Harvey Milk: Without hope, life’s not worth living.

I’ve just seen one of the best movies of 2008 – Milk. It’s a movie about Harvey Milk, an American politician, and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. It’s a movie about hope, the true profound hope spoken by leaders who are able to put the lanterns in our hearts. Harvey Milk in this movie reminded me of another hopeful leader of today, Barack Obama. And as the tagline of Milk movie says, their lives have changed the history, their courage have changed  lives. 

The movie greatly pictures the great years of Harvey Milk and it’d be futile to go on telling the story of one great man that I’ve never heard about before seeing this movie. It is an American history but on the flip side, he made the world’s history. And so I wonder why such people never made it to the history books of my country. Teaching our children that is okay to be different cuz we’re all different yet the same. Then maybe I would actually care about history. 

Harvey Milk was the beginning of the gay movement and we can be grateful that he reminded those against homosexuals that all men are created equal and we all have equal chances. I am happy that being homosexual is normal, becomes as healthy as living in heterosexual relationship. 

I wish I saw more homosexuals on the streets, either lesbian or gays but I am still living in a very conservative culture and I wish I was lesbian and I would proudly march the streets with my girlfriend. Alas, I can only show off my boyfriend and openly preach that even if I am straight woman I do consider other women very attractive. You’d say “of course”, well I am not sure about the people in my neighborhood. But any woman that denies the fact that other woman’s body is brilliant wonder, lies and therefore doesn’t love even herself. 

The movie really had me crying at the end. Harvey’s death wasn’t necessary but at least his words keep on going even today as the 30 000+ souls who walked the streets of San Francisco on the day of his assassination. 

I do hope that Sean Penn will win the Academy Award for the role of Mr. Milk. He was more than brilliant. 

The last words on the screen are “Just past The Golden Gate Bridge, amidst a shower of grape Kool-Aid Doonesbury cartoons and bubble bath, Harvey’s closest friends scattered his ashes out at sea” 

Let those ashes flow through all oceans, spreading uniqueness, beauty, authenticity, independence, freedom, justice, laughter, forgiveness, trust, inspiration, passion, curiosity, desire, peace, wisdom, strength, dreams and undying love and hope to all people in this world. That is all I want from and for Christmas and that is what I want above all.

~ by Lenka Bliss on December 24, 2008.