The Castro District in San Francisco celebrated what would have been Harvey Milk's 95th birthday, honoring his legacy as a pioneer for LGBTQ+ rights. Various community members reflected on Milk's impact, noting the significance of coming out and organizing against discrimination. Current challenges facing the LGBTQ+ community, including cuts to health programs, were emphasized, linking past struggles to present circumstances. Organizers today call for action, urging continued activism in the spirit of Milk's fight for equality, reinforcing that hope and action are crucial as challenges resurface.
Harvey Milk was the first person to stand up and say, no one's going to know us until we come out of the closet, and now we're out of the closet and this is a lasting legacy for us.
Harvey came out and organized at a time that was also very dark, a very difficult time. He showed us what can happen if we come out and organize, and that the power of the people is greater than the power of the few at the top.
When you look at the fights that Harvey fought back in the 70s against blatant discrimination and a hostile government, people who were just trying to destroy our community, people who were calling us pedophiles. That's happening all over again.
The meaning this year is not only Harvey's focus on hope, but the focus on action, and sometimes it means standing up and fighting. And I feel like that's the moment that we're in.
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