The Mayor of Castro Street

by Randy Shilts

THESE ANTI-GAY SMEAR CAMPAIGNS, THESE ANTI-GAY COLUMNS, ARE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR THE BRIGGS INITIATIVE. WE HAD BETTER BE PREPARED FOR IT.

  IN THE EXAMINER, KEVIN STARR DEFAMES AND LIBELS GAYS. IN THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, CHARLES McCABE WARNS US TO BE QUIET, THAT TALKING ABOUT GAY RIGHTS IS COUNTER-PRODUCTIVE. TO MR. McCABE I SAY THAT THE DAY HE STOPS TALKING ABOUT FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IS THE DAY HE NO LONGER HAS IT.

  THE BLACKS DID NOT WIN THEIR RIGHTS BY SITTING QUIETLY IN THE BACK OF THE BUS. THEY GOT OFF!

  GAY PEOPLE, WE WILL NOT WIN THEIR RIGHTS BY STAYING QUIETLY IN OUR CLOSETS.… WE ARE COMING OUT! WE ARE COMING OUT TO FIGHT THE LIES, THE MYTHS, THE DISTORTIONS! WE ARE COMING OUT TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT GAYS!

  FOR I’M TIRED OF THE CONSPIRACY OF SILENCE.

  I’M TIRED OF LISTENING TO THE ANITA BRYANTS TWIST THE LANGUAGE AND THE MEANING OF THE BIBLE TO FIT THEIR OWN DISTORTED OUTLOOK. BUT I’M EVEN MORE TIRED OF THE SILENCE FROM THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS OF THIS NATION WHO KNOW THAT SHE IS PLAYING FAST AND LOOSE WITH THE TRUE MEANING OF THE BIBLE. I’M TIRED OF THEIR SILENCE MORE THAN OF HER BIBLICAL GYMNASTICS!

  AND I’M TIRED OF JOHN BRIGGS TALKING ABOUT FALSE ROLE MODELS. HE’S LYING IN HIS TEETH AND HE KNOWS IT. BUT I’M EVEN MORE TIRED OF THE SILENCE FROM EDUCATORS AND PSYCHOLOGISTS WHO KNOW THAT BRIGGS IS LYING AND YET SAY NOTHING. I’M TIRED OF THEIR SILENCE MORE THAN OF BRIGGS’ LIES!

  I’M TIRED OF THE SILENCE. SO I’M GOING TO TALK ABOUT IT. AND I WANT YOU TO TALK ABOUT IT.

  GAY PEOPLE, WE ARE PAINTED AS CHILD MOLESTERS. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE MYTH OF CHILD MOLESTATIONS BY GAYS. I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT IN THIS STATE SOME 95 PERCENT OF CHILD MOLESTATIONS ARE HETEROSEXUAL AND USUALLY THE PARENT.…

  I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT ALL CHILD ABANDONMENTS ARE HETEROSEXUAL.

  I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT ALL ABUSE OF CHILDREN IS BY THEIR HETEROSEXUAL PARENTS.

  I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT SOME 98 PERCENT OF THE SIX MILLION RAPES COMMITTED ANNUALLY ARE HETEROSEXUAL.

  I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT ONE OUT OF EVERY THREE WOMEN WHO WILL BE MURDERED IN THIS STATE THIS YEAR WILL BE MURDERED BY THEIR HUSBANDS.

  I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT SOME 30 PERCENT OF ALL MARRIAGES CONTAIN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.

  AND FINALLY, I WANT TO TELL THE JOHN BRIGGS AND THE ANITA BRYANTS THAT YOU TALK ABOUT THE MYTHS OF GAYS BUT TODAY I’M TALKING ABOUT THE FACTS OF HETEROSEXUAL VIOLENCE AND WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT THAT?????

  CLEAN UP YOUR OWN HOUSE BEFORE YOU START TELLING LIES ABOUT GAYS. DON’T DISTORT THE BIBLE TO HIDE YOUR OWN SINS. DON’T CHANGE FACTS TO LIES. DON’T LOOK FOR CHEAP POLITICAL ADVANTAGE IN PLAYING UPON PEOPLE’S FEARS! JUDGING BY THE LATEST POLLS, EVEN THE YOUTH CAN TELL YOU’RE LYING!

  [calmer] ANITA BRYANT, JOHN BRIGGS: YOUR UNWILLINGNESS TO TALK ABOUT YOUR OWN HOUSE, YOUR DELIBERATE LIES AND DISTORTIONS, YOUR UNWILLINGNESS TO FACE THE TRUTH, CHILLS MY BLOOD—IT REEKS OF MADNESS!

  AND LIKE THE REST OF YOU, I’M TIRED OF OUR SO-CALLED FRIENDS WHO TELL US THAT WE MUST SET STANDARDS.

  WHAT STANDARDS?

  THE STANDARDS OF THE RAPISTS? THE WIFE BEATERS? THE CHILD ABUSERS? THE PEOPLE WHO ORDERED THE BOMB TO BE BUILT? THE PEOPLE WHO ORDERED IT TO BE DROPPED? THE PEOPLE WHO PULLED THE TRIGGER? THE PEOPLE WHO GAVE US VIETNAM? THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THE GAS CHAMBERS? THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THE CONCENTRATION CAMPS——RIGHT HERE, IN CALIFORNIA, AND THEN HERDED ALL THE JAPANESE-AMERICANS INTO THEM DURING WORLD WAR II.… THE JEW BAITERS? THE NIGGER KNOCKERS? THE CORPORATE THIEFS? THE NIXONS? THE HITLERS?

  WHAT STANDARDS DO YOU WANT US TO SET? CLEAN UP YOUR ACT, CLEAN UP YOUR VIOLENCE BEFORE YOU CRITICIZE LESBIANS AND GAY MEN BECAUSE OF THEIR SEXUALITY.… IT IS MADNESS TO GLORIFY KILLING AND VIOLENCE ON ONE HAND AND BE ASHAMED OF THE SEXUAL ACT, THE ACT THAT CONCEIVED YOU, ON THE OTHER …

  THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MORALITY AND MURDER. THE FACT IS THAT MORE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SLAUGHTERED IN THE NAME OF RELIGION THAN FOR ANY OTHER SINGLE REASON. THAT, THAT, MY FRIENDS, THAT IS TRUE PERVERSION! FOR THE STANDARDS THAT WE SHOULD SET, SHOULD WE READ YOUR NEXT WEEK’S HEADLINES?…

  WELL, I’M TIRED OF THE LIES OF THE ANITA BRYANTS AND THE JOHN BRIGGS.

  I’M TIRED OF THEIR MYTHS.

  I’M TIRED OF THEIR DISTORTIONS.

  I’M SPEAKING OUT ABOUT IT.

  GAY BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? YOU MUST COME OUT. COME OUT … TO YOUR PARENTS … I KNOW THAT IT IS HARD AND WILL HURT THEM BUT THINK ABOUT HOW THEY WILL HURT YOU IN THE VOTING BOOTH! COME OUT … TO YOUR RELATIVES. I KNOW THAT IS HARD AND WILL UPSET THEM BUT THINK OF HOW THEY WILL UPSET YOU IN THE VOTING BOOTH. COME OUT TO YOUR FRIENDS … IF THEY INDEED THEY ARE YOUR FRIENDS. COME OUT TO YOUR NEIGHBORS … TO YOUR FELLOW WORKERS … TO THE PEOPLE WHO WORK WHERE YOU EAT AND SHOP.… COME OUT ONLY TO THE PEOPLE YOU KNOW, AND WHO KNOW YOU. NOT TO ANYONE ELSE. BUT ONCE AND FOR ALL, BREAK DOWN THE MYTHS, DESTROY THE LIES AND DISTORTIONS.

  FOR YOUR SAKE.

  FOR THEIR SAKE.

  FOR THE SAKE OF THE YOUNGSTERS WHO ARE BECOMING SCARED BY THE VOTES FROM DADE TO EUGENE.

  IF BRIGGS WINS HE WILL NOT STOP. THEY NEVER DO. LIKE ALL MAD PEOPLE, THEY ARE FORCED TO GO ON, TO PROVE THEY WERE RIGHT!

  THERE WILL BE NO SAFE “CLOSET” FOR ANY GAY PERSON.

  SO BREAK OUT OF YOURS TODAY—TEAR THE DAMN THING DOWN ONCE AND FOR ALL!

  AND FINALLY

  MOST OF ALL

  I’M TIRED OF THE SILENCE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE.

  JIMMY CARTER: YOU TALKED ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS A LOT … IN FACT, YOU WANT TO BE THE WORLD’S LEADER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS. WELL, DAMN IT, LEAD!!! THERE ARE SOME FIFTEEN TO TWENTY MILLION LESBIANS AND GAY MEN IN THIS NATION LISTENING AND LISTENING VERY CAREFULLY.

  JIMMY CARTER: WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TALK ABOUT THEIR RIGHTS?

  YOU TALK A LOT ABOUT THE BIBLE.… BUT WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT MOST IMPORTANT PART: “LOVE THY NEIGHBOR?” AFTER ALL, SHE MAY BE GAY.

  JIMMY CARTER: THE TIME HAS COME FOR LESBIANS AND GAY MEN TO COME OUT—AND THEY ARE. NOW THE TIME HAS COME FOR YOU TO SPEAK OUT. WHEN ARE YOU?

  UNTIL YOU SPEAK OUT AGAINST HATRED, BIGOTRY, MADNESS, YOU ARE JUST JIMMY CARTER. WHEN YOU DO, THEN AND ONLY THEN, WILL SOME TWENTY MILLION LESBIANS AND GAY MEN BE ABLE TO SAY JIMMY CARTER IS OUR PRESIDENT, TOO!

  JIMMY CARTER, YOU HAVE THE CHOICE: HOW MANY MORE YEARS?

  HOW MUCH MORE DAMAGE?

  HOW MUCH MORE VIOLENCE?

  HOW MANY MORE LIVES?

  HISTORY SAYS THAT, LIKE ALL GROUPS SEEKING THEIR RIGHTS, SOONER OR LATER WE WILL WIN.

  THE QUESTION IS: WHEN?

  JIMMY CARTER, YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE CHOICE—IT’S IN YOUR HANDS: EITHER YEARS OF VIOLENCE … OR YOU CAN HELP TURN THE PAGES OF HISTORY THAT MUCH FASTER.

  IT IS UP TO YOU. AND NOW, BEFORE IT BECOMES TOO LATE, COME TO CALIFORNIA AND SPEAK OUT AGAINST BRIGGS.…

  IF YOU DON’T—THEN WE WILL COME TO YOU!!!

  IF YOU DO NOT SPEAK OUT, IF YOU REMAIN SILENT, IF YOU DO NOT LIFT YOUR VOICE AGAINST BRIGGS, THEN I CALL UPON LESBIANS AND GAY MEN FROM ALL OVER THE NATION … YOUR NATION … TO GATHER IN WASHINGTON … ONE YEAR FROM NOW … ON THAT NATIONAL DAY OF FREEDOM, THE FOURTH OF JULY … THE FOURTH OF JULY, 1979 … TO GATHER IN WASHINGTON ON THAT VERY SAME SPOT WHERE OVER A DECADE AGO DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING SPOKE TO A NATION OF HIS DREAMS … DREAMS THAT ARE FAST FADING, DREAMS THAT TO MANY MILLIONS IN THIS NATION HAVE BECOME NIGHTMARES RATHER THAN DREAMS.…

  I CALL UPON ALL MINORITIES AND ESPECIALLY THE MILLIONS OF LESBIANS AND GAY MEN TO WAKE UP FROM THEIR DREAMS.… TO GATHER ON WASHINGTON AND TELL JIMMY CARTER AND THEIR NATION: “WAKE UP … WAKE UP, AMERICA … NO MORE RACISM, NO MORE SEXISM, NO MORE AGEISM, NO MORE HATRED … NO MORE!”

  IT’S UP TO YOU, JIMMY CARTER.… DO YOU WANT TO GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS A PERSON WHO WOULD NOT LISTEN … OR DO YOU WANT TO GO DOWN IN HISTORY AS A LEADER, AS A PRESIDENT?

  JIMMY CARTER: LISTEN TO US TODAY … OR YOU WILL HAVE TO LISTEN TO LESBIANS AND GAY MEN FROM ALL OVER THIS
NATION AS THEY GATHER IN WASHINGTON NEXT YEAR.…

  FOR WE WILL GATHER THERE AND WE WILL TELL YOU ABOUT AMERICA AND WHAT IT REALLY STANDS FOR.…

  AND TO THE BIGOTS … TO THE JOHN BRIGGS … TO THE ANITA BRYANTS … TO THE KEVIN STARRS AND ALL THEIR ILK.… LET ME REMIND YOU WHAT AMERICA IS … LISTEN CAREFULLY:

  ON THE STATUE OF LIBERTY IT SAYS: “GIVE ME YOUR TIRED, YOUR POOR, YOUR HUDDLED MASSES YEARNING TO BE FREE.…” IN THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE IT IS WRITTEN: “ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL AND THEY ARE ENDOWED WITH CERTAIN INALIENABLE RIGHTS.…” AND IN OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM IT SAYS: “OH, SAY DOES THAT STAR-SPANGLED BANNER YET WAVE O’ER THE LAND OF THE FREE.”

  FOR MR. BRIGGS AND MRS. BRYANT AND MR. STARR AND ALL THE BIGOTS OUT THERE: THAT’S WHAT AMERICA IS. NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY, YOU CANNOT ERASE THOSE WORDS FROM THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY, YOU CANNOT CHIP THOSE WORDS FROM OFF THE BASE OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY. AND NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU CANNOT SING THE “STAR SPANGLED BANNER” WITHOUT THOSE WORDS.

  THAT’S WHAT AMERICA IS.

  LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT.

  V. Harvey Milk’s Political Will

  Haunted for years by forebodings that he would fall victim to political assassination, Harvey Milk recorded three tapes to serve as his political will. One was left with his personal attorney John Wahl, one with his close friend Frank Robinson, and another with his friend and political associate, Walter Caplan. Milk spoke only from a bare-bones outline when he recorded the tapes, so all three have variations in specifics. Only Frank Robinson’s tape has the passage which was widely quoted after Milk’s assassination: “If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door.” Only on Walter Caplan’s tape is a fifth name, that of former SIR President Doug DeYoung, added to the so-called enemies list of people Milk considered unsuitable to succeed him. Those who have heard all three tapes generally consider Caplan’s to be the best-worded of the testaments. This is a complete transcript of that tape:

  This is Harvey Milk speaking on Friday November 18. This is tape two. This is to be played only in the event of my death by assassination. I’ve given long and considerable thought to this, not just since the election. I’ve been thinking about this for some time prior to the election and certainly over the years. I fully realize that a person who stands for what I stand for—a gay activist—becomes the target or potential target for a person who is insecure, terrified, afraid or very disturbed themselves. Knowing that I could be assassinated at any moment or any time, I feel it’s important that some people should understand my thoughts. So the following are my thoughts, my wishes, my desires, whatever. I’d like to pass them on and played for the appropriate people. The first and most obvious concern is that if I was to be shot and killed, the mayor has the power, George Moscone’s, of appointing my successor to the Board of Supervisors. I know there will be great pressures on him from various factions, so I’d like to let him know what my thoughts are.

  I stood for more than just a candidate. I think there was a strong differential between somebody like Rick Stokes and myself. I have never considered myself a candidate. I have always considered myself part of a movement, part of a candidacy. I’ve considered the movement the candidate. I think there’s a delineation between those who use the movement and those are who part of the movement. I think I was always part of the movement. And I think that. I wish I had time to explain almost everything I did. Almost everything that was done was done with an eye on the gay movement.

  I would suggest and urge and hope that the mayor would understand that distinction and that he would appoint somebody to my position who also came from the movement rather than used the movement or never understood the movement. I think those people who actively opposed me—the Jim Fosters, Rick Stokes, Jo Dalys, Doug DeYoungs—those people never understood the movement. I’m not saying they’re against it. They just never understood it. They used it. Maybe willingly, maybe unwillingly, but they never understood what it was about. I think those who remained in silence—the Frank Fitches, not wishing to play sides—never understood the movement, that silence is sometimes worse than speaking out. I would hope that the mayor would understand that appointing somebody who actively opposed me or subtly opposed me or kept quiet, stuck their head in the sand, would be an insult to everything I stood for, would be an affront to the campaigns and the people who worked.

  I would hope he would give consideration, strong consideration, only to people who came from the movement. I’ve talked to several people and they know my thoughts, so I put them on tape so there’s no doubt in anybody’s mind about my thoughts. There are some people I definitely have in mind who I would like the mayor to consider.

  The first person I would have is a gentleman by the name of Frank Robinson who is quite an author in his own right. Frank even more so knows my thought processes. Not only has he read everything I’ve written and helped re-write the major pieces, but Frank is the one who almost daily we had conversations on various points of thinking and philosophies. So he knows my thoughts as well. He understands how I arrived at the decisions and he played devil’s advocate time and time again. So if there’s anyone who knows me from the depth of the intellect and the emotions, it’s Frank Robinson and I think being who he is, he has that incredible ability to express himself clearly and concisely and if there were any problems, he would be able to carry on the philosophy and idea of what I stood for.

  If there’s some reason Frank is not the choice, the next consideration I would hope the mayor would give would be to Bob Ross. Bob has read everything I’ve written in the past four years and also has carried on extensive dealings with me and also has the ability to get along with a lot more people than I can, which is also going to be needed. And Bob is a strong person that will not bend and that’s vital. You cannot have a weak person—the Rick Stokes types, the professional lawyers. The first few gay people must be strong. That doesn’t mean obstinate or uncompromising, but they must be strong.

  The third choice would be Harry Britt, who most people don’t know. But I’ve watched Harry and Harry’s been involved with three campaigns. He knows where I am. I’ve watched Harry grow and grow and grow and become more articulate. Some people may find him wrong because he is somewhat emotional, but by God, what fabulous emotions! And he’s a very, very dedicated and strong person and will not be pushed around. One that understands what the movement is and where it must go. Some day it will be there anyhow.

  A fourth possibility is a person who is younger, newer and learning every day. It’s the woman who put my campaign together. Anne Kronenberg who is strong. Who understands and learns fast and thinks fast. And would add a spirit, being a gay woman, that the others cannot add. And I think that would be an outstanding choice.

  And I hope the mayor would understand that in cases like this, the tradition has been to replace a person who has been assassinated with someone who is close to the candidate in thought, rather than somebody who actively or quietly opposed the candidate. And it’s important that it happens. I cannot urge the mayor strongly enough to hear what I’m saying. I think that if he did that, he would be gaining a tremendous amount of support.

  The other aspect of the tapes is the obvious of what would happen should there be an assassination. I cannot prevent some people from feeling angry and frustrated and mad, but I hope they will take that frustration and that madness instead of demonstrating or anything of that type, I would hope that they would take the power and I would hope that five, ten, one hundred, a thousand would rise. I would like to see every gay lawyer, every gay architect come out, stand up and let the world know. That would do more to end prejudice overnight than anybody could imagine. I urge them to do that, urge them to come out. Only that way will we start to achieve our rights.

  I hope there are no religious services. I would hope there are no services of any type, but I know some people are into that and you can’t prevent it from happening, but, my God, nothing relig
ious. Until the churches speak out against the Anita Bryants who have been playing gymnastics with the Bible, the churches which remain so quiet have the guts to speak out in the name of Judaism or Christianity or whatever they profess to be for in words but not actions and deeds. God—and that’s the irony. God—churches don’t even know what it’s about. I would turn over in my grave if there was any kind of religious ceremony. And it’s not a disbelief in God—it’s a disbelief and disgust of what most churches are about. How many leaders got up in their pulpits and went to Miami and said, “Anita, you’re playing gymnastics with the Bible—you’re desecrating the Bible”? How many of them said it? How many of them hid and walked away? Ducked their heads in the name of Christianity and talked about love and brotherhood.

  No services whatsoever. If anything, play that tape of Briggs and I, which is somewhere in the cabinet in the back—the file cabinet. Just play that tape of Briggs and I over and over again so people can know what an evil man he is. So people know what our Hitler is like. So people know that where the ideas of hate come from. So they know what the future will bring if they’re not careful.

  And that’s all I ask. That’s all. I ask for the movement to continue, for the movement to grow because last week, I got the phone call from Altoona, Pennsylvania and my election gave somebody else, one more person, hope. And after all it’s what this is all about. It’s not about personal gain, not about ego, not about power—it’s about giving those young people out there in the Altoona, Pennsylvania’s hope. You gotta give them hope.

  Notes on Sources

  The following institutions helped in various aspects of the research: Woodmere Public Library, Bayshore High School, California Historical Society, San Francisco History Room of the San Francisco Public Library, Bache & Company, the alumni office of the State University of New York–Albany and the Harvey Milk Archives.

  Harvey Milk’s Early Years (1930–1956): Much of the information about Harvey’s childhood came from memories he shared with his lovers Scott Smith, Doug Franks, and Joe Campbell, as well as from a taped discussion he conducted at Napa State University in June 1974. Robert Milk discussed his parents shortly after Harvey Milk’s assassination, but later declined a detailed interview unless he was compensated, a condition that violates standard journalistic ethics and was therefore unacceptable. The information about the German gay movement came from The Early Homosexual Rights Movement (1864–1935) by David Thorstad and John Lauritsen. Eileen Mulcahy, Dick Brown, and Clifton LaPlatney recalled much about Harvey’s high school years. The names of Harvey’s two classmates, Bob and Willy, were changed for legal reasons; these are the only names in the book, however, that were altered. Harvey Milk’s Albany State alumni Chris Lievestro, Paul Buchman, Max Fallek, Arlene Struhmeyer, and Howard and Doris Rosman discussed Harvey’s college years.