Harvey Milk was a revolutionary LGBT and civil rights activist who is memorialized for being one of the first openly gay elected public officials. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, and assassinated barely a year later, in November of 1978. As an outspoken activist for many then-unpopular causes, like LGBT rights, Milk received daily death threats and understood his risk for assassination. In fact, he had versions of his will specifically to be read in the event that he was assassinated. This is what makes Harvey Milk so courageous and iconic for the LGBT cause: he lived out his political rhetoric and embraced both his fears and hatred from other members of the San Francisco community. He attempted, through his political labors, to unite a divided people by creating policies for everyone, such as reforming the tax code, creating campaigns for safer neighborhoods, and fighting job and housing discrimination laws. Although he utilized his privilege as a political figure to alleviate the burdens felt by his fellow LGBT community members, his attitude was one of healing and hope for an entire community and nation. He is remembered today in many ways, including a United States Postal Service stamp campaign, among various vigils and articles dedicated to memorializing the man and his cause each year at the anniversary of his death. Any LGBTQ victory shares roots with this courageous man, and he is honored profusely, to this day, throughout the nation - for good reason.

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[read more Harvey Milk's life from the Milk Foundation]