His name was Harvey Milk.

[Political Tiger]

Today, President Obama awarded the late Harvey Milk the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. He said Milk's "message of hope, hope unashamed, hope unafraid, could not ever be silenced."

VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvKOv8HA76o

Here are his full remarks:

His name was Harvey Milk. And he was here to recruit us, all of us, to join a movement and change a nation. For much of his early life he had silenced himself. In the prime of his life he was silenced by the act of another. But in the brief time in which he spoke and ran and led, his voice stirred the aspirations of millions of people. He would become, after several attempts, one of the first openly gay Americans elected to public office. And his message of hope, hope unashamed, hope unafraid, could not ever be silenced. It was Harvey who said it best: You gotta give 'em hope.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I hope Harvey Milk is smiling down on Obama now...

K&R

Gone too soon...

May he finally rest in peace.

[PBS Poll-435]

2. Well, who can disagree with that message?

+1 Rec!

[Behind the Aegis]

3. Mixed feelings.

[Divine Discontent]

5. me, too. But I appreciate that he was highly recognized, nonetheless.

[Hekate]

4. Two openly LGBT citizens received that highest honor today from President Obama...

Harvey Milk and Billie Jean King -- lives well lived, and acknowledged.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Hekate

[Divine Discontent]

6. exactly, Billie Jean King!

[akbacchus_BC]

7. Wasn't it that great, a posthomous award! You gotta admire our President!

[Uzybone]

8. KnR

its a great honor.

[SusanaMontana41]

9. Yes. Thank you, Mr. President

for honoring Harvey Milk and Billie Jean King. Now how about repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"?

Still can't watch "Times of Harvey Milk" without crying. Think I'll watch it again tonight, and raise a toast to my GLBT friends.

You are loved!

[TexasObserver]

10. recommend

[DevonRex]

11. K&R. nt

[myrna minx]

12. K&R. n/t

[Hepburn]

13. I watched the awards yesterday....

...and some of those awarded, brought tears to my eyes. Harvey Milk was one of those. BTW: I sobbed when Hawking got his!

[BlancheSplanchnik]

14. "The Life and Times of Harvey Milk" made me cry...

I got to see what an amazing spirit he was, thanks to Sean Penn's total work on the movie.

Tells me alot that the President chose him as well as Billie Jean King as recipients.

When I rented the movie from the library, the librarian started to make "eww gay, ha ha" noises. I mentioned what an amazing person Milk was, how the movie was so powerful.....

but, I've been thinking about the best response to that kind of sheltered attitude ever since (the librarian is very nice; the reaction didn't seem to be a hopeless case of hate)

My latest thought is that my best general response would be something like, "I have many dear friends who are gay or lesbian, and they are the warmest, kindest, most honest, most ethical and finest people I know. Much better and bigger hearts than most of the conservatives I know." ----- something like that..........

[Boomerang Diddle]

15. K & R!

[noiretextatique]

16. thanks, president obama

[fortyfeetunder]

17. I just saw Milk last night

And I remembered the emotions I had nearly 31 years ago when I learned of the tragic end to Harvey Milk and Mayor Moscone's life.

I thought: another two men to join Medgar Evers, JFK, Malcolm X, Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman, Viola Liuzzo, MLK, RFK, and the countless others who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the name of civil rights. I remember these names because I was young enough when these people were taken away from us.....

Thanks to the president again for bestowing this great honor to Harvey Milk.