Schwarzenegger reverses position to honour gay San Francisco politician
Just one year after he vetoed a bill to set aside a day to recognize the achievements of Harvey Milk, California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has reversed his position, declaring May 22 Harvey Milk Day. Though it won’t be a state holiday, it will be an opportunity for schools to recognize the accomplishment of the gay San Francisco politician, who was assassinated in 1978. According to the governor’s spokesman, Schwarzenegger’s change of heart was prompted by Milk’s receipt of the presidential medal of freedom, and the Academy-award winning film about his life. The bill also recognizes the rights of same-sex couples married in other states. While cheered by many, Harvey Milk Day is being denounced by conservative groups who call it “the strongest impetus yet for loving parents to remove their children from anti-family public schools.”