Harvey Milk Forever Stamp

The official first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony for the Harvey Milk Forever Stamp will take place at the White House today.

The stamp makes Milk the first openly LGBT official ever featured on U.S. postage.

Harvey Milk was a visionary leader who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S. when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. 

Milk’s achievements gave hope and confidence to the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community in the United States and elsewhere at a time when the community was encountering widespread hostility and discrimination. 

Milk believed that government should represent all citizens, ensuring equality and providing needed services. His remarkable career was tragically cut short nearly a year after he took office, when he and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assassinated.

In 2009, Milk was posthumously awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

The dedication will coincide with Harvey Milk Day in California.

The stamp image will be previewed at a later date and a public dedication ceremony will take place in San Francisco May 28. Additional details will be forthcoming.

“Harvey Milk’s legacy is alive and well,” said Chuck Wolfe, President and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund and Institute. 

“His historic run paved the way for a new generation of LGBT leaders who can be open and honest about who they are, and it’s encouraging to see the U.S. Postal Service honoring his legacy of perseverance and pride today.”

Look folks...Milk's life stye may not have been yours, or mine, but goddamit, this  is supposedly a free country. Or is it? His life choices should not have been a death sentence. Not here in America!