Governor Signs Harvey Milk Day into Law

Among hundreds of bills Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Oct. 11 and 12 was a bill establishing Harvey Milk Day, making the gay rights activist part of California's law as well as its history.

The day of honor for the slain politician will fall on May 22, Milk's birthday.

The highly contentious piece of legislation drew strong support from the gay community and ire from conservative groups. After vetoing a similar bill last year, and recently implying that he would veto all of the bills on his desk if the legislature did not agree on a water bill, Schwarzenegger surprised many with his decision to honor Milk.

"Honestly, I didn't expect it to pass," said Autumn Barr, 21, president of SF State's Queer Association. "I didn't expect support at all, so I'm really excited and surprised."

Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill last year because he deemed Milk a figure of local instead of statewide significance.

"He means so much to people all over the nation, all over the world, and to say that he only matters in San Francisco is not supported by the evidence," said Alice Kessler, the government affairs director for Equality California.

Equality California advocates for gay rights and introduced the idea of Harvey Milk Day to State Sen. Mark Leno two years ago, according to Kessler.

With the passage of the bill, California will now regard May 22 as a day of significance and schools will be encouraged to teach their students about Milk. The state currently honors John Muir, teachers and the California poppy with honorary days. The decision to feature Milk in lesson plans will be left to each school district.

Opponents of the bill focused on the effects that lesson plans about Milk will have on the classroom environment, referring to him as a figurehead of social politics and interest groups rather than a part of history.

One such group is the California Family Council, which advocates for opposite-sex marriage and against same-sex marriage. The group aims to "protect and promote Judeo-Christian principles in California's culture for the benefit of its families," according to its Web site.

Everett Rice, the legislative coordinator for the California Family Council, thinks that Milk's story has no place in an academic setting.

"The reason for schools is so children can learn academic materials, not so they can learn things from a special interest group," Rice said. "That's what people are missing in this argument."

Many parents will pull their children out of school on Harvey Milk Day, according to Rice.

"(Milk) could have won the Nobel Peace Prize and it still doesn't justify taking time away from students," Rice said. "We shouldn't put things in our schools that forces parents to take their kids out."

Others think that Milk's pivotal role in the gay rights movement gives him the historical weight to deserve a day and are celebrating the decision.

"Acceptance is something that needs to be taught," Barr said. "Milk is a fantastic man to learn about...and his memory can help us be a better, more accepting community."