Harvey Milk

“If I do a good job, people won't care if I am green or have three heads.”

“A gay person in office can set a tone, can command respect not only from the larger community but from the young people in our own community who need both examples and hope.”

“Coming out is the most political thing you can do.”

“Hope will never be silent.”

“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!”

“I will never forget what it was like coming out and having nobody to look up toward.”

“Give me your support, and I'll fight for you... I'll fight for you because I am you.”

“If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door.”

“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!”

“All men are created equal. Now matter how hard they try, they can never erase those words. That is what America is about.”

“More people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, my friends, that is true perversion.”

“It takes no compromising to give people their rights. It takes no money to respect the individual. It takes no survey to remove repressions.”

“All over the country, they're reading about me, and the story doesn't center on me being gay. It's just about a gay person who is doing his job.”

“My name is Harvey Milk and I'm here to recruit you.”

“Politics is theater. It doesn't matter if you win. You make a statement. You say, "I'm here, pay attention to me”

“Never take an elevator in city hall.”

“The first gay people we elect must be strong. They must not be content to sit in the back of the bus. They must not be content to accept pablum. They must be above wheeling and dealing.”

“If we wish to rebuild our cities, we must first rebuild our neighborhoods. And to do that, we must understand that the quality of life is more important than the standard of living.”

“I personally will never forget that people are more important than buildings.”

“Burst down those closet doors once and for all, and stand up and start to fight.”