(photo source)

Almost 30 years after his assassination by a fellow city lawmaker, Harvey Milk returned to San Francisco City Hall, according to Mercury News. A bronze bust of the first openly gay politician to win an elected office of any prominence was unveiled Thursday evening on what would have been Milk’s 78th birthday. Milk, long considered a martyred hero of the gay rights movement, is the first non-mayor to have his likeness permanently installed in the civic building. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977 and shot to death a year later along with Mayor George Moscone by Dan White, a former police officer who had just resigned his supervisor’s seat.

The bust, sculpted by the Berkeley-based Daub, Firmin, Hendrickson Sculpture Group and based on a photograph taken by a friend, shows Milk with a wide grin and his tie fluttering in the breeze. It sits atop a solid granite base inscribed with a prophetic statement he recorded before his death.

“I ask for the movement to continue because my election gave young people out there hope. You gotta give ‘em hope,” it reads.

Standing 75 inches high and weighing over 200 pounds, the sculpture also has three scenes depicted in relief on the base. One features Milk during his stint in the Navy, another shows him riding in a gay pride parade, and the last depicts the candlelight march held the night of the assassinations.

The sculpture was unveiled during a gala reception, seven years after the Board of Supervisors first passed a resolution authorizing a public memorial for Milk. The project was delayed when the private committee formed to raise money for the project had a hard time soliciting donations.

The private funds were ultimately secured and the sculpture ended up costing $57,500, with another $26,500 going toward a design competition, engineering and installation, said Jill Manton, director of public art for the San Francisco Arts Commission.

A panel of jurors selected the winning design of the grinning Milk from three finalists. Another entry was a more serious, classical design and the third was contemporary interpretation, Manton said.

“Everyone really felt that this particular proposal captured his vitality, his vigor, his energy,” she said.

The bust will stand in a ceremonial rotunda outside the Board of Supervisors chambers, a spot where couples frequently choose to get married. Manton said she expects the bust to be popular with City Hall visitors, especially now that California has legalized same-sex marriage.

“What I’ve heard from the head of the docent tours is the most frequently asked question (by visitors) is, ‘Where is the statue of Harvey Milk?’ or ‘Is there anything commemorating where he was assassinated,” she said.

The installation comes at a time of renewed interest in Milk and his legacy. A biographical film starring Sean Penn as the slain supervisor is scheduled to be released later this year. In the meantime, California lawmakers have been asked to establish a state holiday in Milk’s honor. Mercury News