Harvey Milk Review

What does it mean to be an activist? Is one an activist for starting riots and being violent when the government doesn’t listen or trying to change a world that is stuck in its way? Activists protest for many things but the issue still at hand today is gay rights. Gay rights have been the elephant in the room since the beginning of time. Homosexuals are human beings and should have the same rights as any other person that lives in the United States. A man named Harvey Milk believed this and tried to make sure every gay was treated equally even up to his death. In the biographical film displaying the last eight years of his life, we as viewers saw how much he supported the fight to stop people like Anita Bryant from making bills that enable homosexuals from living normally.
The movie Milk is based on the events that took place between Harvey Milk’s 40th birthday in 1970 and his death in 1978. Milk was a gay activist who fought for gay rights and became the first elected official in California to be openly gay. In the beginning of the movie, Milk is about to turn forty and meets his lover Scott. After spending the night with Scott, Milk realizes that he hasn’t done anything in his life that he is proud of. This is when he decides to move to San Francisco and opens a camera shop on a primarily gay neighborhood. Throughout the movie, Milk becomes an outstanding and positive activist for the gays and becomes supervisor after two failed campaigns. While in office, another supervisor named Dan White asks Milk to vote that would be harmful for the children affected. Milk refuses which makes White feel betrayed. In the end of the film, White assassinated both the mayor and Milk after he was denied his job.
Harvey Milk encouraged people to be who they are instead of hide in the shadows because they are afraid of the thoughts and opinions of others. Milk also promoted the idea of learning from the mistakes of the past. Even though the film discussed gay rights,