Milk_the_Movie

Milk: More Than An Activist Tracy Wellsted Davenport University SOSC201 - Diversity In Society Professor Nancy Bartkowski November 20, 2010 The story Milk is a bibliography of the life and times of Harvey Milk, a gay activist, who fought for and became an elected official in California during the 70‘s. Through out the movie you hear Harvey recording his last testament to be played if he is assassinated. On his 40th birthday, in a subway station Harvey meet and fell in love with his young lover, Scott Smith. After some time they decided to move to San Francisco to find a higher gay populations, a better and open life. They moved to the up and coming neighborhood known as “The Castro”, in San Francisco. Harvey and Scott opened a little shop and named it “Castro Cameras”, this store would become the center of many important political and activist movements. After many frustrations and disappointments with bigotry and discrimination from neighbors and police. Scott and Harvey decided they need to speak up and unite to fight the injustices that were happening all around them. Harvey got on his “soap box” and never came down. After running and losing in 1973 and 1975 for City Supervisor and in 1976 for California State Assembly; Harvey made changes to his political team and brought in Campaign Manager Anne Kronenberg to replace Scott who could no longer tolerate Harvey’s deep devotion to politics and left the relationship. In 1977 Harvey won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. In office Harvey forged many relationships some extremely valuable and productive such as with Mayor George Moscone, some tense and peculiar, such as with fellow supervisor Dan White and some straight up hated such as with John Briggs a legislator for Orange County, CA. As time goes by legislators realize that Harvey has power and people are listening to him, he has been able to support a ban of Coors Beer forging a strong union with the Teamster Union. Scared, John Briggs sponsors Proposition 6 a ban that will keep all gays and lesbians from working in California’s public schools where he says “they may recruit and molest our children“. He goes even further to state that even if you support the gay or lesbians you should be fired. The campaign takes on power and Anita Bryant becomes the loudest proponent of the ban. On November 7, 1978 Harvey and his team celebrate in the remarkable victory of defeating proposal 6. On November 27, 1978 Dan White enters into Mayor George Moscone’s office, outraged over his job, and shoots him three times. He then walks down the hallway into a private office with Harvey and proceeds to shoot Harvey three times in the chest, as Harvey falls to his knees and turns towards the window he stares at the posters of his favorite opera. Dan White shot the final bullet into the back of Harvey’s skull. The movie ends in an emotional scene with Smith and Kronenberg standing amiss 10’s of thousands of humans walking down Castro Avenue in a candle vigil in celebration of Harvey Smith‘s life. In many scenes through out the movie you heard and saw the minorities (gays and lesbians) be bashed or referred to by labels that had been placed on them by the majority groups (heterosexuals) such as faggots, queers and gays. You watched the “gays” be harassed and in some cases abused for no other reason other than they were gay. These gay men had to carry whistles to protect themselves from violence. Many people throughout the movie had been taught and never questioned the facts that homosexuality is bad and immoral. This dogmatic belief, caused many conflicts. In one part of the movie you see a man wiping his hand after shaking Harvey’s, afraid of catching AIDS, I am sure. This movie definitely portrayed the exceptionality perspective on this social issue. The majority felt that if the gays would just stop fighting and ultimately stop being gay there would not be any deviants or problems in society. They addressed the issues as if being gay was a choice that the individuals made. In one scene of the movie Harvey is speaking with Dan White at his 48th birthday when Dan refers to Ban 6 as an issue; Harvey makes it very clear that Ban 6 is not an issue it is his and his friends lives. This was not just a bill it was part of who they were. The bigotry that was layered throughout this movie was sickening to watch and reflect on. The evidence of prejudice and discrimination throughout the movie with every character in this movie was astonishing. Everything from the avoidance rationalization that was going on when the police where raiding and beating gays who were not hurting anyone; to the denial rationalization that Legislator Biggs states when he says it is illegal to be gay, so they gays broke the law, anything that happened was justified. I believe the above mentioned scenarios describes the depth of the avoidance of the homosexual movement that was occurring in the 70’s and sadly still continues today. In today’s society gays and lesbians are more widely accepted in many aspects of our lives, largely due to the sacrifices of Harvey Milk. However, I still believe that dogmatic views passed down from generation to generation stops the heterosexual groups from wholly accepting homosexuals completely. If this were not a true statement you would not see and hear powerful people and commoners in avoidance rationalization. They continue to site the bible and “God’s” wishes as to why homosexuals can not have all the rights, as humans, they are entitled to. This movie had a huge impact on me from the opening scenes. I have always known that minority groups have had to fight for their rights in one manner or another, but to be arrested because you were gay rendered me silent. Then to continue throughout the movie to see the injustice, the strength and humiliation it took to fight this cause, not just Harvey’s but every person who fought alongside him as well. Surprisingly to me I had a hard time with the open affection that was portrayed in the movie, I kept looking away, then I realized that I had been taught, but I am not sure by whom, that two men (or woman) kissing was wrong, immoral and sickening. I can’t come to terms with my reactions during the course of the movie and this paper, but I will continue to talk it out and come to a solution as to why it is such an uncomfortable act for me to witness. Nonetheless, the injustice, bigotry and discrimination, although maybe not as severe today as in 1978, must end. Gay people are people, they are humans and have a right to live in peace in our great world. References Koppelman, K & Goodhart, L. Understanding Human Differences Third Edition Pearson Milk (2008) Released on DVD March 10, 2009 Directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Dustin Lance Black