Possible Harvey Milk Day, Could Be First Gay Holiday
Democratic assemblyman, Mark Leno announced today that he plans on introducing a bill to establish a California state holiday on May 22, the day civil rights pioneer Harvey Milk was born.
The proposed ‘Harvey Milk Day’ is being supported by the states largest LGBT civil rights organization, Equality California in hopes that the day will help provide a forum to raise public awareness.
Milk was the first openly gay official elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 and gave hope to a generation of discriminated gay and lesbian individuals. Milk’s life was cut short when he was assassinated in the same city he served in 1978.