Sean Penn Calls for ‘Harvey Milk Day’

Having been resoundingly honored for his onscreen portrayal of Harvey Milk, Sean Penn is now calling for a high honor for Milk, asking for an official “Harvey Milk Day” in California to commemorate the slain San Francisco politician and gay rights activist.

SFGate:

Surrounded by some of the real-life characters behind the biopic “Milk”—Milk’s friends and early activists Cleve Jones and Anne Kronenberg, state Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (who had a cameo in the film) and a host of gay and lesbian leaders—Penn deftly sidestepped the question [of whether he would run for public office].

“The closet,” he said looking around at the leaders behind him, “is brimming with skills.’‘

But the actor—who won the best actor Oscar this year for his lead role in “Milk”—did speak strongly on his belief that a state day, May 22, to officially recognize the accomplishments of Milk. And he predicted his fellow actor, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, will get behind it.

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AP photo / Marcio Jose Sanchez

Sean Penn applauds alongside California state Sen. Mark Leno, right, during a news conference in San Francisco on Tuesday. The event was held to lobby the state of California to declare a Harvey Milk Day.