2-Time Oscar Winner Sean Penn Supports Harvey Milk Day

TowleRoad has posted pictures of the press conference to promote legislation to create a holiday remembering openly gay politician Harvey Milk held yesterday in San Francisco attended by 2-time Oscar winner Sean Penn and SB 572's sponsor, State Senator Mark Leno and Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, as well as several other local openly gay politicians.

Equality California is another co-sponsor of the legislation, which passed the state legislature last year, only to be vetoed by Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in the midst of last year's budget showdown with the Democrats. Yesterday, EQCA started airing a not very-well reviewed 30-second ad which includes images of Harvey Milk. Sean Penn won his second Best Actor Oscar for his stunning portrayal of the assassinated gay politician a less than two weeks ago. When MadProfessah was up in Sacramento the week before lobbying on legislative resolutions to declare Proposition 8 unconstitutional revisions (which both houses of the California Legislature passed on Tuesday), Senator Leno told me that he thinks his bill has a better chance this year, "Because one thing the Governor understands is box office!"

Fellow Southern California blogger and frequent MadProfessah commenter Wonder Man has an interesting post up about other openly gay or lesbian people who could be the subject of fascinating movies: Bayard Rustin, Sylvester, Audre Lorde and Radclyffe Hall are some of his suggestions.