November 27th, 1978 – 35 Years Ago Today Harvey Milk Was Assassinated. Light A Candle for Harvey

November 27th, 1978 – 35 Years Ago Today Harvey Milk Was Assassinated. Light A Candle for Harvey

by Will Kohler

35 years ago today Harvey Milk, the greatest gay activist of our time was murdered along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone.  The shooter was Supervisor Dan White, a conservative board member who had campaigned on a platform of law and order, civic pride, and "family values"

White, packing a gun and extra bullets, White climbed through a window in City Hall in order to confront Milk and Moscone about his troubled tenure on the Board of Supervisors.  White was angry that Moscone had refused to re-appoint him to his seat on the Board of Supervisors, from which White had just resigned, and that Milk had lobbied heavily against his re-appointment.  After shooting Moscone four times at close range, White reloaded his gun, calmly walked to the other side of the building, and invited Milk into his former office.  Dan White shot Harvey Milk in the arm, the chest, and twice in the head and then fled the building the same way that he had entered.  A few hours after Diane Feinstein, who became  Acting Mayor, and named White as the suspect.  ": "As President of the Board of Supervisors, it's my duty to make this announcement. Both Mayor Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk have been shot and killed. The suspect is Supervisor Dan White".  A few hours later Dan White turned himself in.

That night an impromptu candlelight march started in the Castro leading to the City Hall steps. Tens of thousands attended. Joan Baez led "Amazing Grace", and the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus sang a solemn hymn by Felix Mendelssohn. Upon learning of the assassinations, singer/songwriter Holly Near composed "Singing for Our Lives", also known as "Song for Harvey Milk".

In the last year of his life, Harvey Milk emphasized that gay people should be more visible to help to end the discrimination and violence against them in his final statement during his taped prediction of his assassination, he urged others to do so:

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

Tonight on the 35th Anniversary of Harvey Milks assassination another candlelight vigil will be held in San Francisco's Castro.

Write the organizers on Facebook:

Harvey and George were the brightest beacons of hope for San Francisco’s disenfranchised and displaced. But more than that, they represented the spirit of San Francisco, a city for anyone and everyone, welcoming to all, affordable to all, with justice for all. 35 years later, the time has come again for us to gather, one and all, to remember Harvey and George. More importantly, the time has come to make their vision of a city of hope come alive. Now more than ever, we have to give each other hope.

The vigil will begin at Milk Plaza at 7pm followed by a candlelight march down Market Street to City Hall. A performance by the Gay Men's Chorus, various speakers and a recorded message from Harvey Milk will conclude the evening.

But even if you aren't in San Francisco tonight light a candle for Harvey.

Light a candle to remember the great man and what he did for us not only as a gay leader but for the message of equality and courage that his words and actions still motivate and bring forth change today all around the world for our LGBT brothers and sisters who need HOPE.

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Will Kohler