California State Senator Mark Leno announced today the re-introduction of his bill to proclaim May 22nd (Harvey Milk's Birthday) a day of recognition for the slain gay rights leader's contributions to the State of California. Senate Bill 572 would specifically encourage public schools across the State to: "conduct suitable commemorative exercises on Harvey Milk's life and his contributions to the state." The special day would not be a paid holiday and would have no fiscal impact on the California State budget. A similar bill was vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last year, with the Governor's main argument against the holiday being that Milk was only a local San Francisco hero, not a statewide hero.
Actor Sean Penn was on hand for today's press conference announcing the Bill and calling attention to the fact that Harvey Milk was not only a San Francisco hero, not only a California hero but also an American hero — deserving of this recognition at last.
No comments:
Post a Comment