Council to Endorse Harvey Milk Day

A state bill that would designate May 22 as Harvey Milk Day in honor of the slain San Francisco supervisor who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office is expected to be endorsed Tuesday by members of the Los Angeles City Council.

Milk was elected to the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco in 1977. His political career and legacy as a leader in the gay rights movement were the subject of the 2008 film "Milk," which earned Sean Penn a best actor Oscar
and Dustin Lance Black an Oscar for best original screenplay.

Anticipating that someday he could be assassinated because of his sexual preference and politics, Milk made audio tapes to be played in the event of his death. In one he uttered his most famous line: "If a bullet should enter
my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door."

On Nov. 27, 1978, Milk and then-Mayor George Moscone were shot and killed by San Francisco Supervisor Dan White, a conservative lawmaker.

Senate Bill 572 is sponsored by Mark Leno, D-San Francisco. City Councilmen Eric Garcetti and Bill Rosendahl introduced the resolution to support Harvey Milk Day.