Harvey Milk Supervisor Blue and Red

Blue and red text on a white background

Harvey Milk (1930-1978), was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, becoming the first openly gay elected official in California history. Milk earned the nickname, “Mayor of Castro Street” after becoming a well-known community leader and business owner of “Castro,” a camera shop. His liberal views clashed with fellow supervisor Dan White, who resigned from the board in 1978. White unsuccessfully attempted to resume his supervisory role and assassinate both Milk and Mayor George Moscone later that year. Milk had only served 11 months, but his legacy has been immortalized in LGBT history and posthumous tributes such as the Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded by President Barack Obama in 2009.