Harvey
Milk has emerged as one of the most important
figures of the American gay rights movement.
A former Long Island English teacher,
his move to San Francisco in the mid-1970s
paralleled the emergence of a new gay
presence on the political landscape.
Getting
involved in mainstream San Francisco politics
catapulted him into a prominent leadership
role that many resented. When fellow city
alderman Dan White came to see Milk as
the main impediment to his own political
fortunes, he assassinated the activist
along with the city's mayor.
Had
Milk survived, there is no doubt he would
have made an even bigger contribution.
Rob Epstein and Richard Schmeichen's prize-winning
documentary not only examines Milk's life
but the political and social milieu that
spawned him.
