California Senate
Approves May 22 as Harvey Milk Day

The California state senate on Tuesday approved legislation that would declare May 22 "Harvey Milk Day," observing the birthday of the openly gay San Francisco city supervisor who was assassinated nearly 30 years ago. The 22-13 vote in favor of the designation, which would create a "day of significance" rather than a state holiday, was along party lines.

Not one Republican senator voted for the bill, which would encourage schools and other educational institutions "to conduct suitable commemorative exercises on that date," the Los Angeles Times reports.

Republican state senator David Cox told the Times that his vote against the proposal had nothing to do with Milk but with the fact that "in school, we ought to concentrate on writing, reading, and arithmetic."

The bill will now return to the state assembly for concurrence on minor amendments before going to the governor's office for consideration. (The Advocate)