009 - The Milk Episode

Harvey Milk was a pioneering activist in San Francisco during the 1970's and was one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United State when he joined the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. Milk's activism for gay rights, his flashbulb political career, and his assassination in 1978 are a lasting legacy for the gay community. In our episode this week, Jake and Kevin talk about two movies that tell the story of Harvey Milk- The Times of Harvey Milk (1984) and Milk (2008). The Times of Harvey Milk is a documentary film directed by Rob Epstein and narrated by Harvey Fierstein that expertly edits together archival footage of Milk's career in activism and San Francisco politics as well as talking head interviews with other activists and figures in Milk's orbit. In Milk, directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Dustin Lance Black, Sean Penn played a fictionalized Harvey Milk from his rise in San Francisco politics to his assassination at the hand of Dan White. What did this film add to an already masterful documentary? Why can't Sean Penn just keep his mouth shut? Was that really Harvey Fierstein in the studio?! Join us for these answers and more! We end our cinematic sissies mini-series with the fabulous movie-rescuer, Malcolm, portrayed by Michael Greer in the atrocious 1969 comedy, The Gay Deceivers. Kevin power-ranks the sissies we have discussed since episode 1 and then quizzes Jake on his sissy knowledge!