-
The Society for Human Rights in Chicago becomes the country's earliest known gay rights organization.
-
Harvey Milk was born in Woodmere, New York into a middle class Jewish family. He went to Bayshore High School and played football, as well as sang in the opera. He also, spent time working in his family's department store. He has known that he was gay since high school, but never came out until later in life.
-
Milk graduated from Bay Shore High School in Bay Shore, New York, in 1947. Afterwards he attended New York State College for Teachers in Albany (now the University at Albany) from 1947 to 1951. He majored in mathematics, wrote for the college newspaper, and earned a reputation as a friendly student. None of his friends in high school or college seem to have suspected he was gay.
-
Alfred Kinsey publishes Sexual Behavior in the Human Male, revealing to the public that homosexuality is far more widespread than was commonly believed.
-
Harvey Milk served in the Navy after graduating high school. He served as a diving instrutor at a base in San Diego, California, during the Korean war. After he was discharged he moved back to New York and worked as a public school teacher, production associate for several high-profile Broadway musicals, stock analyst and Wall Street investment banker. However, after staying a while he became less conservative and left all his high profile jobs.
-
The Mattachine Society, the first national gay rights organization, is formed by Harry Hay, considered by many to be the founder of the gay rights movement.
-
The first lesbian-rights organization in the United States, the Daughters of Bilitis, was established in San Francisco in 1955.
-
In 1956 Harvey Milk met Joe Campbell at the Jacob Riis Park beach, a popular location for gay men in Queens. Campbell was seven years younger than Milk, but Milk did not care. He went after him passionately. They ended up seperating, however Joe Campbell was Milk's longest relationship of nearly six years.
-
The Daughters of Bilitis, a pioneering national lesbian organization, is founded.
-
In 1962 Milk became involved with Craig Rodwell; yet another younger man. However, this relationship did not last long because of Rodwell's habbit of agitating the police. Rodwell was involved with the New York Mattachine Society, a gay activist organization. When Rodwell was arrested for walking in Riis Park, charged with inciting a riot and indecent exposure (the law required men's swimsuits to extend from above the navel to below the thigh), he spent three days in jail.
-
Illinois becomes the first state in the U.S. to decriminalize homosexual acts between consenting adults in private.
-
The world's first the transgender organization, the National Transsexual Counseling Unit, was established in San Francisco.
-
The Stonewall riots transform the gay rights movement from one limited to a small number of activists into a widespread protest for equal rights and acceptance. Patrons of a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, the Stonewall Inn, fight back during a police raid on June 27, sparking 3 days of riots.
-
Bored with his life in New York, Milk moved to San Fransico where he opened up a camera shop. He also became very involved in the gay community.
-
Milk opened a store with his partner Scott Smith on Castro Stree.
-
The American Psychiatric Association removes homosexuality from its official list of mental disorders
-
Milk declared candidacy for a posistion on San Fransico's board of supervisors. However he lost this election.
He runs on a socially liberal platform and opposes government involvement in personal sexual matters. Milk comes in 10th out of 32 candidates, earning 16,900 votes, winning the Castro District and other liberal neighborhoods. He receives a lot of media attention for his passionate speeches, brave political stance, and media skills. -
An organization of local merchants
-
Milk organized the first Castro Street Fair to attract more buisness to the Castro area, so the gay buisness community could thrive.
-
Harvey Milk tries to run for position on the San Fransico Board of Supervisors. However, he lost.
-
Sara Jane Moore attempted the assassination of President Ford. However, Oliver Sipple managed to grab Moore by the arm so the gun shot the pavement and not the president. Sipple did not want to be recognized as a hero but Milk insisted he should because it would be good for the Gay community. Milk told San Fransico Chronicle that Sipple was gay, and Sipple's mom refused to talk to him. Sipple also only recieved a thank you note from the president instead of an invitation to the White House.
-
Activists in Miami, Florida pass a civil rights ordinance making sexual orientation discrimination illegal in Dade County. Save Our Children, a campaign by a Christian fundamentalist group and headed by singer Anita Bryant, is launched in response to the ordinance. In the largest special election of any in Dade County history, 70% vote to overturn the ordinance. It is a crushing defeat for gay activists.
-
Harvey ran again and this time won the election under the guidence of Mayor George Mascone. He was also known as "Mayor of Castro City". Running against 16 other candidates, he wins the election by 30 percent
-
Harvey Milk becomes the first openly gay politician in the United States.. Milk begins his term by sponsoring a civil rights bill that outlaws sexual orientation discrimination. Only one supervisor votes against it and Mayor Moscone signs it into law.
-
Harvey Milk gives his most famous speech, "Hope Speech." Hope Speech full text
http://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/milk-youve-got-to-have-hope-speech-text/ Hope Speech from Milk's documentary
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzQ3NFXwpV8 -
Proposition 6, also known as the Briggs Initiative, a proposal to fire any teacher or school employee who publicly supports gay rights. Milk campaigns against the bill and attended every event hosted by Briggs. President Jimmy Carter, former Governor Ronald Reagan, and Governor Jerry Brown speak out against the proposition. On November 7, voters reject the proposition by more than a million votes.
-
Harvey Milk was killed by Dan White. He was appointed to the County Board, as well, but was not a fan of Harvey Milk and the toleration of gay policies by Mayor Mascone. Because of this he resigned from the board and on this date came back begging Mayor Mascone to re-appoint him. When he refused White killed him and then went down the hall and killed Milk. Afterwards he turned himself into the police.
-
Harvey Milk's nephew was inspired by his uncle. He came out of the closet and became openly gay one week after Milk, his uncle, was killed. Stuart Milk now works for a national company that runs employment assistance centers in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Staten Island. He sees his work with youths, the elderly, dislocated workers and former prison inmates as part of his family’s legacy.
-
Dan White is convicted of voluntary manslaughter and is only subjected to seven years in prison. This leads to the White Night Riots, which were when police cars would come at night into gay bars and beat patrons at random. This is because of the high amount of anger and protest toward White's minimal sentence.
-
About 75,000 people participated in the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Washington, D.C., in October. It was the largest political gathering in support of LGBT rights to date.
-
The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk, by Randy Shilts is published.
-
Wisconsin becomes the first state to outlaw discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
-
Dan White was released early after only serving five out of his seven years. He went back to live with his family in San Fransico.
-
The city of Berkeley, California, becomes the first city to offer its employees domestic-partnership benefits.
-
The Times of Harvey Milk wins the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Director Rob Epstein thanks his partner in his speech.
-
Dan White, Harvey Milk's killer, commits suicide in his garage.
-
The “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” policy is instituted for the U.S. military, permitting gays to serve in the military but banning homosexual activity. President Clinton's original intention to revoke the prohibition against gays in the military was met with stiff opposition; this compromise, which has led to the discharge of thousands of men and women in the armed forces, was the result,
-
In Romer v. Evans, the Supreme Court strikes down Colorado's Amendment 2, which denied gays and lesbians protections against discrimination, calling them “special rights.” According to Justice Anthony Kennedy, “We find nothing special in the protections Amendment 2 withholds. These protections . . . constitute ordinary civil life in a free society.”
-
Time Magazine names Harvey Milk one of the “Time 100 Heroes and Icons” of the 20th century.
-
Vermont becomes the first state in the country to legally recognize civil unions between gay or lesbian couples. The law states that these “couples would be entitled to the same benefits, privileges, and responsibilities as spouses.” It stops short of referring to same-sex unions as marriage, which the state defines as heterosexual.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that sodomy laws in the U.S. are unconstitutional. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote, “Liberty presumes an autonomy of self that includes freedom of thought, belief, expression, and certain intimate conduct.”
-
In November, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that barring gays and lesbians from marrying violates the state constitution. The Massachusetts Chief Justice concluded that to “deny the protections, benefits, and obligations conferred by civil marriage” to gay couples was unconstitutional because it denied “the dignity and equality of all individuals” and made them “second-class citizens.” Strong opposition followed the ruling.
-
Same-sex marriages became legal in Massachusetts.
-
In November, the House of Representatives approves a bill ensuring equal rights in the workplace for gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals.
-
The California Supreme Court rules that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. By November 3rd, more than 18,000 same-sex couples have married.
-
On Milk's 78th birthday a sculpture of himself is revealed in the Ceremonial Rotunda of City Hall. This is especially significant because this is the area in City Hall where people get married.
-
California State Assemblyman Mark Leno presents a bill to mark Harvey Milk's birthday as a state day of special significance. It was passed by the State Assembly and the State Senate, but then was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
-
California voters approved a ban on same-sex marriage called Proposition 8. The attorney general of California, Jerry Brown, asked the state's Supreme Court to review the constitutionality of Proposition 8. The ban throws into question the validity of the more than 18,000 marriages already performed, but Attorney General Brown reiterated in a news release that he believed the same-sex marriages performed in California before November 4 should remain valid.
-
After being nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, the film Milk, directed by Gus Van Sant, wins Best Original Screenplay (Dustin Lance Black) and Best Actor in a Leading Role (Sean Penn).
-
The ACLU steps in when a Ramona 6th grader, Natalie Jones, is barred from giving a presentation on Harvey Milk. The principal and district superintendant later apologize and allow Natalie to present her report.
-
Missing his father and thinking that he did not get enough credit for all he did during Milk's career, George Mocone's son wrote a play about him called "Ghost Light". This play consists of both present day problems George Moscone's son faced and George Moscone' life.
-
the U.S. Senate voted 65 to 31 in favor of repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell, the Clinton-era military policy that forbids openly gay men and women from serving in the military. On Dec. 18, President Obama officially repealed the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" military policy.
-
A New York Times article on Castro Camera.
"The nation’s largest gay rights group said Tuesday that it planned to share the San Francisco storefront where Harvey Milk waged his political campaign with a nonprofit that provides suicide prevention services for gay young people. The deal is intended to quell a tempest over Mr. Milk’s stomping grounds. The Human Rights Campaign said it would donate $10,000 a year and space at Mr. Milk’s Castro to the Trevor Project." -
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in California ruled 2–1 that Proposition 8, the 2008 referendum that banned same-sex marriage in state, is unconstitutional because it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. In the ruling, the court said, the law "operates with no apparent purpose but to impose on gays and lesbians, through the public law, a majority's private disapproval of them and their relationships."
-
President Barack Obama endorses same-sex marriage. "It is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married," he said. He made the statement days after Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan both came out in support of gay marriage.
-
Tammy Baldwin, a seven-term Democratic congresswoman from Wisconsin, prevailed over former governor Tommy Thompson in the race for U.S. Senate and became the first openly gay politician elected to the Senate. Also on election day, gay marriage was approved in a popular vote for the first time, in Maine and Maryland, who voted in favor of allowing same-sex marriage.
-
At the 1980 Democratic National Convention held at New York City's Madison Square Garden, Democrats took a stance supporting gay rights, adding the following to their plank: "All groups must be protected from discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, language, age, sex or sexual orientation."
