Did You Know!

Harvey Milk Day 22

What! Day is a day to educate Californians about an extraordinary leader whose courageous work to end discrimination against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community in the 1970’s set the stage for many of the civil rights advances we see today.

Who! Harvey Milk was an activist, organizer, and the first openly gay man elected to public office in the county as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in the late 1970’s.

Resources for Teachers! The Safe Schools coalition, GSA Network, and Our Family Coalition have come together to create a website for educators to access curriculum about Harvey Milk. www.safeschoolscoalition.org/harveymilkday

What is the law! In 2009, the State of California officially designated May 22 as “Harvey Milk Day.” Education Code section 37222 now recognizes May 22 as Harvey Milk Day, and says that ‘public schools and educational institutions are encouraged to observe those days and to conduct suitable commemorative exercises…remembering the life of Harvey Milk, recognizing his accomplishments and familiarizing pupils with the contributions he made to this state.’

What have schools done! Announcements on the PA system about Harvey Milk Day Class discussions on Harvey Milk and the LGBT civil rights movement in History classes Shown the movie “” in History classes Created poster campaigns for school Made posters highlighting Harvey Milk and others involved in civil rights movements Issued Press Releases to local media to honor Harvey Milk School wide No Bully/Sexual Harassment lessons (appropriate for each grade level) Sold ‘Harvey Milkshakes’ as fundraisers for PFLAG or site/local GSA’s

Website Resources! eqca.org GLSEN glsen.org GSA Network gsanetwork.org Lambda Legal lambdalegal.org PFLAG pflag.org Safe Schools Coalition safeschoolscoalition.org The Trevor Project trevorproject.org Think Before You Speak thinkb4youspeak.org

Prepared for you by Alyson Brauning, VTA Vice-President and Equity Team Chair/RSCC GLBT Chair