Hope: The Harvey Milk Speech

This is what I entered for the Letters About Literature contest:

“Somewhere in Des Moines or San Antonio there is a young gay person who all the sudden realizes that he or she is gay; knows that if their parents find out they will be tossed out of the house, their classmates will taunt the child, and the Anita Bryant's and John Briggs' are doing their part on TV. And that child has several options: staying in the closet, and suicide. And then one day that child might open the paper that says "Homosexual elected in San Francisco" and there are two new options: the option is to go to California, or stay in San Antonio and fight. Two days after I was elected I got a phone call and the voice was quite young. It was from Altoona, Pennsylvania. And the person said "Thanks." And you've got to elect gay people, so that thousands upon thousands like that child know that there is hope for a better world; there is hope for a better tomorrow. Without hope, not only gays, but those who are blacks, the Asians, the disabled, the seniors, the us's: without hope the us's give up. I know that you can't live on hope alone, but without it, life is not worth living. And you, and you, and you, and you have got to give them hope.”
-Harvey Milk

Josie Drott
9th Grade
Hope:
The Harvey Milk Speech

Harvey Milk was assassinated because of who he was. Because he believed that everyone is created equal. And I know that if he were here today, he would do everything in his power to stop it. Today we are faced with the same problems that gays, lesbians, and bisexuals all faced thirty years ago, back in a time when blacks were considered inferior, when the disabled weren’t respected, and when people who weren’t like the majority were frowned upon. Over the years we have overcome so much discrimination, but just when we thought that everyone was called equal - no matter their sex, skin color, race, or beliefs - we are faced with the issue of same-sex marriage. Once again people are going back to thinking that they are better than others just because there are more of them; reverting to that sense of superiority. I believe that you should have the choice of marrying, loving, and being with whomever you want, and I believe that no one should be able to change that.
Seeing as Harvey is no longer around, I will try to bring to light would he would say to the best of my abilities. Think of a group or community you are in. Here in Utah the Mormon Church is the biggest and most powerful force in our state. The majority is Mormon, but what happens when you go to another state where the main religion is Baptist? Do they force you to change or kick you out? No, they let you believe in whatever you want and embrace you for who you are. We have come so far from the prejudice that use to rule all of our hearts, why is homosexuality any different?
People deserve respect no matter what. You shouldn’t judge them because they aren’t exactly like you. Everyone should have a chance. I myself know several gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, and they are incredible nice and good people. You should never assume that just because someone is a certain way that they are unsavory or bad. The individuals that make up a group are generally agreeable people that just want to be understood, not prosecuted. If you take the time to get to know a few, you will realize that they like and dislike the same things as you and feel the same way about certain things as you. You can connect on so many different levels with people different from you.
Proposition 8 was recently passed with great support from the Mormon Church. The problem is that there are so many homosexual and bisexual Mormons that there were protests in front of the Temple in Salt Lake City. They estimated about one thousand people to come, but over 3,000 joined the rally. That is to show that there are groups within groups believing the same, yet differently.
Like Harvey, I believe that there is hope no matter where you go. So long as there is individuality amongst the many, you will always find controversy. You are who you are, and no matter how many laws they pass, the government can never change you. People need to be understood and not put into a category simply because their genetic code is different. That is what makes us human, not all following the same primal instincts, but being you. And no amount of hatred or discrimination or prejudice will ever be able to stop people from having hope for a better future.