https://www.npr.org/2018/11/27/670657965/40-years-after-the-assassination-of-harvey-milk-lgbt-candidates-find-success
I was particularly interested by the legacy left by Harvey Milk after our class discussion. This article does a great job of breaking down and well illustrating the influence that Harvey Milk has had on the LGBTQ community, particularly those who hold positions in office. Statements as profound as "it changed the world" are made in this article. It is an extremely heroic outlook on Harvey Milk's actions and activism for the LGBTQ community. I am curious to know if looking at a white gay male and making Milk the spotlight and martyr of gay activism shows the exclusivity of many early, and even contemporary, gay activism organizations?
Hey! I was thinking about a similar issue. After watching the documentary today in class, I realized that part of the reason Milk had such a legacy and impact was because he vehemently championed civil rights and progressive policies for his diverse San Francisco constituents. Yet, whiteness is still so central to his story. One thing I found most striking was the black man interviewed in the documentary about Dan White's sentence, noting that the sentence would have been different if Dan White were a person of color. This statement was one of the only issues of race explicitly discussed in the documentary, other than several mentions to the fact that Milk was a true ally to the Chinese-American community. Still, Milk broke down barriers as the first openly gay elected official in the history of California. But I think you are right- it is likely that he could be this "first" because he was white. And part of his legacy is more progressive and diverse San Francisco elected officials.
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