Remembering Harvey Milk

By Caroline Skaret, Alliant Credit Union

Today, a friend and colleague shared their favorite Harvey Milk quotes and their remembrances of this pivotal icon and his continued importance to today’s political climate. That spurred me to post.

How do I remember Harvey Milk? I remember how the first openly gay man to run for office was portrayed in the 2008 movie, Milk, by Sean Penn. The scenes portraying his life and the lives of other gay men in his lifetime (1930 to 1979) have stuck with me since then. As someone who came of age during the height of the AIDS crisis, this story made it, and the people who suffered most, very real.  

According to the Harvey Milk Foundation’s official biography, he ran for local office because he “believed that government should represent individuals… and should ensure equality for all citizens while providing needed services.” That resonates today as the community and other marginalized groups are being pushed out of their cities and states as legislation is passed that makes them and their needs illegal.

It’s not only important to recognize Harvey Milk’s achievements in the past but to recognize the throughline as LGBTQIA+ community continues to face today’s challenges and remain politically active as a protest. Two community members, and CU PRIDE supporters, are carrying on this important work, Linda Bodie in West Virginia and Ashley Brundage in Florida.

Today is a great day to remember Harvey Milk and others who paved the way for LGBTQIA+ rights. But I ask you to remember the work isn’t finished and to support those who are continuing to lead the way forward so government represents and ensures equity for all individuals.

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Author

Caroline is a senior technical writer with Alliant Credit Union. She is a fierce advocate for inclusion and belonging and part of the CU Pride Volunteer Network. Connect with her on LinkedIn.