Biography of Harvey Milk

         

Brownlowe          3

         

Sarah Brownlowe
Kate Shaugnessy
US History
14 November 2013

Harvey Milk

         For years people have discriminated many things, gender, race, and especially sexual orientation. People have been afraid of sexual orientation and for years they have claimed that it is a mental disorder that could be 'fixed' or 'cured' when in reality, we all just have different perspectives on how we see the opposite gender. Harvey Milk, a LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) activist from Woodmere, New York, could relate to all of the others that have suffered because of other people's views and ignorance. He was a man that knew he was gay in high school, but didn't tell anyone for fear of being rejected. He was a man that had been with countless partners since he graduated high school. He was a man that ran three times in office while people knew that he was, indeed, a homosexual. He was a man that changed the views of the people in one city and, slowly, the views of politics over the years. Harvey Milk has been a big influence in our society throughout the years on us as a nation social, historically, and personally.
         Harvey Milk left this Earth leaving a large crater of impact behind him. Before his death, this man was known as "The Mayor of Castro Street" and was a beacon of hope for all of the LGBT community in and around Castro Street. The people that visited Castro Street during the time that he was alive were all in high hopes that they would have some place where they would be able to spend some time relaxing how they wanted to, instead of worrying about if the police. After his death, Harvey had left big steps in the political office and government. His goal had been to show the world that the LGBT community were not monsters and could work just as the rest of the world could. With this goal in mind, he conducted a voter registration drive for those that could not vote or were not yet registered. He also launched the Castro fair, which was created to honor those in the LGBT community. In today's society the fair still goes on and venders among others come to the fair to enjoy the diversity of the fair. Also, because of his achievements in office, more LGBT peoples are elected into official positions in office. They have also created a movie based on Harvey called "Milk", which explains his life and what he has done for the nation.
         Harvey Milk was born May 22nd 1930 in Woodmere, New York. He grew up in a Jewish home with his parents William and Monerva Karns Milk, and his one older brother Robert Milk. While he was in high school he found his love for theater and with it, he realized that he needed to support gay rights. Before then he didn't want to have anything to do with it. He graduated in 1947 from Bay Shore High School and went to college for Math at The University at Albany, The State University of New York. During his time in college he wrote for the school newspaper. No one in the college knew that he was gay and he did not make it obvious or known. After he graduated from college he joined the Navy as an officer in the Korean War, but was discharged in 1955. According to Navy records he was honorably discharged; however, he often said he was removed from the Navy during a homosexual expulsion. After this he taught as George W. Hewlett High School in New York, but was unhappy with his life, so he moved back to San Francisco and opened a camera shop with his partner Scott Smith on Castro Street. Eventually Castro Street became a hangout for the LGBT community. As a result of the Watergate scandal Harvey ran for supervisor several times, from his camera shop and with Smith as his manager. It took three tries before he was elected into office.
         He has impacted many lives with his courage and honesty. He didn't start out as someone who wanted to be in office, he just wanted to live away from all the hate with the person he loved. Harvey Milk made this world a place where LGBT don't have to be afraid to walk around on the streets with their partners anymore. They don't have to be afraid that even the briefest brush of hands will be seen by other people. He has had a huge impact on my life and it has, thankfully, been a positive one because of my own sexual orientation. If he had not been such an influential figure, some of the nation and even the world would still be getting used to the LGBT community. I still do have problems every now and again with people who have not yet become accustomed to it, but Harvey Milk has made it better.
Harvey Milk is all over a good man. He was honest and did what he thought of as right. Even though he was kind of a weirdo for dating really young guys that is something that isn't hard to overlook. He was incredibly inspirational to the public eye. Harvey Milk was the sort of man that would have not gotten wrapped up in affairs with the government if he wasn't pushed in. This is something that made him good at what he did. He took his perspective of the people and changed official views for the better.

Bibliography

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