Harvey Milk to Be Honored on U.S. Postage Stamp

More than three decades after his assassination, gay San Francisco city supervisor Harvey Milk is still making history. 

The U.S. Postal Service will feature Milk on a special commemorative 2014 stamp, the Harvey Milk Foundation announced on its Facebook page today. 

Milk made history as the first openly gay man elected to public office in California when he joined the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk courageously spoke out about his gay identity and encouraged other LGBT people to come out. He was assassinated by former supervisor Dan White November 10, 1978, after White also shot then-mayor George Moscone inside their offices in San Francisco City Hall. 

Milk is the first openly LGBT elected official to be featured on U.S. postage, reports the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund's Gay Politics blog.

"Harvey Milk's legacy is alive and well," Victory Fund president Chuck Wolfe said on the blog. "His historic run paved the way for a new generation of LGBT leaders who can be open and honest about who they are, and it's encouraging to see the U.S. Postal Service honoring his legacy of perseverance and pride today."

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that the USPS would issue additional details about the stamp next week, and included a slogan from Milk that will not necessarily be included on the stamp. The Advocate regrets these errors.