AN AUDIENCE WITH STUART MILK

INTERVIEW BY ALEX HOPKINS

Photograph: Stirland Martin

Legends are not easy to live up to. As the nephew of gay hero Harvey Milk, Stuart Milk has taken it upon himself to keep his uncle’s light shining. Yet like the former Mayor of San Francisco, Stuart Milk refuses to rest on his laurels. He is determined to take the struggle for LGBT rights global and thereby continue Harvey’s simple yet infinitely powerful message of providing universal hope.


Stuart Milk was in London this weekend to speak at the second annual vigil against hate crime in Trafalgar Square. As an openly gay man who lost his uncle to violence 32 years ago this November it is a cause close to his heart. With the horrific spate of recent gay suicides in the United States and continuing homophobic violence on both sides of the pond it is also something that he knows has never been more relevant.


Although slightly jet-lagged, Milk’s eyes sparkle with a fearless determination as he talks about the fight that lies ahead. Central to his work is a belief that we must reach out to the international community to forge equal rights. This, he explains, was something that Harvey Milk recognised all those years ago.


“I have recordings of my uncle where he talks about young people hearing his message abroad. These are the people who really felt hopeless and even now I receive pre-suicidal messages from young LGBT individuals.


“We must remember that although 12 nations now recognise gay marriage, 75% of the world remains deeply homophobic. In places like Istanbul and Damascus the societal level of hatred is so pervasive that effeminate men, Trans people and noticeably butch women are forced to pay an extra tax if they buy a cappuccino in a coffee shop. I was shocked to find out that this coffee shop was an American run chain. America is seen to lead the way of LGBT rights and this shows just how influential they are in taking the struggle global.”


The key to meeting the challenges that lie ahead, Milk believes, lies in making allies with other minority communities. He is also adamant that we must accept that current president Barrack Obama is one of our greatest allies and cites his continued attempts to include the LGBT community in public statements and events.


“I think we are at a cross roads with LGBT rights in the United States. Most of our activists are very much to the left and we need to branch out to other communities and find common ground to reach people. We need to give the people who are against us something to hang on to. When you build your life on a dogmatic faith and then ask that faith to embrace LGBT people it is like unravelling a tapestry. It forces them to question and re-evaluate their whole belief system. This is incredibly scary for them and it just means that their intolerance becomes greater. We need to throw them a lifeline.”


This seems to be the message behind this year’s vigil in central London which now focuses on victims of all hate crime and not just homophobia. It very much chimes with Milk’s desire to forge links between all minority communities and seek out the shared obstacles as we tackle cultural barriers.


Last year 10000 people filled Trafalgar Square. Some justifiably commented that the gay bars should have been emptier and a stronger display of societal unity was needed. Apathy amongst the LGBT community remains something we must confront.


“For those who say this doesn’t affect them I would say don’t travel to 75% of the world because you will not be able to walk down the street holding hands in Milan or Rome and you cannot travel to the Middle East and be an openly gay couple without risk of being jailed. You will end up living in a very small bubble,” says Milk. They are firm and thoughtful words that we would all be well-advised to contemplate.

Stuart Milk's stay in the UK was sponsored by Out There magazine, with thanks to The Arch and Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

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