Welcome, little fact-enthusiasts, to know about the life and achievements of an American politician and also the first openly gay man to be elected in California’s public office, Harvey Milk😲!
From being a renowned civil and human rights activist to being a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, this famous person has several important facts to offer!
This article will provide some wonderful facts about Harvey Milk that will completely amaze you!
Let us start the exciting revelation!
Interesting Harvey Milk Facts
Harvey Milk: Explore his birth secrets
Harvey Milk was born in the New York City suburb of Woodmere.
His dad was Willian Milk and mom was Minerva Karns.
He was the younger son of Lithuanian Jewish parents and the grandson of a department store owner, Morris Milk.
Harvey’s grandfather🧓 helped to organize the first in the area.
Harvey had an elder brother, Robert Milk, who worked in the family’s department store.
As a child, Harvey was teased for his gib nose, protruding ears, and oversized feet.
While he was in school, he loved to play football and developed a passion for opera.
Milk and his education: Know about his school and college
Milk graduated in 1947 from Bay Shore High School 🏛️ in Bay Shore, New York.
Later, he attended New York State College for teachers in Albany, majoring in mathematics from 1947 to 1951.
He even wrote for the college newspaper📰.
According to one of his classmates, “He was never thought of as a possible queer-that’s what you call them then -he was a man’s man.”
Milk even joined the United States Navy
Have you heard this interesting fact about Milk?
After graduation, he joined the United States Navy during the Korean War.
He served as a driving officer aboard the submarine rescue ship USS Kittiwake (ASR-13).
Later, he was transformed to Naval Station, San Diego, to work as a diving instructor.
In 1955, he left the Navy at the rank of lieutenant, junior grade!!
He was forced to accept an “other than honorable” discharge and leave the service rather than face a court-martial because of his homosexuality😲.
Harvey Milk discovered his talents on Wall Street
In New York, Harvey took a job teaching high school.
During that time, he was residing openly with his lover Joe Campbell.
After a few years, Milk did not like teaching. So, he tried his hand at some other occupations prior to getting a job with the famous Wall Street investment firm Bache and Company in the year 1963.
At Bache, Milk found out that he had a knack for finance and investment, and hence, his accent of the corporate ladder was quite swift.
Milk had an interest in Theater
Jack Galen McKinley, Milk’s new romantic interest, worked in theater, and through him, milk became involved as well.
As the presence of gays in the theater world was quite visible, Milk started to come to terms more completely with his homosexuality.
McKinley was hired as a stage director for O’Horgan’s San Francisco production of the musical🎼 Hair in 1968.
So, Milk decided to move to California with McKinley, and there he got a job as a financial analyst.
During a protest of the American invasion of Cambodia in 1970, Milk burned his BankAmericard in front of a crowd.
Milk wrote newspaper columns for his alma mater
Harvey Milk was a man of many interests.
Other than being a lover of theater or even working on Wall Street, he even played multiple sports and wrote columns in the student newspaper📰 at his alma mater, the New York College for Teachers.
Thus, after graduation, Milk built a really impressive resume before relocating to San Francisco in the year 1972.
Harvey Milk became quite famous as “The Mayor of Castro Street”
By the time Milk put his stamp on the Castro Street of San Francisco, the famed street-and its surrounding district -had already turned into a hub for the gay community of the city.
In the year 1973, Milk and his then-partner opened Castro Camera.
It was a small photo development 🖼️shop which turned into a neighborhood gathering spot.
Milk used the store as his campaign headquarters during all of his bids regarding public offices, which eventually earned him the nickname “The Mayor of Castro Street.”
Really interesting😲, isn’t it?
The Vietnam War: It changed the political ideology of Harvey Milk
When in 1977, Milk won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, he ran a democrat.
Yet his previous forays into politics were on the aisle’s other side.
More than decade earlier, Milk had been recruited to work on the 1964 presidential campaign of Republican Barry Goldwater.
It was the Vietnam War that transformed his politics.
In 1978, Milk told NBC News, “The day Nixon invaded Cambodia was the day I had to speak out against war profiteers, large corporations, and so forth.”
Dog pop: It was a major headache for Milk
Did you know this interesting secret about Harvey Milk? No? Let me explain.
Milk told San Francisco’s KQED News in 1978, “I don’t want to put anybody in jail, I don’t want to fine anybody. I just want to clean up the mess. 😲”
He sponsored a bill that imposed fees of $10 or more on area dog owners who were unable to curb their pets🐶.
By future mayor and current U.S. Senator, Dianne Feinstein Milk was nicknamed the Scoop the Poop Act, the ordinance of Milk was unanimously passed by the Board of Supervisors. Interesting, right?
Organizing a beer boycott: For this Milk and the San Francisco Teamsters union worked together
In the year 1973, half a dozen large beer distributers refused to hire union truck drivers.
Hence, the following summer, Allan Baird of the San Francisco Teamsters Union asked Milk to convince the gay bars of the city to participate in a mass boycott of those companies.
Milk readily agreed stating: “If we in the gay community want others to help us in our fight against discrimination, then we must help others in their fights.”
With his help, the gay-owned bars of San Francisco blacklisted the distributors, forcing five of them to reverse their stances on union drivers.
Milk once thought of marrying a lesbian
Let’s explore a unique fact about Milk!! 😲!
Most of the times, Milk tried to keep his early romantic life separate from his work and family.
Once feeling bored in New York, Milk even thought of moving to Miami and marry a lesbian friend to “have a front of each other and each would not be in the way of the other.”
However, later he decided to remain in New York.
In 1962, he became involved with Craig Rodwell, a man ten years older than Milk.
However, their relationship ended as Milk became alarmed at Rodwell’s tendency to agitate the police.
In Honor of Harvey Milk, The U.S. Navy named a ship
I am really amazed to learn this interesting secret about Harvey Milk!
Now, Milk’s name graces a New York City high school, a San Francisco airport terminal, and also street signs across the west coast.
Moreover, there is the USNS Harvey Milk, a naval replenishment oiler, which is now under construction.
“Naming this ship after🚢 Harvey Milk is a fitting tribute to a man who had been at the forefront of advocating for civil and human rights,” said by former Navy Secretary Ray Mabus in 2016 of the ship’s namesake.
A state initiative that would have banned LGBTQ teachers: Harvey had helped kill the person
On January, 1978, after being sworn into office, Milk threw himself on the fight against California Proposition 6.
Better famous as “the Briggs Initiative,” this ballot measure was championed by State Senator Briggs of Orange County.
If it had been passed, the public schools of California would have been needed to fire all lesbian and gay teachers, counselors, teacher’s aides, and administrators in their employ.
Not only did Milk publicly debate Briggs over the measure, he even urged Jimmy Carter, then-president to condemn it.
That November, when Californians went to the polls, the initiative was defeated by a margin of over 1 million votes.
Harvey Milk: He was assassinated by a colleague at City Hall
Dan White, former fireman and police officer 💂♂️was another newcomer to the board.
At first, the two supervisors seemed to get along well enough, but things soured after Milk voted to open a facility in White’s district for troubled youths.
Citing financial woes and some other concerns, White resigned from the board.
Later in an abrupt turn, White asked Mayor Moscone to reappoint him to his previous position, but the mayor refused.
Mayor’s decision by some liberal members of the board, including Milk.
On November 27, 1978, White, armed with a .38 revolver killed Moscone and even assassinated Milk.
Harvey Milk: He was not the only LGBTQ politician to find success in the 1970s
Before the 1977 election, Milk had unsuccessfully mounted two previous campaigns for a seat of San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
He also failed to get himself elected as a State Assemblyman in California.
However, Milk wasn’t the first open member of the LGBTQ community to become the winner✌️ of an American election.
That honor goes to Kathy Kozachenko. Kathy was voted on to the City Council of Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1974! 😲!
The name Elaine Noble, the first openly gay candidate to get a statewide office in the U.S. She earned this distinction by joining the Massachusetts General Assembly.
Trial of Harvey Milk’s killer: It led to the ‘White Night Riots”
Although White had slain two high-ranking public officials, he was never charged with murder😲!
Instead, White was guilty of voluntary manslaughter, a quite lesser offense that gave him a prison⛓️ sentence of seven-year and eight-month.
Feeling White had escaped justice, around 5000 protestors marched on City Hall.
What followed was famous as the “White Nights Rights” of May 21, 1978.
In that, altercations sparked by the controversial outcome of the trial and left 59 police officers and 124 demonstrators injured.
Later, on October 21, 1985, White took his own life two years after his release! 😲!
Harvey Milk: He was a great coalition builder
I am really impressed to explore this wonderful fact about Harvey Milk! Want to know? Let’s explore!
Coalition building was quite important in Milk’s politics.
He continuously sought to unite the marginalized communities of San Francisco in a shared fight for equality.
He was even concerned about the impact of gentrification in regions like the Mission District, where the Latino community was displaced by an early wave of gentrification.
Years later, gentrification has become a divisive issue in San Francisco, and Milk’s concerns look quite relevant.
The campaigns of Milk covered something more than big civil rights issues.
Summing up
So, little knowledge lovers, now you know a lot about Harvey Milk!!😲!
Our effort was to collect as much information about this famous person as possible…to increase your treasure of knowledge.
Hope we are successful😲!!
I’m a former teacher (and mother of Two Childs) with a background in child development. Here to help you with play-based learning activities for kids. ( Check my Next startup Cledemy.Com)
