The Mayor of Castro Street Rides Again

THETIMESThursday15January2009 times2 611 artsscreen CORBIS he came from woodmere to change the world A triumphant Harvey Milk leads marchers in the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco. Below, Sean Penn as Milk in the same scene leve Jones got an into the eddying waters of Seventies gay e-mail recently from a liberation. Sean Penn absolutely inhabits Mormon father of six Milk’scharismaticpersonality. The Mayor of who had been to see Like so many gay men, Milk came to San the movie Milk. The Francisco in the early Seventies. He man had voted “yes” opened a camera store in the Castro with on Proposition 8, a his lover Scott Smith, mobilising the gay Castro Street move to ban gay mar- communityagainstpolicehostilityandthe riage in California. bigotry of shopkeepers. He was a hippy, Gus Van Sant’s movie then cut off his ponytail and started play- had changed his mind. The man told Jones ing politics. In office,he lobbiedtheMayor, C— a longtime activist and adviser on the George Moscone, to sign a gay rights ordi- rides again movie — that he was sorry and that he nance. He fought the anti-gay campaigns would do whateverhe could to makeup for of Anita Bryant and (successfully) Senator supporting thediscriminatorylegislation. John Briggs’s attempt to ban gay teachers Were he still alive, Harvey Milk would from workingin California. Sean Penn plays Harvey Milk in a new have been at the forefront of fighting it too. Milk was assassinated, along with Mo- film about the murdered San Francisco He was the first openly gay elected public scone, by Dan White, a fellow city supervi- official in California, winning a seat on the sor, in 1978. White received a seven-year politician. Here the people whose lives Board of Supervisors in San Francisco sentence for manslaughter, which led to (after three failed attempts to gain political rioting. Today, there’sa bust of Milk in City Milk changed talk to Tim Teeman about office) in 1977. He was the self-declared Hall, a memorial plaza in the Castro, a dis- “MayorofCastroStreet”,thecity’sgayhub, play of his life in San Francisco’s Public the film, and the man who inspired it witha signature rallying cry:“You’ve got to Library. There are even schools named give them hope.” Milk is an astonishing, after him. But behind the crusading image, even landmark film, not for its sexual con- his friends here remember his wit, passion, tent but for its politics, plunging the viewer flirtatiousnessandloveof custard pies. W THETIMESThursday15January2009 612 times2 arts arts First night La Bayadère: luminous showcase for the corps de ballet — page 16 JEAN DIERKES CARLISLE Anne Kronenberg. I have her to thank for what was left of his face. Oh God, it was ationist. I asked him once why he was run- because he didn’t sound like a politician. Ernie: The shoe-box they were in was my campaign.” I remember thinking, “Oh horrible.Iwasinshockforseveralmonths. ning for office. “Nothing happens there,” I He was talking about civil rights, how he wrapped up in Doonesbury cartoons, one AnneKronenberg myGod,I’mgoingto CityHall.” It never crossed my mind that Dan said. He said there was a place for both ac- wasthere forpeople.Itjusttalked tome. of his favourite comic strips. That was very Milk’scampaignco-ordinatorfor Josh Brolin is amazing as Dan White. would do something like that. He was very tivism and conventional politics. I sniffed I Ernie: He had a wicked sense of humour Harvey: he used humour to undercut seri- Dan was not a monster, he was tormented. childish and was in way over his head at never would become a politician . Being that doesn’t come across in the movie. If ousness. He didn’t have much truck with hissuccessfulbidtobecomea Josh shows that he was crazy rather than CityHall. Thepolitical system baffled him. district supervisor paid s***. He couldn’t you close your eyes you could just about formality. You can see his legacy outside. citysupervisor. AlisonPillplays bad. Harvey thought White was in the Harveyalwaysbelieved hewouldbekilled. afford the rent and had to close the shop. I hearhim,buthewastallerthanSeanPenn. People come from all over the world to the her in the film. closet; that he was so afraid of being outed I’d joke with him, tell him: “Get over it. You saw him leaning against a car and called Martha: There was a genuine warmth Castro to be out. In the Seventies there was he went on the offensive himself. When arenot that important. You’renot Dr King, out that Iwas sorry. “Whatcan youdo?”he aboutHarvey.Sean didn’thavethatforme, a slight air of perpetual adolescence and The film really captures Harvey told me he had made tapes to be Malcolm X, you’re not a big enough said and shrugged. A few days later he was buthecaptureswhatHarveywasall about: ongoing party to the atmosphere. Harvey gavethat somedirectionandpurpose. the truth of the time. played in the event of his death I told him I threat.” I always thought it was the police dead.WhenIheard,Ihadasickeningreali- howhe gotpeoplemotivated. Theyre-createdCas- thought it was morbid. He was 48 when he or CIA he was referring to. If he had stayed sation, like a lot of gay people. Back then Ernie: And the chair . he had a barber’s tro Camera in the died.Iwas22andatanagewhereyoudon’t alive,Ithinkhewouldhavebecomemayor. you felt you could be out but you could get chair in the camera shop where you would old shop and it was havethatsenseofhowfragile lifecanbe. Ihope thefilm bringshislegacyalive. harmed. The candlelight march con- sitandtalktohim. Nick Romero exactlyhowit used to On our bulletin board Harvey always verged at 18th Street and Castro, and what look, it was like going Martha: I remember Jack coming in. put up a letter from a bigot which we called was surprising wasn’t how long it was but Jack was crazy. You’d think, “What does Owner,Given,575CastroStreet back 30 years and seeing the “letter of the week”. “Let them see,” howwide.Everytypeof personwasthere. This shop is on the site of the original our “office”. The whole experience was DanNicoletta Harvey see in him?” He must have been a Harvey would say. He knew there were There are a lot of out people in politics good lay, that’s all I can think. He would Castro Camera, and was transformed back cathartic. Losing Harvey the way we did, homophobic people out there who would Photographer.LucasGrabeel now, but Harvey is still an inspiration. He into it for the movie. They had to cover the it’shard to remember the good times when come to the store and charge something to want to take his life. But he never lived his was a maverick, but he also built alliances. Harvey’s account and sign the bill “Mrs mural I commissioned from John Baden, thingsendinsuchatragedy. playshimin thefilm. which shows a bullet heading towards a life in fear. Scott Smith (who had Aids and Sean Penn captures his sweetness. When HarveyMilk”. I met Harvey when I was 22 in 1977.I was died of pneumonia in 1996) was Harvey’s I met him in August Dan White was not people called the Castro a gay ghetto he print of Harvey’shead. It’sprovocative and a lesbian, the only woman surrounded by a Ernie: Harvey was a human being. We love, I’m sure. Scott suffered a lot with all 1974. I had taken wouldalwayssayitwasaneighbourhood. very striking and includes his famous team of gay men who were very suspicious a monster, he was allhavefoibles. Jackfilledsomeneed. the politics. Harvey was not necessarily some film in for quote:“Ifa bulletshouldentermy brain,let of me. A friend of mine suggested to Har- processing. Both he ‘‘ Martha: Harvey needed love. I remem- that bullet destroy every closet door.” It’s the most sensitive person in the world and tormented. Harvey vey that he employ me. I was very political ber getting up the morning that he was Scott felt he was No 2. Every day Scott and Scott were re- the contrast of something ugly leading to but working at a wholesale seafood com- thought White was Ernie and killed and thinking that now the dust had would bitch about Harvey and Harvey markably friendly. I somethingbeautiful. pany, typing invoices and making coffee. I settled after the election, we should have would bitch about Scott. Then he went out didn’t realise they in the closet, afraid I feel Harvey’sspirit — doors sometimes hated it. I didn’t know Harvey but he was a Martha Asten Harveyoverfordinner.Iheardhehaddied with Jack [Lira] and Jack was a raving were checking me out. openand close—butit’sneverscary.As an hero of mine. He was out and open, vocal We became friends and I worked as an of being outed OwnersofCliff’sVarietystore, onthecarradioandnearlycrashed. out gay businessman in his thirties I owe it and passionate. I couldn’t believe it when alcoholic. Harvey liked to rescue people. Ernie: I ran up to Castro Camera. Scott Jack committed suicide at the apartment assistant there. Every other sentence was to Harvey’s legacy to do something. I he called me. He said: “You’ll be my cam- 479CastroStreet said:“Harvey’sbeenkilled”.Ihelpedhimto wouldn’t have any of the advantages I and Harvey found him. It was devastating sexualinnuendo.Theseatbehindthecoun- paign co-ordinator, not manager, because MOVIESTORE Martha:IfirstsawHarveycampaigningon closetheshop.Hewasbesidehimself. enjoy now if I was living in the earlySeven- buthe carriedon working. ter ensured your eye was level with the no one manages me. I’ll teach you every- really tough time after Harvey died. I customer’scrotch.

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