Harvey Milk, as Supervisor helped open the door for gays and lesbians in the United States "by championing civil rights for homosexuals" ("Harvey Milk Biography"). However, Milk there were many other issues he fought for as politician, such as education, public transportation, child care, and low-income housing.. For him, homosexuality and gay rights were merely an area of human rights that he saw in desperate need of activism, and one that was close to his heart.
This letter that Milk writes directed at President Jimmy Carter, reveals this same feeling of urgency, drive and determination, one sees in the photograph of Milk at the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parade. Milk is unsatisfied with the gay community, an estimated 10-20 million Americans, not having equal freedom in a nation that claims all men equal. He is speaking directly to Carter, to direct his efforts to a personal level. Milk knows that he can yell gay motos and inspirational words of hope out on the streets, but unless these words are directed specifically at a person, they are going to be unproductive.
This letter reveals Milk's charsima and persuasive nature. He is a good writer, and demands attention from his reader. In essence, this is what he is asking from President Carter. He wants something to do be done, and he feels like gay rights is the issue of America at this time. With the Stonewall Riot in NYC, and countless other incidents of discrimination, Milk is sick and tired of the violence he sees go on around him. He beleives that unless Carter adresses this as an issue in his nation, and begins giving equal rights to the gay community, he is doing notihng as President. At a time, when gay activism is clearly the present issue of America, Carter must take the responsibilty upon himself to address it, until then he is not the true president of America. He may be some people's president but he is not the gay community's. Therefore giving gay their equal rights is his responsibilty.
It is HIS DUTY
and
the time is NOW!
The Hope Speech
“Somewhere in Des Moines or San Antonio, there is a young person who realizes all of a sudden, she or he is gay; knows that if the parents find out he will be tossed out of the home, the friends and schoolmates will taunt the child, and the Anita Bryants’ and John Briggs’ are doing their hateful things on radio and T. V. The child has two options - stay in the closet or commit suicide. And then one day the child opens up the paper and reads, ‘homosexual elected in San Francisco’, and now the child has two new options - move to California, or stay in San Antonio and fight! Two days after I was elected, I received a phone call. The voice was quite young. It was from Altoona PA, and the person said, ‘thanks’. All of you have to elect gay people so that child and thousands upon thousands, upon thousands of others like that child know there is hope for a better world; there’s hope for a better tomorrow. Without hope, all of us give up. You can’t live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you and you and you, have got to give them hope”. (Gilleran)