Harvey Milk Day Celebrated in San Diego

On this, Harvey Milk Day, the U.S. Postal Service will hold a special White House ceremony to mark the first day of issue for the stamp honoring a founding father of the LGBT community.

While the ceremony is planned in Washington, D.C., there was another event going on in San Diego - the first city to name a street in Milk's honor.

Hundreds of San Diegans gathered to honor Milk on what would have been his 84th birthday and to celebrate the successes the LGBT community has enjoyed over the last year.

The crowd cheered when Speaker of the Assembly Toni Atkins was welcomed. Atkins is the second woman and the first member of the LGBT community to hold the office.

At the same time, speakers reminded attendees to rededicate themselves the goals the community has yet to achieve.

Brandon Tate, Director of Development at the LGBT Community Center said a lot has happened since the first breakfast.

“When we started the event six years ago, the state didn’t have an official holiday to honor Harvey Milk,” Tate said.

“We have more and more people celebrating. That’s definitely a positive sign for the event and the LGBT community of San Diego.”

Harvey Milk's political career was cut short less than one year after he entered office as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assassinated on Nov. 27, 1978. Milk was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama in 2009.

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