Being Thankful for Harvey Milk

This is, of course, Thanksgiving Day.

I do indeed find myself thankful, for so much…

And I’ve noticed today is also the thirtieth anniversary of the assassination of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone.

I recall watching Supervisor Dianne Feinstein announcing the murders on the evening news that day, picturing her standing in front of the City Hall. In preparation for this entry I went looking for visuals and couldn’t find them, making me wonder if this is a constructed memory or not. Of course that it is engrained in my mind’s eye says much…

This was shocking. Still is, thirty years later…

I don’t have a lot to say about this, other than noticing how complicated life is, how complicated thankfulness is.

For the LGBT rights movement it is a step or two forward and a step back. The recent votes in Florida, Arizona and most devastatingly, California witness that the struggle continues. Sadness and joy, woven tight.

Still, thinking about Harvey Milk and what was going on thirty years ago, it’s hard not to notice things have come a long way. More than a step or two…

And this was a guy who helped to get it all going.

Here is an excerpt from his most famous speech. The theme is hope.

Knowing that death hunted him, Harvey Milk recorded a message to be released in the event of his assassination. Here it is.

And, last, here’s a trailer for the new film about Milk, a remarkable person, truly deserving of being remembered & celebrated.