Gov. Gavin Newsom declared May 22 Harvey Milk Day in California, according to a proclamation from the governor's office as required by law since 2009.
Milk was born on this day in 1930 and settled in San Francisco where he faced hostility as part of a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community that had no voice in government, Newsom wrote in the proclamation.
Milk organized that community and worked with labor and other civil rights groups for justice. Milk's advocacy and his ability to build coalitions earned him a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, according to the governor's office.
He was the first openly gay elected official in the state and one of the first in the nation.
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Newsom said Milk was firm in his belief that freedom and dignity is for all regardless of a person's sexual orientation or identity, and Milk was assassinated for his beliefs.
A year into his term on the Board of Supervisors, former Supervisor Dan White shot and killed Milk and Mayor George Moscone on Nov. 27, 1978.
"As we honor Harvey Milk today, let us remember his words, 'Hope will never be silent,'" Newsom's proclamation says.
Members of the LGBTQ community still face violence and discrimination around the world.
"They deserve hope, and they cannot abide by our silence," Newsom said. "We must carry on his fearless advocacy as we work towards a California for All."
