Dustin Lance Black, who brought us the outstanding movie on Harvey Milk's life, wrote a passionate essay for the Huffington Post as he observed the Prop 8 trial currently being held in California. Here's an excerpt:
Almost 32 years ago, in San Francisco's City Hall, having just defeated anti-gay proposition 6, Supervisor Harvey Milk stood in his office debating what the next step in the gay and lesbian movement should be. Per usual, he found himself in a heated debate with the other "gay leadership" who insisted he was moving too fast. He insisted it was time to march on Washington D.C., to follow in the footsteps of every successful civil rights struggle in this great Nation's history and garner federal attention.
Not 24 hours later, Harvey Milk was tragically taken from us, and with him vanished the indomitable spirit, strength, and unwillingness to back down necessary to make this a federal fight.
Finally, 32 years later, in the city he loved, we are fulfilling Harvey's dream.
Over the past months I have had the pleasure and privilege of meeting the plaintiffs in Perry vs. Schwarzenegger. Their love is true, their families are strong, and to hear their stories is to know they deserve full recognition of their love, both for themselves and for their families. The time has come for the world to meet Kris Perry and Sandra Stier, Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo. Their stories are our stories, ones of finding love with another person, of overcoming adversity, and of the strength and importance of family.
But now their stories must take a place in history, next to Brown vs. Board of Education and Loving vs. Virginia, in order to confirm what our great Constitution already tells us is true: that separate is not equal, and that all men and women, regardless of skin color or sexual orientation, deserve equality.
Click here to read the rest of the essay.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment