Harvey Milk was a Californian politician and activist for gay rights. Milk was born in New York City in 1930. He became involved with San Francisco politics in 1973, despite facing opposition from the local gay establishment and subculture. He had spent much of his life drifting between jobs and locations; before entering politics, he had spent his last $1,000 to open a camera store on Castro Street that would become the center of his activism. He was elected city supervisor in 1977. Although he fiercely advocated for protections for gay people while in office, it was his assassination by Dan White, a former city supervisor and political and ideological rival, that secured Milk’s legacy. Upon his death, Milk was quickly transformed from the first gay Californian elected official to a martyr for the LGBTQ+ community.

Milk’s personal life was heavily shaped by the concept of coming out, which he repeatedly emphasizes in “The Hope Speech” as necessary for changing societal perceptions of the gay community. Instead of keeping his personal relationships a secret, Milk made his orientation a key part of his political stance and public image and encouraged others to do the same. Milk advocated for protecting those who chose to come out by successfully combatting bills such as Proposition 6, which would have mandated firing openly gay teachers in California.