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Harvey Milk, gay rights icon, gets own postage stamp

The face of gay rights icon Harvey Milk graces a U.S. postage stamp. (Associated Press)
Los Angeles Times
The face of gay rights icon Harvey Milk graces a U.S. postage stamp. (Associated Press)

Harvey Milk, the slain politician who became an icon of equal rights not just for the gay community in San Francisco but across the nation, will be commemorated in a forever stamp next month, the U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday.

The stamp’s issue will coincide with Milk’s birthday May 22. The stamps will be available in sheets of 20 and may be pre-ordered.

The image on the stamp comes from a circa-1977 photo taken by Daniel Nicoletta of Milk in front of Castro Street Camera in San Francisco. Antonio Alcala of Alexandria, Va., oversaw art direction for the stamp.

The stamp comes a little more than 35 years after Milk’s assassination in San Francisco City Hall alongside then-Mayor George Moscone on Nov. 27, 1978. Milk had won a seat on the Board of Supervisors in 1977.

In a news release, the Postal Service called Milk a “visionary leader” who gave hope and confidence to the LGBT community.

A ceremony marking the stamp’s first-day issue will take place at the White House on May 22.