My first edition of this diary was rather light-hearted in nature. I brought you the delightful pairing of Bea Arthur and Angela Lansbury as an example of gay fabulousness.
This Thursday I am feeling a bit more, pensive, serious, and contemplative. This Thursday I present you with the Oscar winning documentary, "The Times of Harvey Milk." Watch it after the jump.
I saw this documentary for the first time about ten years ago when I first came out. It made me cry then. I watched it again tonight and it made me cry again.
I watched it in preparation for going out and seeing the new Gus Van Sant film, "Milk", starring Sean Penn, James Franco, and Emille Hirsch.
For those of you not familiar with the venerable Harvey Milk, I will provide a brief history. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay politician elected to public office in the history of the United States. This simple fact is impressive, but even more impressive that he was a gay Jew elected in the 1970's. He not only had the support of gays and lesbians, but blacks, asians, straights, latinos, labor, the elderly, and the handicapped.
Watch this documentary, and I think you will realize something. I think you will realize that had Harvey Milk been alive today Prop 8 would not have passed in California this past year. Harvey would have fought until his dying breath to defeat it, and he would have won.
Please watch the documentary, let it change you forever as it has me.
Watch it and remember the battle cry in all our future gay and human rights fights in the future:
"Remember Harvey Milk!"
You can watch the full documentary for free at hulu here