Golden State Today

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom today issued a proclamation declaring May 22, 2023, as “Harvey Milk Day” in the State of California.

The text of the proclamation and a copy can be found below:

PROCLAMATION

Today we honor a hero for not just his own community, but for every Californian fighting for freedom and equality. Born on this day in 1930, Harvey Milk settled in San Francisco and found a thriving LGBTQ+ community that faced widespread hostility and had no voice in government.

Undaunted, Milk organized his community and extended a hand to others, working with labor and civil rights activists who were all struggling for justice. Milk’s fierce advocacy and skillful coalition-building helped him win a seat on San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors in 1977, making him one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States and the first openly gay person elected in California.

He stood firm in his belief that freedom and dignity should extend to all human beings, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, at great personal risk. Milk paid the ultimate price for his advocacy when he was struck down by an assassin’s bullet just a year into his term on the Board of Supervisors. His legacy lives on in laws and policies that protect the LGBTQ+ community and in the hearts of generations of activists.

Harvey Milk’s powerful legacy remains salient as ever amid relentless attacks targeting our LGBTQ+ community in the United States and around the world. We cannot allow the forces of hate to dehumanize people and undermine our progress on hard-won civil rights. California stands firmly with the LGBTQ+ community in the fight for equality, freedom, and acceptance for all.

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim May 22, 2023, as “Harvey Milk Day.”

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 22nd day of May 2023.

GAVIN NEWSOM

Governor of California

ATTEST:

SHIRLEY N. WEBER, Ph.D.

Secretary of State

Original source can be found here.