Harvey Milk - like myself - was a minor participant in the New York bohemian underground of the late '50s/early '60s (I met him in 1961). Sexual orientation was pretty much irrelevant in our mileu. In fact, some of our friends were outrageous nelly queens, but Harvey wasn't one of them. As is true of the vast majority of men who identify as homosexual, you'd never have guessed he was gay. (And that's why I'm critical of Sean Penn's portrayal of Harvey as just a tad effeminate.)

The navy veteran and Wall Street executive became a gay activist/politician rather late in life after retiring to San Franciso and going into business for himself in the upscale (mostly) gay ghetto now known as The Castro and he helped destroy the stereotype of gays as silly ineffectual people.

However, the struggle didn't end with his martyrdom, and gay people are still denied many civil rights in 21st century America.

This guy was important to the gay and lesbian community in San Francisco at a time when being homosexual still had a stigma to it.