivaldo, Milk runs for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for
the first time, and loses
1974 Milk reorganizes the
Castro Village Association of local merchants, and helps launch the first
Castro Street Fair*
[during this timeline through 1978] Michael Wong works with Milk as an advisor
1975 Castro Camera customer Danny Nicoletta joins the shop’s staff,
in addition to working on all of Milk’s subsequent campaigns
Milk again runs for the
San Francisco Board of Supervisors and loses; former California State Senator George Moscone, supported by Milk, is
elected Mayor of San Francisco
1976 [during this timeline through 1978] Cleve Jones works with Milk as an activist
Milk is appointed by
Mayor Moscone to the Board of Permit Appeals, a position from which he is later
removed by the mayor after announcing a bid for California State Assembly
Milk is instrumental in
placing a ballot initiative approved by Mayor Moscone that successfully
replaces citywide elections with district elections
Milk loses the State
Assembly election to Art Agnos
1977 June 7 – “Orange Tuesday;”
Activist Anita Bryant wins her campaign to overturn Dade County Florida’s gay
rights ordinance, effectively mobilizing a decades-long campaign of intolerance
against the gay community
With the new district
elections system in place, Milk – now living with his lover Jack Lira – runs for the San Francisco
Board of Supervisors for a third time in a campaign managed by Anne Kronenberg, winning the seat for
District 5, which includes the Castro; he is the first openly gay man ever
elected to major public office in America
(following the 1974 elections of openly gay women Kathy Kozachenko and
Elaine Noble in Michigan and Massachusetts, respectively); among his opponents
in the election is openly gay attorney Rick
Stokes
1978 January 9 - Milk is sworn
into office, as are his fellow newly elected supervisors ex-fireman Dan White (representing District 8, the
Excelsior District) and women’s rights advocate Carol Ruth Silver, among others
Issues that Milk acts on
while in office include programs for senior citizens; dog owners cleaning up
after their pets; and accessible and comprehensible voting machines for all
citizens
With schoolteacher Tom Ammiano coming out and putting a
face on the issue, Milk captains the landmark San Francisco gay rights
ordinance (he notes that the ordinance’s “main focus is to prevent people from
being fired”), which is co-sponsored by Silver and passed by the Board of
Supervisors (White’s is the only dissenting vote); Mayor Moscone signs the bill
into law
Bryant successfully
lobbies for the repeal of gay rights ordinances in St. Paul, MN (April 25),
Wichita, KS (May 9), and Eugene, OR (May 23); the Wichita repeal in particular galvanizes the SF community
(“Wichita means fight back!”)
Capitalizing on Bryant’s
momentum, California State Senator John
Briggs sponsors Proposition 6 (the Briggs Initiative), seeking to ban gays
from teaching in California public schools and to remove known homosexuals and
their supporters from their posts.
Video of John Briggs and Harvey Milk discussing Prop. 6.
Interview with Milk on Prop 6.
Video of John Briggs and Harvey Milk discussing Prop. 6.
Interview with Milk on Prop 6.
June 25 - The Rainbow
Flag, designed by Milk supporter Gilbert
Baker as a symbol of unity in the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender; also known as GLBT [Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender])
community, is unveiled for the first time in SF at the Gay Freedom Day Parade;
Milk rides in the parade, encouraging bystanders and TV/radio viewers to “just
come on out!”
November 7 – Proposition
6 is defeated, after Milk’s campaign against it (in part, “Don’t Let It Happen
Here”) rallies support from California Governor Jerry Brown and the state’s Democratic
Party, the Log Cabin [gay grouping of] Republicans, former California Governor
Ronald Reagan, Dan White, thousands of voters, and President Jimmy Carter
November 10 – Dan White
resigns as supervisor; he then reconsiders and lobbies unsuccessfully to get
his job back
November 18 – San
Franciscans and the entire world are horrified by the news that SF-based
People’s Temple’s cult leader Jim Jones has ordered the murders of U.S.
Congressman Leo Ryan and others on an airstrip in Guyana, South America; and,
hours later, that Jones has presided over the mass suicide of 900 church
members who drank cyanide-laced Kool-Aid
November 18 - Harvey records a spoken will and testament to be played in the of his assassination. He makes three copies
November 18 - Harvey records a spoken will and testament to be played in the of his assassination. He makes three copies
November 27 – At City
Hall, White shoots Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Milk to death; that night, more than 30,000 people march from the
Castro to City Hall in a peaceful candlelight vigil
Milk and Moscone’s
closed coffins lie in state at City Hall for several days as thousands of
mourners file past them
December 2 – Milk’s
friends scatter his ashes into the Pacific Ocean
December 4 – Supervisor
Board President Dianne Feinstein is
sworn in as Mayor, succeeding George Moscone
1979 May 21 [the day
before what would have been Harvey Milk’s 49th birthday] – After
pleading “diminished capacity” due to isolation, lack of intimacy with his
wife, and consumption of too many sugary snacks (the “Twinkie Defense”), White
is convicted by a jury of Voluntary Manslaughter and sentenced to 7 years in
prison; the sentence sparks the “White Night Riots” (see below) in protest, with clashes
between police and citizens leading to police cars being set on fire and the
entrance to City Hall being battered.
1982 Wisconsin becomes the fist state to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
1984 The City of Berkley, California, becomes the first city to offer employees domestic-partnership benefits.
1982 Wisconsin becomes the fist state to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
1984 The City of Berkley, California, becomes the first city to offer employees domestic-partnership benefits.
January 7 – White is paroled from Soledad State Prison after less than 5 years served
November 1 – The
documentary feature The Times of Harvey
Milk, directed by Rob Epstein and produced by Richard Schmiechen, screens
at the Castro Theatre
1985 October 21 – Dan
White commits suicide at home, in his garage.
1993 President Clinton implements the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy into the military. The original intent allow gays into the army, but not allow homosexual activities. The bill was met with strong opposition.
1993 President Clinton implements the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy into the military. The original intent allow gays into the army, but not allow homosexual activities. The bill was met with strong opposition.
1999 June 14 – Time
Magazine names Harvey Milk one of the “Time 100 Heroes and Icons” of the
20th century
Showtime releases Execution of Justice, a telefilm based on the stage play of the same name. Execution of Justice concentrates on Dan White and the murders of Supervisor Milk and Mayor George Moscone rather than Milk's life and achievements.
2004 May 17 - Massachusetts makes same-sex marriages legal
2007 November - The House of Representatives pass a bill ensuring equal rights to gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals.
Showtime releases Execution of Justice, a telefilm based on the stage play of the same name. Execution of Justice concentrates on Dan White and the murders of Supervisor Milk and Mayor George Moscone rather than Milk's life and achievements.
2004 May 17 - Massachusetts makes same-sex marriages legal
2007 November - The House of Representatives pass a bill ensuring equal rights to gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals.
2008 May 19 – California State
Assemblyman Mark Leno (D – San Francisco)’s sponsored bill to permanently mark
[Milk’s birthday] May 22 as Harvey Milk Day (as a day of special significance,
not a state government holiday) is passed by the State Assembly
May 22 – On what would
have been his 78th birthday, a sculpture bust of Harvey Milk, with
accompanying bas-relief imagery and a Milk quotation on its pedestal, is
unveiled in San Francisco; the Memorial stands in the Ceremonial Rotunda of
City Hall at the top of the Grand Staircase, where wedding ceremonies are held,
and is the first likeness of an openly gay person to be permanently ensconced
in a civil building in America
August 5 – The
California Senate splits along party lines in narrowly approving the Harvey
Milk
Day bill, which will soon be weighed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
2012 - California passes a repeal of Prop 8. the bill that legally band gays and lesbians from getting married. The reason that it was repealed due to it going against a persons natural right to be happy.
White Night
With the sentencing of Dan White only being seven years of jail time for two acounts of manslaughter, the community was furious. They wanted justice that was not given. The day of the trial, as evening came around, masses of people met in the streets of the Castro. They were angry and wanted everyone to know. They met with no real purpose in mind, no destination or plan of action, they just wanted something, anything to be done. The crowd move into the intersection of Castro and Market, where traffic ceased and a few policemen merely watch the scene. With numbers reaching over a thousand, tensions grew so high that standing alone was not enough. The rally cry became "City Hall". Now they had a destination. The crowd marched form Castro to City Hall.
As the crowd moved along the streets, more people joined in. By the time the crown reached City Hall, the masses were huge. They got there, and because there was no leader, no goal, people took matters into their own hands to tell the world that they were mad. People began tearing the wrought iron grills off of City Hall windows. People were horrified by the damage done to their building, but they were mad enough to keep it going. And going it did. Windows were smashed, and people went in and one even started a fire in the basement with desk papers. City Hall was in shambles.
By this time, several hundred police men in riot gear were standing watch, but not allowed to respond. There were also police cars parked at the end of the street. Because no one really wanted to damage City Hall, just make a stetement, they now had a new target. When the crowd went for the police cars, cheers and applause came and nearly a dozen police cars were ablaze, car horns and alarms wailing into the night.
By this time, some were satisfied and began returning home, or were fearing the still waiting police. As the crowd was thinning down, the police began their assault. War had begun, and the people fought bravely, using anything they could as weapos against the police. And these were men and women fighting for what they believed in. Casualies were had on both sides, the civilians almost took out as many of the police as the police did them. The police pushed the people out of the civic center and back to the marketplace. Where there were masses retelling the events and helping the wounded. But the police did not feel avenged. By midnight officers showed up to the Castro and wanted to even the score. Some did not even wear badges or name tags. "These police were vicious. They were very unprofessional. They were out for blood." Source
Day bill, which will soon be weighed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
2012 - California passes a repeal of Prop 8. the bill that legally band gays and lesbians from getting married. The reason that it was repealed due to it going against a persons natural right to be happy.
White Night
With the sentencing of Dan White only being seven years of jail time for two acounts of manslaughter, the community was furious. They wanted justice that was not given. The day of the trial, as evening came around, masses of people met in the streets of the Castro. They were angry and wanted everyone to know. They met with no real purpose in mind, no destination or plan of action, they just wanted something, anything to be done. The crowd move into the intersection of Castro and Market, where traffic ceased and a few policemen merely watch the scene. With numbers reaching over a thousand, tensions grew so high that standing alone was not enough. The rally cry became "City Hall". Now they had a destination. The crowd marched form Castro to City Hall.
As the crowd moved along the streets, more people joined in. By the time the crown reached City Hall, the masses were huge. They got there, and because there was no leader, no goal, people took matters into their own hands to tell the world that they were mad. People began tearing the wrought iron grills off of City Hall windows. People were horrified by the damage done to their building, but they were mad enough to keep it going. And going it did. Windows were smashed, and people went in and one even started a fire in the basement with desk papers. City Hall was in shambles.
By this time, several hundred police men in riot gear were standing watch, but not allowed to respond. There were also police cars parked at the end of the street. Because no one really wanted to damage City Hall, just make a stetement, they now had a new target. When the crowd went for the police cars, cheers and applause came and nearly a dozen police cars were ablaze, car horns and alarms wailing into the night.
By this time, some were satisfied and began returning home, or were fearing the still waiting police. As the crowd was thinning down, the police began their assault. War had begun, and the people fought bravely, using anything they could as weapos against the police. And these were men and women fighting for what they believed in. Casualies were had on both sides, the civilians almost took out as many of the police as the police did them. The police pushed the people out of the civic center and back to the marketplace. Where there were masses retelling the events and helping the wounded. But the police did not feel avenged. By midnight officers showed up to the Castro and wanted to even the score. Some did not even wear badges or name tags. "These police were vicious. They were very unprofessional. They were out for blood." Source
Anita Bryant and the Dade County Ordinance
Anita Bryant, a singer and celebrity spokesperson led a crusade on a 1977 Dade County, Florida an ordinance that prohibited discrimination the basis of sexual orientation. She led a highly publicized campaign to repeal the ordinance under her stance of “Save Our Children”. Throughout her anti-gay rights campaign Bryant attacked homosexuality and compared it to child molestation. Her homophobic remarks and statements led to back lash from the gay community and its supports but she also gained praise from those against the ordinance and homosexuality. Her campaign led to the repeal of the anti-discriminator ordinance by 69 to 31. Here is some actual footage of Anita Bryant and her campaign against gays, and getting pied in the face.
In the movie, Anita Bryant is depicted as an antagonist. Using actual footage and qutoes of her in the film. Characters in the movie can be seen wearing "Anita Sucks" shirts and chanting "Anita, you liar, we'll set your hair on fire" during a march after the Dade County ordinance was repealed.
Dan White Trial
Dan White Trial
On April 23
1979 Dan White’s trial began. White was on trial for murder of Mayor Moscone
and Supervisor Harvey Milk. The jury was made up of white males and females
with no minorities. The female mothers even had children the same age as Whites
children. The defense lawyer Douglas Schmidt argued diminished capacity with
the prosecution seeking murder in the 1st degree. Diminished Capacity does not mean the
defendant is insane, they understand right from wrong and the consequences, but
they don’t possess the mental state required to premeditate a crime. On the
Cornell law page diminished capacity is defined as “ A "diminished
capacity plea differs in important ways from "not guilty by reason of
insanity." "Reason of insanity" is an affirmative defense to crimes.
That is, a successful plea of insanity will, in most states, result in a
verdict of "not guilty" and commission of the defendant to a mental
institution. "Diminished capacity," on the other hand, merely results
in the defendant being convicted of a lesser offense.” Schmidt wanted to focus
more on the motivation of Whites crime rather then the crime itself. White was under a lot of pressure at
the time which led to his depression. White was portrayed as a victim to the
political pressures. The facts of the crime were not challenged, just the
reason behind them. Instead of acting in hatred toward the Mayor and Harvey,
Milk had acted in the heat of passion and snapped due to his failure of being
reappointed. The defense had many of Dan’s friends and family members come and
testify during the trial. Dan’s wife was a regular witness on the stand to provide
Dan with a more sympathetic feel. Some of the jury members even cried when Dan
White gave his confession.
The psychiatrist on the case Martin Blinder testified in court about
Whites mental health. When White got depressed his whole routine changed. He
stopped eating properly, shunned his family, and started to eat a lot of junk
food, which has a lot of sugar. An increase in sugar can cause a chemical imbalance
in the brain that will make depression worse. The consumption was an effect of
the depression but not the cause. The juke food diet was not the cause of the killings,
which most people believe. The media has framed the trial into the popular
phrase “ eat a Twinkie, commit a murder”. But in reality during the trial
twinkies were not even mentioned. When discussing Whites sugary diet HoHos and
Ding Dongs might have been mentioned but no twinkies. Some say that the day
after the trial San Francisco columnist Herb Caen made the first twinkie remark
in the San Francisco Chronicle about the “twinkie insanity defense”. Others say
it was one of the courtroom artists Paul Krassner who coined the phrase
"Twinkie defense"
There was no question as to White being guilty. The
jury had to decide if the murders were premeditated. For days they argued both
sides of the case. Jury member
Darlene Benton said, "The prosecution thought it was such a clear-cut case
they didn't do their job." White
hid the gun under his jacket, evaded metal detectors, brought along extra
bullets, killed Moscone only after the mayor rebuffed his demand, reloaded, and
walked straight to Milks office and killed him, all seeming evidence of
premeditation. Yet the jury bought his plea. Did the prosecution fail? Or did
the jury not have enough evidence to convict White? By the
end of the trial the jury had to consider reasonable doubt and ended up
charging White with the lesser verdict voluntary manslaughter instead of murder
in the 1st degree. Dan White was sentences to a maximum stay of
seven years and eight months in prison for the murder of Mayor Moscone and
Harvey Milk.The Twinkie
trial myth has become so popular its in law textbooks, Google references, and
university exams. In the end everyone loves a good fable over reality.
