Every so often I see a film that just gets me! It moves me and makes me think - I suppose that is what films are supposed to do. I can remember the first film that got me - I must have been 8 or 9 years old when I first saw "The Colour Purple" - I can remember it very clearly, I was off school sick and the night before my parents had rented the film on video. I was bored and feeling sorry for myself on the sofa and decided to watch it. It made me cry more than any film had before and it made me think. I was crying because of the struggles that the character's were going through and also because having grown up in a very white town I had not realised that people were racist. It had totally passed me by and I can remember going to school the following week and writing about the film. My teacher was very impressed, I think I may have even got a gold star.

There have not been many films since then that have stopped me in my tracks but last night I saw a film that blew me away. It made me smile, made me cry and made me very angry. The film was "Milk" directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Sean Penn. The film is the story of Harvey Milk, a truly inspirational man. Milk was an american politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. He was a true fighter, a passionate individual who could not stand injustice, bigotry or discrimination. I think the reason the film hit me so hard last night is due to the parallel's from the era of the film to the current situation in America where gay people are yet again having to fight for their human rights. In 1978 a conservative state legislator in California sponsored the proposition 6 initiative - if this proposition had been passed by voters it would have meant that gay men, lesbians and anyone supporting gay rights would have been banned from working in public schools in California. One of the key supporters of Proposition 6 was the singer Anita Bryant who is well known In America for her views on "the homosexual agenda". Many of her hate speeches are shown during the film and it was striking just how similar they were to the speeches of US State Legislator - Sally Kern.

Bryant was saying this 30 years ago -

"As a mother, I know that homosexuals cannot biologically reproduce children; therefore, they must recruit our children" and "If gays are granted rights, next we'll have to give rights to prostitutes and to people who sleep with St.Bernards and to nail biters"

As we all know there is no bigger threat to society than nail biters. People seriously took notice of this woman and not even in a circus freak kind of way!

Anyway that was 30 years ago, surely things have changed and people are not still spouting such rubbish?

Sally Kern, Oklahoma State Legislator, 2008

"Studies show that no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than, you know, a few decades. So it's the death knell of this country. I honestly think it's the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism or Islam — which I think is a big threat, okay? Cause what's happening now is they are going after, in schools, two-year olds...And this stuff is deadly, and it's spreading, and it will destroy our young people, it will destroy this nation."

Oh dear! "Milk" has inspired me to do more, to stand up and be counted, I may not live in America and gay men and lesbians tend to be more accepted in this country but there is still a long way to go, I am not going to just sit through life thinking "well I am ok and that’s the main thing" - what about the gay men that are murdered in this country every year, where are their stories? did you know that 2 openly gay men had been murdered in this country this year with another being paralysed after being attacked for being gay? No probably not because the mainstream media does not think that is important for you to know. There is nothing wrong with being an angry gay, the gay "community" needs anger rather than complacency, just because we are used to being treated badly that does not mean it has to continue. What can you do to make a difference?

* volunteer? there will be projects in your local area, maybe a helpline or a youth group that could use your support

* Find out who your local MP is and write to them asking them what they are doing to support gay rights

* Find out who your local LGBT police liaison officer is and ask them what the situation is locally around homophobic crime and if there is anything you can do

* The majority of local areas have LGBT forums, maybe organised by the police or local activists, check it out

It does not have to involve cash just a bit of passion and commitment, who has not got that to spare.

Harvey Milk always talked about the need to have hope, in his most famous speech he brought this message home

"I can’t forget the looks on faces of people who’ve lost hope. Be they gay, be they seniors, be they black looking for an almost-impossible job, be they Latins trying to explain their problems and aspirations in a tongue that’s foreign to them. I personally will never forget that people are more important than buildings. I use the word “I” because I’m proud. I stand here tonight in front of my gay sisters, brothers and friends because I’m proud of you. I think it’s time that we have many legislators who are gay and proud of that fact and do not have to remain in the closet. I think that a gay person, up-front, will not walk away from a responsibility and be afraid of being tossed out of office. After Dade County, I walked among the angry and the frustrated night after night and I looked at their faces. And in San Francisco, three days before Gay Pride Day, a person was killed just because he was gay. And that night, I walked among the sad and the frustrated at City Hall in San Francisco and later that night as they lit candles on Castro Street and stood in silence, reaching out for some symbolic thing that would give them hope. These were strong people, people whose faces I knew from the shop, the streets, meetings and people who I never saw before but I knew. They were strong, but even they needed hope.

And the young gay people in the Altoona, Pennsylvanias and the Richmond, Minnesotas who are coming out and hear Anita Bryant on television and her story. The only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home are too great. Hope that all will be all right. Without hope, not only gays, but the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us’es, the us’es will give up. And if you help elect to the central committee and more offices, more gay people, that gives a green light to all who feel disenfranchised, a green light to move forward. It means hope to a nation that has given up, because if a gay person makes it, the doors are open to everyone.

So if there is a message I have to give, it is that if I’ve found one overriding thing about my personal election, it’s the fact that if a gay person can be elected, it’s a green light. And you and you and you, you have to give people hope. Thank you very much".

Harvey Milk was assasinated on November 27th 1978, in a recording made months before his death Milk stated

"If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door"

This film is vitally important and you have to see it, it will change the way you think and feel and hopefully it will make you do something.

That is all Harvey Milk hoped for



xx