Deane, Benjamin

Dr. Graham MacPhee

WRT 120/10
February 17th, 2011
You Gotta Give Them Hope
In the late 1970s, a movement was taking place across America which still struggles on
today, regardless of the forty years it has been active. Homosexual people have been
misrepresented and refused their basic civil rights in America for years, and perhaps the first
spokesperson for gay rights was a man by the name of Harvey Milk. Milk was the first out, gay
politician elected to Public Office, and in 1978 he gave a speech in his represented area of San
Francisco, addressing gay rights and the importance of electing gay officials into government.
In his speech, Milk addresses many audiences, whether they be the gay citizens of San
Francisco and America, the anti-gay right wing movement supporters led by Anita Bryant, the illinformed masses who misunderstand the concept of homosexuality, straight allies of the gay
movement, and politicians in general, whether they support or oppose gay rights. This speech
became known as Harvey Milks Hope speech, and it still resonates with people today, as gay
citizens remain a minority without all their basic rights in this country. However, at the time the
speech was given, Milks audiences were not all too familiar or comfortable with homosexuality;
for decades, it had been a social taboo. However, Harvey Milk was a skilled speaker, and was
able to use rhetoric to persuade people to join, or at least sympathize, with his cause.
Milk effectively fills his speech with logos, providing logistical arguments and reason in
his efforts and requests. His major goals are to persuade people that gays are not the child
molesters that people often assume they are; that they can not, and should not, let the gay
community be judged by our criminals and myths. Like every other group, we must be judged
by our leaders and by those who are themselves gay, those who are visible. Milk argues that gay

citizens must elect openly gay officials to political positions, because only they can understand
what the gay community truly feels, and that without representation in government, the
homosexual community can easily be judged and stereotyped. The statistic that ten percent of the
American population are gay is logically proven, but probably something that many are illinformed of, and he uses this statement to prove how vital it is that this large group of human
beings receive their basic civil liberties. He uses logical reasoning to inform people that although
the media presents a right-wing movement and tells stories of a right-wing movement, the real
movement is in the left side. He tells of the legalization of marijuana in one state, his own gay
election, and the dialogue about homosexuality that was finally coming to the surface, to be
open and talked about publicly in the nation, and he states that clearly, the movement is to the
left.
Littered throughout the speech is a constant use of pathos to connect emotionally to the
different audiences he is addressing. To his straight allies, he proclaims that an ally can not be
elected to represent gays because friends cant feel the anger and frustration. They can sense it
in us, but they cant feel it. Because a friend has never gone through what is known as coming
out. This topic also strikes a chord in his gay audience, as coming out is a difficult and
terrifying process for any queer person. He addresses other minority groups, asking indirectly for
their sympathy and assistance, alluding to the African-American civil rights movement of the
sixties, and the Latin American cultures struggles. He references Anita Bryant, an outspoken
right-wing activist, and tells his audiences not to fear her or believe her, for she is wrong in her
assumptions about gay people; he talks of the slandering of gays in Dade County and Miami, and
uses this suffering to inform people how necessary change is at this current time.

Milk strategically finds ways to resonate and connect emotionally with his audiences,
using ethos to allude to his good character and personality. The beginning of his speech is led by
a joke: an aim at convincing doubtful audiences that he, like them, is human and enjoys humor. It
makes him more relatable and comfortable to deal with, and eases people into the heavy issues
he will later speak upon. He acknowledges the fact that some people are not satisfied with his
representation of the gay community, and he admits that this is why more gay officials must be
elected. Speaking to the young gay people in the Altoona, Pennsylvanias and the Richmond,
Minnesotas who are coming out and hear Anita Bryant on television and her story, Milk
personally connects with some of his key audience members, who come from these various
states and cities where problems occur regarding gay people. The use of anaphora towards the
end of the speech really drives down the overall idea that Milk was trying to present; that idea is
hope, and he states that you have to give the newer generations hope that the world can get
better. He uses the word in different instances, talking about the future, and admitting that he
alone cannot change the opinion of gay people. His election may have been a spark of hope, but
it is up to the gays, the allies, the other politicians, and the ill-informed to keep that fire burning,
and keep hope alive, so that one day, gay citizens can achieve the same rights as any other citizen
of America.
Harvey Milk may not have studied to be an orator, or had much experience, but he had
passion. He effectively uses rhetoric to aid him in his cause, using logos and reason to explain his
position; he uses pathos to relate to and convince his audiences of his beliefs and ideas. Clearly
demonstrated is his immense character and ethos, a man who fights for freedom and equality for
all. Sadly, Harvey Milk was assassinated shortly after giving this speech by a fellow politician.
However, his message for hope and a green light to move onward still lives on today. Though

gay citizens may not be equal yet, they are forever getting one step closer to equality. There is
one force that keeps them strong in the fight for their rights, and Harvey Milk may have been the
start of that, by giving people hope.