SACRAMENTO — The legacy of Harvey Milk has had a very good year.
Three decades after California's first openly gay elected leader was gunned down in San Francisco City Hall, Milk has been celebrated by an Oscar-winning film, named to the state Hall of Fame and lauded by President Obama.
But despite those posthumous accolades, a legislative push to create a day of recognition for Milk became one of the most contentious issues in the Capitol this year. The proposal, which passed the Legislature on Thursday, is among more than a dozen gay rights bills offered in the aftermath of Proposition 8, last November's ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriage in California.
Also on Thursday, the Assembly passed a bill that steps back onto Proposition 8 turf: It would require California to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states before the initiative passed. The Senate passed another bill that would expand protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender prison inmates. And lawmakers had already approved a resolution calling on Congress to repeal the decade-old Defense of Marriage Act.
One proposal before the Legislature would let transgender Californians alter their birth certificates to reflect a new identity. Others address property rights, employment issues and AIDS.
But the issue of a Harvey Milk Day -- a strictly symbolic gesture -- caused by far the largest public outpouring.
Waves of phone calls, e-mails and faxes have been arriving in the Capitol for weeks from gay rights advocates and conservative Christians. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office created a special phone line to handle the volume.
"There are days of special significance for John Muir, for the California poppy," said the proposal's author, Sen. Mark Leno (D-San Francisco). "Why would we not have such a day for this unique California hero?"
Conservatives are pushing hard for Schwarzenegger to veto Leno's legislation, which would proclaim Milk's May 22 birthday a day of recognition and encourage schools to consider commemorating his life.
Opponents say that singling out Milk would send the wrong message to children by endorsing homosexuality and lionizing a man with a controversial personal history. Some raise the specter of schools holding mock gay weddings and gay pride parades on campus.
"Harvey Milk is and was a terrible role model for kids," Randy Thomasson, president of SaveCalifornia.com, said before a Thursday news conference outside the Capitol.
