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I tend to have the same kind of hard time thinking about Harvey Milk as I do thinking about Martin Luther King, Jr. Both people who fought so hard, and at such great cost, for civil rights, and who died at the hands of a bigot. (In fact, it's really troubling to sit with the realization of how many civil rights/social justice figures were gunned down through the childhood of everyone of my generation.)
I'm always very delicate on days like this, but I pick myself up by reminding myself that it's always better to focus on what people like Harvey did and wanted than what others did TO him.
With that in mind, I want to leave all of you with some quotes and links.
"I cannot prevent anyone from getting angry, or mad, or frustrated. I can only hope that they’ll turn that anger and frustration and madness into something positive, so that two, three, four, five hundred will step forward, so the gay doctors will come out, the gay lawyers, the gay judges, gay bankers, gay architects … I hope that every professional gay will say ‘enough’, come forward and tell everybody, wear a sign, let the world know. Maybe that will help."
"I fully realize that a person who stands for what I stand for, an activist, a gay activist, becomes the target or the potential target for a person who is insecure, terrified, afraid, or very disturbed with themselves."
"If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door." (This one and the quote before from the tape he made to be played in the event of his assassination)
"You’re going to meet the most extraordinary men, the sexiest, brightest, funniest men, and you’re going to fall in love with so many of them, and you won’t know until the end of your life who your greatest friends were or your greatest love was."
"Burst down those closet doors once and for all, and stand up and start to fight."
"It takes no compromising to give people their rights. It takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no survey to remove repressions."
"I know that you cannot live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you gotta give em hope."
"All young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential."
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Executive Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • Get our book! Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead Posts: 63699 | From: An island near Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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Thanks for this post, Heather. I'd never heard of him until I watched the movie Milk. It's one of the few movies that have actually moved me to tears.
He was the catalyst for such change, and sadly, there always seem to be people who consider good change to be something to fight against instead of welcome.
Posts: 52 | From: Canada | Registered: Jul 2009
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If you haven't also seen the documentary done years before then, "The Times of Harvey Milk," you should track it down. IMO, it's even better. I was really impressed with Milk, by all means, but the documentary is AMAZING.
-------------------- Heather Corinna, Executive Director & Founder, Scarleteen About Me • Get our book! Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. - Margaret Mead Posts: 63699 | From: An island near Seattle | Registered: May 2000
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