Originally, I had this image in mind when discussing initial ideas for a drawing for the Whitney with Jane Panetta, which resulted in this work for my exhibition. Although ink and watercolor drawings are obviously different from an oil painting, as in the other appropriated imagery from historic photos I hopefully make these works my own, creating a color image (in this case, from a black and white photo, also true of the David Wojnarowicz/ACT UP drawing) of psychological warmth and nuance projecting my feelings in addition to insight while rendering.
Harvey Milk was the iconic leader and civil rights activist, who was one of the first openly gay people elected to public office when he was elected to the San Francisco board of supervisors in 1977, only to be tragically assassinated the next year. In his short time in office, but also in his lifetime as a dynamic gay man and leader, Harvey Milk made history standing up for Gay Rights when it was still a forbidden subject for many and helped to carve the leadership potential of figures working today.
While drawing this, as I did for the painting, I listened to the audiobook of the celebrated biography by Rand Shilts, The Mayor of Castro Street: The Live and Times of Harvey Milk, in addition to watching the Rob Epstein documentary inspired by the book, The Times of Harvey Milk, and the Gus Van Sant Oscar award winning biopic Milk. I also listened to his favorite operas, Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, and Maria Callas in Tosca, selections from one of his favorite opera divas Leontyne Price, and more. Movingly, I also rewatched the YouTube slide show by his friend whom he mentored and who worked in the Castro Camera store– Dan Nicoletta’s Harvey Milk: A Personal View. To pay tribute to my subjects, I hope to be like a method actor, and be able to be absorbed by their words and work, to be able to step inside the shoes of the person that I’m portraying, not in an act of ventriloquism, but in order to hopefully channel the character and feel what they must have been feeling while also energizing myself and being inspired by their actions and worlds.
Harvey Milk was such a complex character and man. Although out to himself and active, with a succession of boyfriends, he was in the closet for much his life. But he devoted what became his last years to the LGBTQ+ revolution, ‘’Gay Rights” in his time, realizing that he could put all his efforts into a focus as a gay leader. Although he wasn’t religious, he took pride in his Jewish heritage, and in an online panel by the Museum of Jewish Heritage Harvey Milk: Gay Jewish Icon Lillian Faderman, (author of Harvey Milk: His Life and Death for the Jewish Lives series) described his driving force taking very seriously the Jewish concept Tikkun olam of helping to “repair the world,” something that I’m also inspired by him personally as an artist and teacher.
His history is intense, and Zelig-like, he was great friends and boyfriend for six yeras with the Warhol gang’s Joe Campbell who inspired “Sugarplum Fairy” in the famous Lou Reed song “Walk on the Wild Side,” also Craig Rodwell-the activist subsequent first owner of the Oscar Wilde Bookshop, the first gay bookstore in America–and was friends and worked as a production assistant and producer for the director of hair and Jesus Christ Superstar (musicals that I was deeply inspired by growing up) while also famously becoming long term boyfriends with Scott Smith, his life partner/friend.
When Harvey and Scott moved to the Castro, he realized the powerful force of the queer community, and how they were oppressed and neglected by most of the United States and wanted to finally stand up for his own rights and those of others. While at the camera store he and Scott opened, Castro Camera and they became the center of the gay community, and he began fighting for their rights, in a long journey of campaigns to finally become the first LGBTQ+ elected official in America, serving eleven short months as one of the San Francisco City Supervisors. Among many accomplishments in this time, Harvey heroically fought against Proposition 6, otherwise known as the Briggs initiative after California Sen. John Briggs, who saw the opportunity to run for Governor in the heat of the antigay movement lead by Anita Bryant in Florida, by trying to pass a bill that would fire LGBTQ+ teachers in the state, and prevent any others from being hired—which in particular touches me as I have taught all my professional life as an out gay man and artist, who fought against homophobia in my own life and in the workplace. On November 28, 1978, Harvey, and sympathetic Mayor George Moscone were horrifically assassinated by Dan White, a rival young and conservative Supervisor, who had recently resigned due to his jealously in part by casting the only vote against Milk’s bill that was passed against discrimination based on sexual discrimination in the workplace and housing. The community movingly revolted against this horrifically sublime event and caused riots after the light four-year sentence for White from the biased jury (who later committed suicide when he got out of jail).
Harvey Milk is such an inspiration for me, for my whole life, and for now. I remember him when I was a child (I was born in 1966), hearing about him on the news, and being inspired as a young person about this out gay man who was so forthright about his agency and who fought for LGBTQ+ rights and for others. Even now, as a 57-year-old man, he courage to stand up for himself and for the community is so inspiring. I am a professor at USC, and am the advisor for the art shows by the on campus queer club QuASA, and make it a point to “drop my pearls” at on the first day of class to speak proudly and openly of my life with my husband and our 30+ year relationship, which is I believe helpful for students to know their teacher is a happy and successful gay man.
In addition to my many fine art classes, I have always taught comics and continue to do so today. The comics revolution is wonderfully lead by women, DEI and LGBTQ+ creators, and this is reflected in our classrooms, where at USC I have begun a Visual Narrative Art program, in part to help them help themselves to develop their voices to be heard and resonate positively in the world (after being the lead Comics teacher and Cartooning Coordinator at SVA in NYC for over 22+ years with many published former students who make political work, such as working with Sen. John Lewis on his graphic novel trilogy MARCH and queer students creating gender bending graphic novels and being head storyboard artists for popular politically astute animations such as Steven Universe and more). Harvey Milk still inspires me to fight the good fight, to stand up for myself and others, to not allow any attempts at subjugation bring me or others down, and to give me hope. Harvey was all about having everyone being out, and having others inspire hope.
As I mention in my notes of the painting also based on this image, Milk’s message was of hope- his famous Hope Speech ends by saying:
“The only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home are too great. Hope that all will be all right. Without hope, not only gays, but the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us’es, the us’es will give up. And if you help elect to the central committee and other offices, more gay people, that gives a green light to all who feel disenfranchised, a green light to move forward. It means hope to a nation that has given up, because if a gay person makes it, the doors are open to everyone.
So if there is a message I have to give, it is that if I’ve found one overriding thing about my personal election, it’s the fact that if a gay person can be elected, it’s a green light. And you and you and you, you have to give people hope….”