Harvey

At the top of the Grand Staircase in San Francisco's City Hall, in the Ceremonial Rotunda that is the most popular place in the building for weddings, you will find a bust of Harvey Bernard Milk.  If you don't know who Harvey Milk is, you really haven't been paying attention.  Something you might not realize though:  Milk only served on San Francisco's Board of Supervisors for just under eleven months.

His legacy is enormous, even if his actual contributions were few in number.  He was a first and even more important, he was a likable guy who could unite people for the common good.  His speeches, especially his "Hope" speech, are legendary.  I have quoted it here on more than one occasion.  There are building and schools and all kinds of things named for him.  Many of you reading this might not have even been alive when Milk was fatally shot (it was nearly 44 years ago), but his encouragement still lives, and it just might have influenced you.

There are some very specific things we should remember Milk for. He organized a pro-gay business association. He also helped start the Castro Street Fair, which continues to be popular. Oh, and locals will recall his most famous piece of legislation, which dealt with dog poop. The ordinance requires people to clean up after their dogs or face a fine.

LGBTQ Pride Month always brings many references to Harvey Milk of course.  I've already mentioned him here in this blog.  This morning I also want to quote him.  It's not as well-known as some of the things he said, it to me it sure is powerful.

"I cannot prevent anyone from getting angry, or mad, or frustrated. I can only hope that they'll turn that anger and frustration and madness into something positive, so that two, three, four, five hundred will step forward, so the gay doctors will come out, the gay lawyers, the gay judges, gay bankers, gay architects I hope that every professional gay will say 'enough', come forward and tell everybody, wear a sign, let the world know. Maybe that will help."