Shepard, B. 2010. Harvey Milk and the Politics of Neighborhood ife.

Lambda Literary Review. 1! Nove"ber #ccessed 1! Nove"ber 2010

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Harvey Milk & the Politics of Neighborhood Life
by BE" !+E0$R) onNOVEMBER 17, 2010
in #E$T%RE!
Friends Remember Mayor of Castro St
#ro2 199341995, I lived in !an #rancisco6 I stu2bled into a 7ob workin8 1348 $& shi9ts at a housin8 pro8ra2 9or
people livin8 with +IV:$I)!6 I spent 2ost o9 those late ni8ht shi9ts listenin8 to the residents at the 9acilit; tell
stories6
&; 8reatest surprise was how 2eanin89ul people 9ound it to recall the da;s o9 +arve; &ilk6 I eventuall; took to the
streets to co2pile oral narratives 9ro2 people around the cit;6
Throu8hout the interviews, those involved recalled those da;s as perhaps the 2ost 2eanin89ul and co8ent periods
o9 their entire lives6 0erhaps this speaks to the endurin8 appeal o9 the narrative o9 +arve; &ilk<s ascent and tra8ic
endin86
Cleve Jones:
Former Harvey Milk aid. I went to hi8h school in 0hoeni=6 $ctuall;, the 9irst ti2e I ca2e here, I was travelin8 here
with a 8roup o9 >uakers6 I had co2e to the Ba; $rea to attend the annual 8atherin8 o9 >uakers 9ro2 the est
(oast held out at &ira8e6 I was 1? and that was when I had co2e out o9 the closet6 There was a 8a; >uaker
couple at that 2eetin8 and the; were active with the !ociet; 9or Individual Ri8hts6 !o, when I was 1?, I 2et a
nu2ber o9 the real pioneers in the 2ove2ent and then I went back to 0hoeni= and 7oined the 8a; liberation 8roup
there6 It was a ver; repressive dan8erous situation and I was ver; an=ious to 2ove to !an #rancisco6
I don<t re2e2ber the da; I 2et +arve;, I 7ust know I 2et hi2 on the street on the corner o9 18th and (astro6 +e
9lirted with 2e and I told hi2 he wasn<t 2; t;pe6 hen he started runnin8 9or o99ice, I wasn<t reall; into electoral
politics6 I was @uite the little radical bo;6 I lived in a co22unal house in the +ai8ht:$shbur;, worked as little as
possible and went to all the clubs6
Robin Tichane:
I was in "ew *ork in 19?A, and it was a 7oke6 Ga; politics in "*( at the ti2e o9 !tonewall was nothin8, Bero6 I
ca2e out here and there were 8a; politicians6 +arve; &ilk was tr;in8 to run 9or supervisor6 CRichardD +on8isto
would 8o to 8a; dra8 balls6 +e would have his photo taken with a dra8 @ueen on either ar2 and it would 2ake the
paper6
Peter Groubert:
The political cli2ate in the nei8hborhood chan8ed a whole lot6 +arve; and !cott 2oved into the nei8hborhood, I
8uess it was E?Fish, and opened the (a2era !hop on (astro up near 19th6 There<s a !kin Gone or a Bod; !hop
there now6 e, the 8a; co22unit;, started to 8et involved with politics in the cit;6 e wanted a sa; in what was
8oin8 on6 e were still bein8 harassed b; the police6
Hank ilson:
I 2oved 9ro2 !acra2ento to here6 I didn<t know there were 8a; bars in !acra2ento6 I discovered 0olk !treet, in
the cit;, b; chance and I started co22utin8 9or 2; se= li9e6 $9ter a while, I was co22utin8 so 2uch, I thou8ht I<d
better 2ove6 It<s one thin8 to 8o on weekends, it<s another to 8o in the 2iddle o9 the week6
Phoo!ra"h by Ho#ard Peri$k %ho#% Ho#ard &alla$e 'in %(n!la%%e%). *o(re%y o+ ,an Fran$i%$o P(bli$ -ibrary
In the 2id4<?As, ho2ophobes would attack us ri8ht at 18th and (astroH "ot on the outl;in8 streetsH The perception
o9 us as a 2;th was that we were weak, 8entle poets with li2p wrists, who would run6 $n;wa;, I ran into +oward
allace6 +e was handin8 out a lea9let about police proble2s on (astro !treet and I went to a 2eetin86 That was
the 9or2ation o9 B$GL, Ba; $rea Ga; Liberation, in E?I6 $nd we turned that around6 That<s one o9 the i2portant
thin8s I<ve done with 2; li9e6
I 2et To2 $2ianoJ in B$GL6 hen we started to 8o political, our core 8roup was about FA 8a; teachers, 2ost o9
the2 9reaked out because the; weren<t read; to 8o public6 But To2 and I, bein8 the arro8ant:8i9ted teachers we
were, we had the support o9 our 9aculties6 The; knew we were 8ood teachers6 !o we pushed the issue6
$ lot o9 our traditional leaders told us that we were pushin8 the wron8 issue and we were 8oin8 to set back the 8a;
2ove2ent because we were dealin8 with an issue o9 children6 $nd it was ahead o9 our ti2e6 +arve; &ilk was one
o9 the 9ew leaders who ca2e to the school board6 'ther noted leaders like Ki2 #oster, the; didn<t co2e6 The
established leaders in the co22unit; deserted us and we won6 'verni8ht a new 8eneration o9 leaders was born6
.nervie#ee%, %everal o+ #hom had vol(neered +or hi% ele$ion and he $a(%e he %ood +or, re$alled he (nlikely
a%$endan$e o+ Harvey Milk ino he ,an Fran$i%$o Board o+ ,("ervi%or% in 1/77. 01o( !oa !ive 2em ho"e,3 Milk
%(m"ed. *ali+ornia ,ae ,enaor Bri!!% la(n$hed a %ae #ide "ro"o%iion $alled 04he Bri!!% .niiaive3 o kee"
homo%e5(al% o( o+ ea$hin! "o%iion% in *ali+ornia %$hool%. 4he naion #ine%%ed i% +ir% o"enly6!ay naional
o++i$ial in a$ion ',hil%, 1/72). .nervie#ee% re$all he $am"ai!n led by Milk a!ain% a +ir% !lim"%e o+ he *hri%ian
F(ndamenali% Movemen. 4he $omm(niy !alvani8ed in a$ion aro(nd a man #ho #o(ld be$ome he +ir% o+
many maryr%.
Peter Groubert:
There were two co22unities, the co22itted political co22unit; and the weekend warriors6 The weekend warriors
were people who were ;oun8, 8a;, so2e pro9essional, 2akin8 so2e 9airl; 8ood 2one;6 The; liked to dress well,
eat well, part; hard and the; voted 9or what the clubs said was the best6 #ew people read an; o9 the literature or
9ollowed up6 The political people, like +arve;, )ennis 0erone and Rick !tokes, were out in the street6
The people 9ro2 the older, established or8aniBations such as !IR, !ociet; 9or Individual Ri8hts, the &attachine
!ociet; beco2e the backbone, the 2one; people6
Phoo9 :-B4 Hi%ori$al ,o$iey
Robin Tichane:
+arve; &ilk was 7ust kind o9 an odd personalit; and he speci9icall; hated the Ga; &en<s Business Group6 I
re2e2ber 8oin8 in to visit hi2 once and askin8 hi2 to 7oin6 +e was kind o9 hu99; and Loh, who put ;ou up to thisMN
+e didn<t 8et that we<re all kind o9 doin8 this ourselves6
I don<t have an; a= to 8rind, but he was a crank6 +e wasn<t into how he appeared6 +e was a slopp; dresser6 +e
was a brilliant talker6 +e did have lan8ua8e down and reall; inspired ;ou6
Hank ilson:
e 8ot behind +arve;<s ca2pai8n6 e re8istered easil; 1A,AAA people6 e worked the street corners6 e did it in
a wa; that was out o9 the closet6 It was inspirin8 to a new 8eneration o9 people who had 2i8rated to this cit; 9or a
better li9e6 $nd then we had an opportunit;6 +arve; was a vehicle and we 8ot hi2 elected6
Cleve Jones:
0oliticall;, ever;thin8 was new6 !o I 2et +arve; durin8 that ti2e and was char2ed b; hi26 I was a 9il2 2a7orO he
told 2e I had no talent but that I should be an or8aniBer6 I chan8ed 2a7ors to %rban !tudies, 8ot an internship at
his o99ice and did that until he was killed6
Hank ilson:
$n;wa;, we ca2e back here6 Bri88s was beatin8 the dru26 +e was also in &ia2i6 The; put the thin8 on the ballot6
I took si= 2onths o99 o9 work to ca2pai8n 9ull ti2e as an out teacher6 e did the radio shows, ever; talk show we
were invited to6 The earl; polls showed that we were 8oin8 to lose two to one6
e didn<t turn it around b; ads or b; raisin8 2one;6 e turned it around b; havin8 thousands o9 8a;s and lesbians
8et their bodies out on street corners6 I think that it was an incredible opportunit; when $nita Br;ant attacked us6
The whole 'ran8e Tuesda; L!ave 'ur (hildrenN (a2pai8n was opportunit; 9or us6 #or the 9irst ti2e, the word was
out6
Cleve Jones:
It wasn<t eas;6 *ou had a hu8e population o9 people co2in8 to the urban centers to co2e out $nd ;ou had the
e2er8ence and the creation o9 this co22unit; or8aniBation that had not been tested6
The 9irst real test was the Bri88s Initiative and we were ener8iBed b; the $nita Br;ant (a2pai8n6 I was out here on
the street blockin8 tra99ic on 'ran8e Tuesda;6 I picked up on the Bri88s Initiative a ;ear be9ore it @uali9ied 9or the
ballot6 I had a con9erence at !an #rancisco !tate where we brou8ht in 8a; students 9ro2 3A4so2ethin8 ca2puses
and we started or8aniBin86
+arve; saw it as an incredible opportunit;6 e never thou8ht we<d win, but we would use it as an opportunit; to 8et
people to co2e out6 It was an incredible rall;in8 point6 It was the 9irst real outpourin8 o9 activis2 and we thou8ht
we would lose6 It was so astonishin8 when we won6 I think people were ver; 2uch aware that we<d crossed this
threshold, that we had created a state4wide structure, that we had raised si8ni9icant 2one;, we had 2obiliBed
considerable nu2bers o9 troops6
Hank ilson:
(leve and all his 2arches, the co22unit;, i9 the; did so2ethin8 a8ainst us, we 8ot in their 9ace, we 2arched6 The
call would 8o out to the co22unit;6 The si8ns would 8o up and hundreds and thousands o9 people would turn out6
$nd we turned out because we cruised at those events and we still do6 That<s so2ethin8 that we have that<s
special6 e would have a 8ood ti2e6 e would be political6 e would chant6 e would be to8ether and we would
put up a 9i8ht6 e would challen8e ever; attack a8ainst us6 It was ver;, ver; e=citin86
PP
&an; helped beat the Bri88s initiative a9ter +arve; &ilk was elected, onl; to watch hi2 8et shot within a ;ear o9 his
election6 The interviewees recall those head; da;s precedin8 the hite "i8ht Riots in reactions to the short
sentences o9 &ilk and &oscone<s assassin, 9or2er police2an and supervisor, )an hite6 $ctivists burnt police
cars and the police raided on the Elephant alk6 LThe riots stood as a declaration,N (leve Kones observed6 Le all
live in !an #rancisco,N placards read a continent awa; on (hristopher !treet in "ew *ork (it; the ni8hts a9ter the
riot6
'nl; a ;ear later, people in the (astro be8an d;in8 o9 a stran8e cancer6
PP
E=cerpts 9ro2 &hie Ni!h% and ;%$endin! ,hado#%9 ;n Oral Hi%ory o+ he ,an Fran$i%$o ;.<, E"idemi$, 4he Be+ore 1ear%
hro(!h ;.<, .n$. (assell 0ress, 199?
J To2 $2iano was elected onto the !an #rancisco Board o9 !upervisors in 199I6
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