One Step Closer to Harvey Milk Day

Staff / Truthdig May 15, 2009 Friends and admirers of the late San Francisco supervisor and gay rights activist have been rallying to establish an annual commemorative day in his honor, and on Thursday, the California Senate approved a bill that would officially make Milk's birthday, May 22, Harvey Milk Day in the Golden State. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Sean Penn Calls for ‘Harvey Milk Day’

Staff / Truthdig Mar 4, 2009 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. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Thank You God for Giving Us Harvey Milk’

Staff / Truthdig Feb 23, 2009 The 81st Academy Awards ceremony was a politics-free affair, except for a predictably superficial nod at the economic collapse and two acceptance speeches for "Milk," one from screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, the other from best actor Sean Penn. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Sean Penn Schools Prop. 8 Supporters in Oscar Speech

Staff / Truthdig Feb 23, 2009 Lest he miss an opportunity to speak his mind, Sunday night's Best Actor Oscar winner took a moment on the podium to encourage those who voted last November for California's Proposition 8, the anti-gay-marriage initiative, to rethink their choice. Turns out the Academy is actually made up of commie, homo-loving sons of guns. Update: Video Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Yet Another Oscar Snoozer?

Staff / Truthdig Jan 23, 2009 Well, the Academy has spoken, picking this year's Oscar nominees, and they couldn't be safer or more boring except for those categories in which "Milk" figures in somewhere At least that's what the San Francisco Chronicle's completely unimpressed critic Mick LaSalle thinks. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Globes Cool to ‘Milk’

Staff / Truthdig Dec 11, 2008 Despite widespread acclaim and gushing praise from some tough critics, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association largely overlooked Gus Van Sant's "Milk" in choosing this year's Golden Globe nominees, although Sean Penn is among the HFPA's picks for best actor. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Get Milk

Sheerly Avni / Truthdig Nov 26, 2008 Gus Van Sant’s "Milk" is a movie to be thankful for. Go see it, tonight if you can, and in a crowded theater. Then open up some merlot and watch the documentary "The Times of Harvey Milk," by Robert Epstein -- because these two films belong together. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Hollywood’s Closet Still Closed for Business

Larry Gross / Truthdig Nov 26, 2008 Gus Van Sant's "Milk" is the first major Hollywood "gay themed" film since “Brokeback Mountain,” and moreover (unlike “Brokeback”), this one is about openly gay activists, not tortured closet cases. Yet, once again, the lead gay roles couldn't be filled by openly gay actors. What's going on here? Dig deeper ( 14 Min. Read )