Harvey Milk: The Gay Rights Political Activist

The leader I have chosen to write about is the gay-rights political activist, Harvey Milk. As the first openly gay elected public official in the US, he paved the way for more members of the LGBTQ+ to gain representation in our political process.
As a leader, he proved that even small community leaders can have a large impact. When he was beginning his activism, he started small. In 1973, Milk opened a camera store on Castro Street in San Francisco, which would serve to be the hub of the gay rights political movement of the area. When running for office, Castro Camera would serve as a polling station, allowing the members of the community to come right to the place they’ve known in order to vote. Milk carved a space for the community, staying true, and creating personal connection with the people in that community. He was an effective leader because he put himself on an equal plane with the people he was trying to serve.

As a leader, he also proved that perseverance can be key when making advancements.

His road to office was not a smooth one. In 1973 and 1975, Milk ran for Board of Supervisors, but lost both times. While the second attempt was lost by a slim margin, he would not secure a seat until 1977, when a law was passed allowing neighborhoods to choose their own candidates, where Milk won by a landslide. By trying again and again, not allowing himself to be discouraged, he finally won a seat, where he would go on to pass a gay rights ordinance for San Francisco.
Within his community, Milk encouraged other leaders to rise up and work with him in order to facilitate advancement towards equal rights. In any given system, whether work, the political sphere, or activism circles, there are going to be multiple leaders, and we need those leaders to foster development. By working together, we can accomplish so much more, and Milk showed the principle throughout his

life.
Harvey Milk proved through his life to be a great leader, but the impact of his leadership can also be seen in his death. On November 27th, 1978, Harvey Milk, along with Mayor George Moscone, was shot and killed by a former city supervisor, Dan White. After receiving the lightest possible conviction in court, voluntary manslaughter, the White Night riots were spurned. The riots took place on May 21st, 1979, and became the largest reaction of gay Americans since the Stonewall Riots. After the riots took place, other gay leaders in the community refused to apologize, creating tensions and also increasing the political power of the gay community, leading to success on the mayoral election, and an appointment of a pro-gay Chief of Police.
Milk was incredibly influential to the advancement of the gay-rights movement, allowing us to have come to where we are today, and continue to grow upon. Both in life and in death, he lead the movement to achieve what it has. Through his personal connections, perseverance, staying small within a community, fostering growth and cooperation of other leaders, and the ability to unite, Harvey Milk has proven himself to be one of the most influential and inspiring leaders of the 20th century.