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I mentioned my excitement at the upcoming release of Milk and discovered that people of my acquainted are not as familiar with Harvey Milk as I'd wish. Who is Harvey Milk? Harvey Milk was the first to be elected to political office as an openly gay man. He was murdered along with San Fransisco Mayor Moscone by Ron White, a disgraced former colleague. White's lawyers pioneered the "twinkie" defence. Milk was a community organizer who did grassroots campaigning allying Gay/lesbians and working class folks. He was a progressive generally. He was key in getting Californians to vote down the Briggs Initiative which was meant to bar LGBT folks from working in schools. During his campaign, he got people to stand at stop lights holding signs like Burma Shave. He'd mix in butch working class folk in their work clothes as construction workers, firemen, etc. with drag queens and the like. I love that he was this unashamed "sissy" gay Jew who got all those people from all walks of life to work for and respect him as a man and a politician.