Long Beach Opens Country's First Park Honoring Slain Gay Rights Leader Harvey Milk

A downtown Long Beach park named after the country's first openly gay elected official will open Tuesday, and the public is invited to the 11 a.m. ceremony. 

The Harvey Milk Promenade Park, located at 3rd Street and The Promenade, is the U.S.'s first named after the gay civil rights advocate, who was shot to death by a former colleague and public official. The nearby Equality Plaza will be dedicated Tuesday as well. 

Milk’s life was famously documented in the film, Milk, with Sean Penn playing the part of the man who broke through walls of prejudice to become the first gay official elected to public office, thereby opening doors of opportunity for future gay Americans. But he paid a heavy price. Revered as a civil rights leader for his work on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, which included passing a Gay Rights ordinance, Milk’s career was as hard-won as it was tragically short.

After just 11 months on the board, Milk was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by a former city supervisor, Dan White, on November 27, 1978. More than three decades later, Long Beach’s Harvey Milk Promenade Park will be the first of its kind commemorating the bravery and determination of someone considered by many to be a hero.

Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster and Vice Mayor Robert Garcia will attend the morning ceremony.

“The Harvey Milk Promenade Park is an example of how a small, well designed open space can transform its surroundings and provide a profound purpose, “ said Foster in an announcement.  “The park also serves as a place where visitors can learn about Harvey Milk and our very own Long Beach leaders who battled incredible odds for the rights of the LGBT community.” 

Read more details about the Milk park.