Milk

I have lived in the Bay Area for more than half a decade, but yet, I realized I know not much of the local history. Last night I saw one of the best movies I have seen in a while, Milk. It is based on the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man elected to public office in California, who was assassinated along with San Francisco mayor George Moscone in 1978.

I think I must have had watery eyes through half of the movie. I have not known the story of Harvey Milk before, but Sean Penn really put him to life, with such tenderness and genuine affection that one can't help but feel the enormity of his loss. His spirit and passion in his fight for gay civil rights, which only blossomed in his 40s, was awe inspiring. Part of the movie chronicled the movement's successful fight against Proposition 6, which would have stripped the gay community of many civil rights. The movie filled me with both sadness and hope, and most of all, a call to action for the continual fight for equality in light of the recent setbacks in the passing of proposition 8.

I am going to live 12 blocks from where Harvey Milk started his movement, in the district that he would have represented if he ran for office in our time. I'm very grateful for this film. It makes me so full of pride for my city of San Francisco, and makes me appreciate the historical importance of all the great work that's grown from her streets, in the decades past.



You really, really should go see this.
If you don't want to leave the comforts of your chair, then maybe you can pop over to Hulu.com to see the 1984 Oscar-winning documentary about Harvey Milk, for FREE.