Film about slain gay leader Harvey Milk screens tonight at Woodruff Park

Got “Milk”?

The “Milk” showing is part of the free “Films that Matter” series put on by the National Center for Civil & Human Rights.

Attendees are encouraged to have dinner at nearby restaurants at 6:30 p.m., and then attend the free film screening that starts at dusk in Woodruff Park downtown.

You can view the Facebook page for the event here.

“Milk” stars Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, who was the first openly gay elected official in a major American city. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977, but was assassinated in 1978 along with Mayor George Moscone.

Dan White, a former supervisor who had resigned but wanted to rejoin the board, confessed but was only convicted on voluntary manslaughter after a defense that included the claim that he was mentally affected by eating too much junk food the night before. While Milk’s assassination had sparked massive candlelight marches, the verdict sparked what came to be known as the White Night riots.

White served only five years in prison, and later killed himself, while Milk continues to be remembered as a pioneer of the gay rights movement.

“If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door,” Milk said as death threats increased during his campaigns.