Hope Speech

“Unless you have dialogue, unless you open the walls of dialogue, you can never reach to change people’s opinion. In those two weeks, more good and bad, but more about the word homosexual and gay was written than probably in the history of mankind.”

Awareness is necessary to change people’s perspective. If gay people are not acknowledged as a visible, human presence and force, the social perspective on them will not change. Milk uses hyperbole at the end of the quote to remind his audience that they occupy a unique historic moment capable of immense social change. Even if there are setbacks in the movement or negative rhetoric, Milk encourages his audience to maintain hope that the perspective will shift to their benefit if they refuse to silence themselves.

“What we must do is make sure that 1978 continues the movement that is really happening that the media don’t want you to know about. That is the movement to the left.”

This version of the speech was delivered in June 1978, so Milk’s goal with this line is to sustain his audience’s fervor for promoting gay rights and visibility. Milk uses synecdoche, or making a part represent the whole, and generalization to turn the “media” into a unified force against him and his audience. This functions as an emotional appeal, or pathos, inspiring his audience to take up arms against a generalized enemy.

“We must not allow them to talk about the money it’s going to save, because look at who’s going to save the money and who’s going to get hurt.” (3)

Milk uses juxtaposed pronouns—"we” versus “them”—to emphasize the need for backlash against the Jarvis-Gann bill. By centering his response to the bill on the constituents it will harm, Milk promotes the minority individual over the majority collective, a staple of his platform. Additionally, this sentence parallels Milk’s earlier discussion of dialogue as necessary for the promotion of ideas, as he encourages his audience to help him silence the bill’s supporters.

“Y’see right now, there’s a controversy going on in this convention about the gay governor. Is he speaking out enough? Is he strong enough for gay rights?”

Milk asks rhetorical questions to indicate the questions the gay community has been asking about their own representation. Rhetorical questions allow Milk to open the topic up for debate without invalidating the issue outright. Discussing the division among the gay community is a necessary contrast to prove the need for unity.

“It’s not enough anymore just to have friends represent us. No matter how good that friend may be.”

This quote introduces the idea of minority representation as the solution to overturning prejudice and ensuring rights are protected. Milk makes a claim that the gay community needs direct representation, as the support of allies is not enough to combat widespread misinformation. By referring to allies as “friends,” he is careful to not alienate supporters that are not part of the LGBTQ+ community—he makes it clear that he values their support. This supports the theme of The Importance of Representation and Intersectional Solidarity.

“That the myths against blacks can only be dispelled by electing black leaders, so the black community could be judged by the leaders and not by the myths or black criminals. The Spanish community must not be judged by Latin criminals or myths. The Asian community must not be judged by Asian criminals or myths. The Italian community must not be judged by the mafia, myths. And the time has come when the gay community must not be judged by our criminals and myths.”

One of many instances of repetition, this quote equalizes the minority experience of gay people with the experiences of marginalized racial and ethnic groups. By summarizing the complex and unique stereotypes and prejudices against each group as “myths,” Milk generalizes the experience of being in a marginalized group, regardless of the reason. This contributes to two arguments: marginalized groups must stick together, and gay people must mimic the actions of racial minorities to fight for equality.

“For invisible, we remain in limbo—a myth, a person with no parents, no brothers, no sisters, no friends who are straight, no important positions in employment. A tenth of the nation supposedly composed of stereotypes and would-be seducers of children—and no offense meant to the stereotypes.”

Milk’s use of statistics at the end of this paragraph emphasizes the contrast between reality and the spun narrative about LGBTQ+ people. He emphasizes how the Harmful Stereotypes and Heightened Expectations for Minorities directed toward them robs them of their basic humanity by implying they don’t possess things such as family, friends, or respectable employment. By reminding his audience that they are part of 10% of America, he strengthens them to embrace their prevalent role in the country and to abandon nonsensical stereotypes about them.

“I will never forget what it was like coming out and having nobody to look up toward. I remember the lack of hope—and our friends can’t fulfill it.”

Milk highlights the loneliness he faced coming out to emphasize the need for a better future. The concept of hope is most centrally introduced here, tying in themes of LGBTQ+ Pride in Action and The Importance of Representation and Intersectional Solidarity to remind his audience that achieving public prominence is the best way to give hope to future generations of LGBTQ+ people. Existing as a LGBTQ+ person isn’t enough—they must exist proudly in the public eye to give others the strength to persevere.

“I use the word ‘I’ because I’m proud. I stand here tonight in front of my gay sisters, brothers and friends because I’m proud of you.”

The theme of LGBTQ+ Pride in Action is explicit here, as Milk reminds his audience that he is proud of himself and of them for their courage. While Milk uses first-person pronouns throughout, he emphasizes his personal perspective here to establish a deeper connection with his audience. His audience is invited to feel proud of themselves as well as for the people around them.

“These were strong people, whose faces I knew from the shop, the streets, meetings and people who I never saw before but I knew. They were strong, but even they needed hope.”

The shop Milk references is his own camera shop, a common gathering place for queer San Franciscans. Milk figuratively uses the word “knew” to form a connection between himself and gay people he does not personally know, implying that they have a connection that transcends needing to practically meet. By using this word flexibly, he enforces the idea that gay people are a united force.

“The only thing they have to look forward to is hope. And you have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home are too great.”

Milk’s repetition here at the climax of his speech emphasizes the speech’s titular driving motivation: hope. Additionally, the transition from “I” to “you” begins the transfer of power from Milk to his audience. Repeating the word “hope” ensures the audience will not forget the goal at the heart of the speech.

“And if you help elect to the central committee and other offices, more gay people, that gives a green light to all who feel disenfranchised, a green light to move forward.”

Milk once again uses generalization to unify the marginalized people in his audience, implying that gay people can serve as the key to freedom for all, even if the same is not true in reverse. This theme of The Importance of Representation and Intersectional Solidarity is essential to the purpose of his speech, which is meant to unite and inspire marginalized people who can then stand stronger against oppressive majorities.

“It means hope to a nation that has given up, because if a gay person makes it, the doors are open to everyone.”

By saying that the nation has given up, Milk directly contradicts his earlier statements that the move to the right was incorrect. This quote’s hyperbole, however, motivates the audience to recognize the importance of his words. The contrast of hope and giving up sets up a binary for their actions going forward.