Good As You

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09/25/2008

It's one thing to be opposed to a late political figure's positions. It's quite another to trivialize his entire life as being about nothing more than his sexuality. But the latter is exactly what anti-gay activist Karen England is now doing, saying the following about a legislatively-approved day of significance that will honor slain leader Harvey Milk.

This from Sacramento's News 10:

"It's crazy," said Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Institute. "It's a day that celebrates the history of a gay individual for being gay. That's his claim to fame."

Now, overlook the fact that Harvey was a self-made business owner whose persistence led him to a place of national prominence. Never mind that he was instrumental in defeating the extremely radical Briggs Initiative. Never mind that he championed a law non-discrimination barring gay discrimination in San Francisco's workplaces. Disregard that his fight for freedom still inspires gay kids everywhere, with the Academy Award-winning The Times of Harvey Milk widely as a masterpiece in both LGBT and cinematic circles. Completely throw out the fact that Harvey was honored by Time magazine as one of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. And never mind that his life has merited a forthcoming feature film. In the minds of anti-gay activists (the same ones Harvey would be challenging if he'd lived), Harvey Milk was just another "unsavory" gay whose "militant agenda" cannot even be contained by a coffin.

Ugh, so gross. But then again, if our life's driving mission was to deny gay people for living their truths, then perhaps we too would want to trivialize a historical figure whose lasting fame helps to seal our own work's lasting infamy!

"Harvey Milk Day" Proposal Outrages Conservatives [News 10]

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Posted by: Tex... | Sep 25, 2008 8:01:26 PM

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