Three Cheers for Milk

The
Hetrick-Martin Institute is the nation’s first,
oldest, and largest agency serving LGBTQ young people,
and it helps more than 3,500 of them annually.
The Hetrick-Martin Institute believes all young people,
regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe
and supportive environment in which to grow. Youths
receive free, year-round services ranging from mental
health counseling to after-school programs such as
academic enrichment, GED and college preparation, job
readiness, arts and culture and health and wellness
programming as well as hot meals and homeless pantry
services and HIV, STI, and pregnancy testing. It is
within this environment that the Harvey Milk High School,
named after the social activist and now-icon Harvey
Milk, resides.

It is with
profound gratitude that an actor of the highest caliber,
Sean Penn, has seemingly breathed life into the man
who is now a legend and hero to all people who fight
for the rights of others. It is for the continued
pursuit of the ideals that this hero of a nation stood for
that this school exists. Harvey Milk High School is a
fully accredited public transfer high school operated
by the New York City Department of Education and
hosted by the Hetrick-Martin Institute. It provides a safe
and supportive environment for students who have experienced
harassment in school and/or difficult academic or
living situations.