In the mid-twentieth century, homosexuals were legally and socially discriminated against in the United States. Though Milk was assassinated 11 months after he was elected to office, his legacy of fighting for gay rights has inspired a new generation of civic activists across the United States, fighting for sexual equality and the expansion of civil liberties for gays and lesbians. Milk’s ability to mobilize gays and straights alike resulted in the defeat of a statewide proposition to severely limit gays’ employment rights. As the first openly gay man elected to public office in the United States, Milk’s election was a triumph over anti-gay stereotypes. In 1977, San Francisco politics was taken by storm when gay rights activist Harvey Milk was elected to the Board of Supervisors.
