Mark Leno
The California State Senator on how he has followed Milk's political path.
Mark Leno
Mark Leno
California State Senator
Democrat
When did you first learn about the life (and death) of Harvey Milk? What did he mean to you then? How old were you, etc.?
I first learned about Harvey Milk and his work when I arrived in San Francisco in 1977 at the age of 26. Although I never met him, it was impossible not to be very aware of his work and leadership as an out LGBT official and community leader. The full impact of his work and legacy was clarified during the months following his assassination.
It was then that my political activism and community involvement began. The San Francisco Gay Democratic Club was re-named as the Harvey Milk Gay and Lesbian Democratic Club. I became a member and drew my inspiration from Harvey along with a whole new generation of politically interested and involved activists.
Was Harvey Milk an inspiration to you when you ran for public office? What is it that inspired you about him?
Without a doubt, Harvey Milk inspired my transition into public service in the same way he had earlier inspired me to engage in community service. Because of Harvey’s courage and the sacrifice of his own life, LGBT people like me could envision ourselves fully engaged in civic affairs.
As the LGBT community has become so interwoven into the fabric of our greater community, it is difficult to remember a time when we were not so. But prior to Harvey, there was literally no one visible in public leadership roles identifying as queer. Once he demonstrated that it could be done and the enormous value of it, others were inspired to follow his lead. I count myself among those inspired.
What specific challenges did you face running (or serving) because of your own sexual orientation?
My good fortune as a candidate has been that my district is likely the most LGBT-friendly and inclusive in the state if not country. As a legislator in Sacramento, all of my Democratic colleagues have always been, without exception, 100% supportive.
Sexual orientation is not an issue within our caucus any more than one’s ethnicity is.
The same cannot be said of my Republican colleagues who socially have always been respectful though universally disrespectful with their votes. In Sacramento, the issue of LGBT civil rights is unfortunately a severely partisan one.
As a vocal opponent of right wing, inordinately expensive and ineffective “tough on crime” measures, I have experienced Republican Party attacks on my character and distortions of my positions. Shock-jock radio announcers and television commentators have bombarded me with venomous accusations. There has been, at times, a not so veiled homophobic nature to their hyperbolic rants. The encouraging news is that voters discounted these hateful voices in my recent election to the state Senate.
What has changed the most for a lesbian/gay politician since the days of Harvey Milk?
We have come a good distance these past 30 years in our fight for first class citizenship. Keep in mind that when Harvey first ran for office, homosexuality had just been removed from the American Psychiatric Association’s list of mental illnesses. It was still a crime for consenting adults of the same gender to have relations and there were absolutely no legal protections from discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing and employment.
There are now approximately 629 LGBT elected officials in the United States which is still far too few but make those of us in elected office no longer a rarity. There are also thousands of community based organizations which support us in our legislative efforts to end inequity in state and federal laws. With work yet to be done, we are in a much brighter world thanks to the vision and courage of Harvey Milk.
In 2008, Mark Leno was elected to the State Senate, representing California’s 3rd Senate District. He is the first openly gay man ever elected to the California State Senate. From 2002-2008, Senator Leno served in the California State Assembly, representing the 13th District, which encompasses the eastern portion of San Francisco. He was one of the first two openly gay men ever elected to the Assembly, where he chaired the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which oversees all bills with a fiscal impact on the state. Prior to his election to the Assembly, he served for four and a half years on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. While in the Assembly, Leno has fought for and championed LGBT equal rights. He authored the first two marriage equality bills passed by both houses of any state legislature in the United States allowing LGBT couples to marry.
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