Harvey Milk — you may have heard the name, you may have even seen the movie. But for millions of Californians and Americans, the name Harvey Milk is synonymous with equality. He was a pioneer fighting for gay rights, and was one of the first openly gay men to be elected into office. After being assassinated in 1978, he has become known as a “martyr for gay rights.”

According to Equality California (EQCA), an organization fighting for equal rights, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill last year to declare May 22nd (Milk’s Birthday) Harvey Milk Day, stating that he was a man of only local significance as a politician in San Francisco. However, his message and his significance is something that should be recognized statewide! Some may claim that he has even been “the most famous and most significantly open LGBT official ever elected in the United States.”

As members of the Orange County community, it is important that we also recognize the impact that he has had on our lives. EQCA is sending Gov. Schwarzenegger a petition on May 22nd again, to make it known how important his contributions were to all Californians.

The petition can be found at http://www.eqca.org/HarveyMilkDay.

Please take the time to honor this important individual, to further his message of equality for the LGBT community, and sign the petition urging Gov. Schwarzenegger to sign the legislation declaring May 22nd as Harvey Milk Day.

Image taken from http://www.eqca.org/