I find myself in strange agreement with Diane Feinstein: I'm not sure I want to see Gus Van Sant's film, Milk. You see, the titular subject of the film reflect history for me, not some distant abstract.
I was born and raised in San Francisco, specifically in the Castro (more accurately, Eureka Valley, but that's being picky). I was in high school when The Pendulum opened on 18th Street, just up from Castro, not quite four blocks from home. The Pendulum was the neighborhood's first gay bar, and it started a trend. What was a predominantly working class Irish neighborhood became, over the years, the gay capitol of the state, if not the nation.
I remember the gay couple who owned the pet shop (just a couple of doors down from The Pendulum). Wonderful people, had been together for a long time, and if they're still alive I suspect they are still together. They were always mortified and embarrassed when the Gay Pride parade pranced by.
Harvey Milk became a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors because of an approved initiative that Balkanized the city. Prior to the initiative's passage, the eleven members of the board were elected by a city-wide vote. That is, every eligible voter in the city voted for everyone running for election or re-election (six one election cycle, five the other; whoever got the most votes became president of the board). After the initiative passed, San Francisco was dissected into eleven little districts. From then until now, you only vote for whoever was running for office in your district.
It was a stupid idea based on a flawed premise, and I would assert that it's been disastrous for the city as a whole. But that's another discussion.
Milk lived in the Castro, which is in District 5. I don't know how van Sant plays it in his film, but Milk wasn't the only gay candidate running for office, he's just the one that won. I remembering shooting some title work for a gay documentary filmmaker, who remarked that he hoped so-and-so would be his next supervisor. So-and-so was a political opponent of Milk's.
Harvey Milk had a ruthless streak when it came to politics, especially running for office. I say that in all respect. It seems a necessary trait for running for public office, and Milk had it. I hope the film does him justice, because the previews make it look like he just stumbled and bumbled into being elected. This is a grave injustice if this is how the film plays it.
Dan White was a cold-blooded killer when he shot and killed Milk and Mayor George Moscone. There are moments you remember forever, and I'll always remember sitting in the office with my dad when KGO (Talk Radio 810 on the AM dial) broadcast the news of the shooting. It's stunning to have your mayor and your supervisor murdered.
Diane Feinstein should burn a candle in White's memory. There was no way she was ever going to get elected mayor of San Francisco (she failed every time she tried), but she was president of the Board of Supervisors when Moscone was slain. That meant she was in line of succession and took over the office of mayor, attaining by tragedy that which she could never attain by vote. That launched her political career into a larger world, as a US Senator.
It's difficult to argue that White didn't act with "malice aforethought," in a callous and premeditated way. He snuck into City Hall to avoid metal detectors at the front door. He shot Moscone six times, reloaded, went down the hall, and put six into Milk. He then snuck out in the ensuing confusion. His actions belie any allegation of mental incapacity.
Yet state law at the time, championed by liberals such as Moscone and Milk, allowed a "diminished capacity" defense, the notorious "Twinkie" defense. White was convicted of manslaughter. He served the maximum sentence, seven years. Within a year or two of his release, a hounded and ruined man, he committed suicide.
Don't read that wrong. I'm not painting White as some victim, but you have to honestly realize that in several ways, Milk brought about his own murder. No, I'm not blaming the victim, because the perpetrator is ultimately responsible for their own actions.
But Milk loathed White. The film's preview highlights White's dislike of Milk, but I assure you, it was returned in kind and substance. More, Milk rallied the board and mayor to have White removed from office. As said, Milk could be a ruthless politician. In a nasty political contest against White, he won.
And even after getting White removed from office, Milk kept at him. As we now know, he did this at his peril, because White focused on Milk (and Moscone) as the reasons for his downfall. His own faults were ignored, it was all Harvey and George's fault.
History records the results.
I want van Sant's film to be a success but I also want it to be honest because this isn't just a distant story to me, it's a bit of personal history. As I said, it's a horrible thing to have your mayor and supervisor murdered. The whole and true story deserves to be told.
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