I wrote 'Milk' for me. I wrote it for the younger version of me that had no clue that there are people who'd ever fought for my rights.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a deep connection between personal experiences and the struggles of others for rights.
Dustin Lance Black reflects on his motivation for writing 'Milk' as a means of understanding and acknowledging the struggles faced by those who fought for LGBTQ+ rights. It highlights the importance of representation and the emotional impact of realizing that one's identity is supported by the efforts of those before them, encouraging others to recognize the value of their history and rights.
In practice
During a Pride event, to emphasize the importance of understanding our rights.
If Harvey [Milk] had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he would want me to say to all the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told they are less than by the churches, by the government, by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value, and that no matter what anyone 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.
How amazing is it that when a young gay or lesbian person has their first crush, no matter where they live in the country, they can imagine that all the way to marriage? When I first experienced a crush, in Texas, there was maybe a second of butterflies that were then dammed in by the fear of what that meant.
My mom was paralyzed from polio at the age of 2, abandoned by her husband, left with a 2-year-old, a 6-year-old and a 10-year-old, and so, we were raising her as much as she was raising us.
Gay and lesbian people want to love and be loved. Some of us want to get married. Some want to have and build families. We want our kids to have their lives be a little bit better than what we've had.
Every single person in this world is a minority in one way or another. It just depends on how you slice the pie.
I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that this is somehow a stranger who is carrying your child. And this is absolutely not true. Your surrogate becomes one of your best friends and a member of your family.
It is about your outlook towards life. You can either regret or rejoice.
You know the old adage: Plant an expectation, reap a disappointment.
Millions of people never analyze themselves. Mentally they are mechanical products of the factory of their environment, preoccupied with breakfast, lunch, and dinner, working and sleeping, and going here and there to be entertained. They don't know what or why they are seeking, nor why they never realize complete happiness and lasting satisfaction. By evading self-analysis, people go on being robots, conditioned by their environment. True self-analysis is the greatest art of progress.
"Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before," Bokonon tells us. "He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way."
The mark of a master is to select only a few moments, but give us a lifetime.
I wish that someone had said to me that it's normal to feel lost for a little while.
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