One City One Pride LGBTQ Festival kicks off Saturday, May 22, 2021, City of West Hollywood’s reading of the Dear Harvey play – The Stories of Harvey Milk by Patricia Loughrey. The online event is free. It becomes available on the WeHo Arts YouTube channel starting at 9 a.m.
Watch the reading here: http://bit.ly/harveymilk21
Cast features: Calpernia Addams, Mario Burrell, June Carryl, Reggie Lee, David Tran, and Brittney S. Wheeler.
“It’s really a privilege and an honor to be providing a welcome for the City of West Hollywood’s Harvey Milk Day celebration,” said Stuart Milk, nephew of Harvey Milk and founder of The Harvey Milk Foundation. “Harvey Milk Day is a day we look at and celebrate the diversity of our communities, the legacy of my uncle Harvey Milk, and the message he sent out across the globe. Harvey Milk Day is celebrated in cities and in states throughout the U.S. and throughout the world, but I can tell you that nobody does it better than the West Hollywood, which stands among the best. Today will be no exception.
Extensively researched and beautifully constructed, this documentary-style ensemble play recounts the life and lasting impact of groundbreaking LGBTQ activist and politician Harvey Milk, as told by the people who knew him best… the real-world figures whose lives were forever altered by Milk’s too-short career. This spirited play reaffirms his impact and the continued relevance of his campaign towards equality, three decades after his assassination.
Harvey Bernard Milk was the first openly gay elected official in the history of California. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. He served almost eleven months in office, during which he sponsored a bill banning discrimination in public accommodations, housing, and employment on the basis of sexual orientation. The Supervisors passed the bill by a vote of 11–1, and it was signed into law by Mayor George Moscone. On November 27, 1978, Milk and Moscone were assassinated by Dan White, a disgruntled city supervisor.
There will be a special welcome from Stuart Milk, nephew of Harvey Milk, and the West Hollywood Mayor and City Council.
The 2021 theme for One City One Pride LGBTQ Festival is For the Record – LGBTQ stories of the past that have often been hidden or undocumented. One must read between the lines to find stories hidden behind “beard” marriages, coded language, and erased or destroyed evidence. This year, One City One Pride looks at some of these previously hidden stories.
For more information about One City One Pride and additional free programs visit www.weho.org/pride www.weho.org/pride.
One City One Pride is organized by the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division. If you have additional questions about One City One Pride, or the reading of the Dear Harvey play, email Mike Che, One City One Pride coordinator/City of West Hollywood’s Arts Coordinator at [email protected]
