Wikipedia:Today's featured article/November 27, 2008



Harvey Milk (1930–1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Milk moved to San Francisco in 1972 and opened a camera store. He settled in the Castro District, a neighborhood that was experiencing a mass immigration of gay men and lesbians. He ran for city supervisor in 1973, though he encountered resistance from the existing gay political establishment. His campaign was compared to theater; he was brash, outspoken, animated, and outrageous, earning media attention and votes, although not enough to be elected. He campaigned again in the next two supervisor elections, dubbing himself the "Mayor of Castro Street". Voters responded enough to warrant his running for the California State Assembly as well. Taking advantage of his growing popularity, he led the gay political movement in fierce battles against anti-gay initiatives. Milk was elected city supervisor in 1977 after San Francisco reorganized its election procedures to choose representatives from neighborhoods rather than through city-wide ballots. On November 27, 1978, Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by Dan White, another city supervisor who had recently resigned and wanted his job back. Milk has become an icon in San Francisco and "a martyr for gay rights", according to University of San Francisco professor Peter Novak. (more...)

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