Flickr Creative Commons by Shayepier.

Thursday night I attended a screening of Sean Penn's new film, "Milk", which is about the life and death of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the US.  It's a powerful film that evokes the era of the 1970's in America and here in San Francisco, Bill O'Reilly's favorite queer capital.

Like Milk, I was drawn to San Francisco by its image of freedom, tolerance and liberalism.  When I moved here in 1976, Milk was in the process of his third losing attempt to win election.  On his fourth try, he succeeded, and became a true agent for change.  Penn captures his character in every detail, and the film shows how he built a political movement for gay rights in the face of powerful defenders of the old order like Anita Bryant and a California state senator named Briggs, who was promoting a ballot measure to ban homosexuals from jobs as teachers and other professions involving children.  While polls showed that the Briggs amendment was expected to pass easily, Milk organized gays and exhorted them to come out of the closet--and the measure was handily defeated.

"Milk" is not only an important piece of history, it informs the ongoing struggle for LGBT rights that played out this year with the marriage ban, Prop. 8.  The same kinds of forces embracing intolerance, fear and hate are alive and almost as virulent as 30 years ago.  A religious cabal comprised of Mormons, Catholics and evangelical Christians spent more than $40 million to broadcast lies, ignorance and hate--presumably in the higher interest of their Lord.  It's now up to the California Supreme Court to reject Prop. 8 (they will hear arguments in December and a ruling is expected by March).

While I'm not a film critic, I highly recommend this movie.  Take a friend who is sympathetic to same sex marriage bans, and see if it will open his/her mind.

+++++++++

It was a real pleasure to sit in for Lionel this week.  Let me know your comments:  peter@peterbcollins.com

And be sure to welcome Lionel back from the Air America cruise on Monday!