Milk won the best screenplay Oscar and in his acceptance speech, the writer Dustin Lance Black made a personal thank you to Harvey Milk. Black explained that he was 13 years old from a conservative Texas family when he first heard the story of Harvey Milk and that the story gave him the courage to be himself and to believe that he could live an open life, be accepted and even fall in love and get married.
Black's wedding ring glowed in the bright lights and he wore a white knot. In the crowd, the Milk producers also wore white knots, a symbol of support for marriage equality.
Black finished with an emotional call of support to all gay young people who are watching. If Harvey Milk was alive, Black says, he would want me to say to the young people out there -- you are loved, you are beautiful, don't let any one tell you otherwise.
Best part of the speech (hat tip Think Progress)
BLACK: When I was 13 years old, my beautiful mother and my father moved me from a conservative Mormon home in San Antonio, Texas, to California, and I heard the story of Harvey Milk. And it gave me hope. It gave me the hope to live my life; it gave me the hope that one day I could live my life openly as who I am and that maybe even I could fall in love and one day get married. . . .
Most of all, if Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he’d want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told they are less than by their churches, or by the government, or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value. And that no matter what everyone tells you, God does love you, and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally across this great nation of ours.
Comments of support arrived quickly. On the Washington Post site:
Jen Chaney: It was a very nice speech. Concise, meaningful, emotional. I liked it, too.
It was wonderful and brave. I was thrilled that Sean Penn won. To me he was way ahead of everyone else, but there's no sure thing. Someday the gay winners will not have to make an appeal, I pray.
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