SAN DIEGO–The Hillcrest Town Council voted 24-3 on Tuesday evening, March 13,  to recommend to the San Diego City Council that Blaine Street be renamed as Harvey Milk Street after the gay San Francisco City-County supervisor who was slain along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone in 1978 by former supervisor Dan White.

Blaine Street runs for five blocks from Centre lane to Cleveland Ave. It is a small road, but nonetheless, in the history of the US, it is a big deal. If the City Council approves, San Diego will have the first street, in the United States, named after one of the greatest political activists in LGBT history, according to the LGBT Pride organization.

Milk ran unsuccessfully three times before he won a seat in 1977 as a San Francisco city-county supervisor.  His election was one of the first in the country for an openly gay person.   Once on the board, he was able to pass  gay rights ordinances while representing the Castro District.

Harvey Milk made a big difference in the Gay and Lesbian community and now San Diego may be the first to name a street in honor of his good deeds.

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Sanders is commentary editor of the GC Summit.  She may be contacted at [email protected]