No "Milk" for Me

I have been anticipating the release of "Milk," the biography of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, who was fatally shot with Mayor George Moscone in 1978. As a devoted San Franciscan (even though I have lived away from my beloved city for quite a while now), the story of Milk's and Moscone's deaths has always been part of my knowledge of California history, especially considering that Senator Dianne Feinstein was the one who heard the shots, called the police, and announced the deaths to the public.

Before the election, I looked forward to seeing the movie because any opportunity to see San Francisco is a welcome one. Few days go by when I don't miss it; it's a wonderful, unique city, and I will always love and miss Northern California.

When California actually voted Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage proposition, into law, the movie took on more poignance for me. I feel like after making so much progress toward equal rights as a society, we are suddenly experiencing a major backlash against gay and lesbian rights, and I find that incredibly upsetting. Many of my close friends are gay and lesbian, and when you are privileged enough to know a variety of people, you come to understand that people are people, and love is love, and civil rights should be a given for everybody.

When I taught, one of the annual eighth grade writing assessment prompts was, "To what extent has America achieved the dreams [for equality] of [Martin Luther] King [Jr.] and [John F.] Kennedy?" Many of my students wrote eloquently about gay rights, expressing their disbelief that so many people still wanted to deny gays and lesbians the right to marry or be parents. Yes, this was at a school in a community with educated, progressive residents, but the prevailing attitude was so open to the idea of equal rights for all that I was sure we were entering a new era. I wonder what those kids, some of whom just voted for the first time, are thinking now that we have elected Barack Obama yet passed Proposition 8.

I thought that California could do it--make strides toward equality for people of color and gays and lesbians. However, proving itself once again to be a state of many contradictions, California took one step forward and one step back. And now I feel like anti-gay rhetoric is gaining strength, so I read my Advocate and and speak my mind to others to make sure that one more voice out there speaks for equality.

And then, I consulted Fandango. "Milk" is not playing in Delaware. Not at all. Apparently, there's not a market for it here. I can't say I'm surprised, but I'm definitely disappointed. I know, people here could, for the most part, care less about San Francisco politics of the 1970's, and many people don't even know who Harvey Milk is. I know the movie's not a big moneymaker--it's a niche film. However, I can't help wishing I lived in a place that was a little more hip to gay issues, a little more interested in pushing the envelope. Then again, San Francisco saw one of the first screenings of the movie right after it outlawed gay marriage. Contradictions, indeed.