Harvey Milk's nephew blazes his own trail

[n2doc]

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Stuart Milk, the 49-year-old nephew of assassinated gay rights trailblazer Harvey Milk, has picked up his uncle's torch and taken it across the country and the globe speaking about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality.

He co-founded the Harvey Milk Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy and education center. Last year, on his late uncle's behalf, Milk accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama and the California Hall of Fame Medal from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. This year, he celebrated California's inaugural Harvey Milk Day on May 22. Born in New York, Milk now lives in South Florida. He spoke recently with Chronicle reporter Rachel Gordon.

Q: Much has been said about Harvey Milk's legacy. What was his legacy for you personally?

A: Harvey was always a touchstone for me on authenticity. I wanted to come out to my uncle that I was gay, but it took time. He knew I was gay, but he never forced the conversation. ... In 1972, he gave me a book ("Seven Arrows" by Hyemeyohsts Storm) and wrote in the inscription, "You are the medicine that the world needs, even if the world doesn't recognize that." Being authentic, he said, is a gift to the world.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/06/20/BAPP1E0CMM.DTL

[Sebastian Doyle]

1. Strong family resemblance

Almost looks more like a son or a little brother than a nephew.