The Mayor of Castro Street

A few months ago I found out about a film that was to come out the end of 2008 about a man who was a city official of San Francisco in the 1970s. I had never heard of this man and knew nothing about who he was or why a movie would be make about him. But the trailer I saw was intriguing and I do like Sean Penn -who plays the lead role- so I planned to see it as soon as I could.

Lucky for me, I have an inside man who gave me the cliff notes on Milk. My friend Dan has lived in the Castro District of San Francisco nearly his entire adult life and not only knew the story of City Supervisor, Harvey Milk but many of his friends actually knew the man himself. So Dan filled me in, as he so often does.

Harvey Milk was a corporate New York bureaucrat who moved to SF looking for a new life. It was the 1960s and Harvey was an openly gay man so, like many others looking for a place where it was OK to just be yourself, he moved across the country with his boyfriend, Scott. They opened a Camera store in the Castro and that was the beginning of Harvey's rise into politics.

It's hard for me to not recount the history of Mr. Milk but that is not what I want this post to be about. You can -and I encourage you to- see the film and do your own research about who Harvey Milk was and what he did. I want to talk about the significance of his story and how I see this film. I would though like to say that the scene where Milk is shot is one of the most extraordinary I have ever seen. It seems so real and yet is very much like a dream - too real to actually be happening. It reminds me of some of my own dreams, in fact I have been the one putting my hand up a time or two. I don't' want to say too much because I don't want to ruin it for those who haven't seen it but it is wonderful. Be prepared when you sit down to watch this film. It is very intense and seems to go on for hours but you will be engaged the entire time. As always, I invite you to post your comments.

Mural by John Baden of Harvey Milk at 575 Castro Street, the former site of Milk's store, Castro Camera. Emerging from the gun at left is now a quote from Milk: "If a bullet should enter my brain, let the bullet destroy every closet door."

I'll admit first that I am lover of true stories so I am a big fan of documentaries and docu-dramas -provided they are done well- so I may be just the slightest bit bias. That said, I see this movie/story as being equal in importance to American - and world - culture as that of all the other great civil rights leaders. We all know about the story of Dr. King and Malcolm X, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Robert Kennedy, Rosa Parks, Dred Scott, Cesar Chavez and others, but those are just a drop in the ocean of people who have made it their life's work and even given their lives to better not just their own particular identified group of kinsman, but all of us.

The story of Harvey Milk is essential to American History and should be taught -along with the stories of so many others- in not only Universities but High Schools as well. To understand ourselves, those around us and the society in which we live we must have a knowledge of the times and events that have lead up to the present time, no matter how large or small the tales may be. I am not for romanticising these characters - or anyone, for that matter. They are as complex and flawed as any other person and should be analysed in a complete sense, accounting to the good along with the bad. That is what makes them real, what makes them like us and us like them.

History is one of the most important things you can have in life. Tell your stories to others and ask them to tell you theirs - this blog is my own attempt at that. Share the tales of your family, your neighborhood, your religion, the political and social events of the country where you live and where your ancestors were from. It's through these stories that we come to find ourselves and, I think, have the best chance at happiness.