Harvey Milk The Public Face of Gay Rights Politics

In this concise biography, Eric H. Walther introduces students to the life of San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California. Walther traces the story of Milk’s life from his upbringing in New York and early incarnation as a Barry Goldwater Republican through his transformative experiences in the 1960s counterculture and his entrance into politics, as well as examining his legacy in the decades that followed his assassination. The life of Milk, an iconic figure and one of the best-known LGBTQ figures in the United States, sheds light on the history of the gay rights movement and the changing political landscape of the United States in the late 20th century.

Chapter 1 – Opening Act Chapter 2 – If You’re Going to San Francisco Chapter 3 – Man of La Mancha Chapter 4 – Toward Victory Chapter 5 – You Must Come Out Chapter 6 – Chaos Chapter 7 – Harvey Milk’s Legacy Documents

Eric H. Walther is Professor of History at the University of Houston. He is the author of William Lowndes Yancey and the Coming of the Civil War (2006) and Shattering of the Union: America in the 1850s (2003).