San Francisco International Airport opens Terminal 1 Harvey Milk
On July 23, the first phase of the reform of Terminal 1 was inaugurated at the ** San Francisco ** airport, honoring the name of Harvey Milk . For the LGBTQ+ community, it is a social event that marks another notch in that timeline of struggle and vindication, which has its beginnings in the fundamental 1970s , when Harvey Milk , the first openly gay official, was elected councilman in the state of California.
This messenger of hope was born in New York in 1930 in a Jewish family. Tired of living in the closet, he emigrated with his lover Scott Smith to San Francisco, which was beginning to be a welcoming place for the gay community (especially when the homosexual soldiers expelled by the army at the end of World War II made the Californian city their home).
Arrival at the Harvey Milk Terminal in SFO
"MY NAME IS HARVEY MILK AND I COME TO RECRUITING"
San Francisco has always been a special city, different . After its foundation by the Spaniards in 1776, it was literally invaded by hordes that, infected by the Gold Rush, dramatically increased the census of the city and its income, filling it with all kinds of businesses and beliefs, admired by some, criticized By others.
However, neither censorship, nor the threat of earthquakes, nor fire they could with the Californian city . The fusion of all races, religions and points of view gave rise to one of the most open cities in the United States. Beat writers who occupied the North Beach neighborhood in the 1950s, hippies settled in Haight-Ashbury in the 1960s championing their counterculture during the Summer of Love festival, and the movement for gay rights battle started in the 70s.
Milk opened a photography shop in 1972, to which he was very fond, in the castro neighborhood . Slowly, Castro Cameras e was becoming the meeting place for the gay community at a time when raids and hunting of homosexuals were everyday life in San Francisco.
Harvey Milk after winning the elections
Born politician, although until then he had not known it, friendly, with charisma and great sense of humor, Milk began to have the idea that his collective needed someone in the government to defend them and place them in society (as well as other groups, until then marginal, such as people of color, Hispanics...).
What began with clandestine meetings in the Castro Camera, pamphlets and street talks, gradually acquired some relevance, although Milk had already earned the nickname d and Mayor of Castro , always beginning his speech with the phrase: "My name is Harvey Milk and I'm here to recruit".
With perseverance and will, the initiative was acquiring serious dimensions, growing followers (and not only homosexuals). At the same time that he made friends, he also made fierce enemies like Anita Bryant, a singer and political activist for whom the gay community was sent by Satan on Earth. Also like the Councilman Dan White , who was in favor of proposition 6 (by which homosexual teachers were prohibited from teaching in public schools).
Milk, after running in several elections for councilman and not being too far from victory, campaigning fresh and alive in which he advocated not only for the gay community, but also for the rights of the elderly, child care, the public transport, the legalization of marijuana and the collection of pet excrement on the streets of San Francisco..., in 1977 he was elected a San Francisco alderman , a position that lasted a year, before on November 27, 1978, together with Mayor George Moscone, was killed at the hands of his adversary , former Councilman Dan White.
Harvey Milk in Castro
"Oh Danny Boy, Oh Danny Boy, I love you so" The emotional Irish ballad was heard while more than 30,000 people paraded with candles in their hands and tears in their eyes during the sad journey from the Castro Street to the Town Hall, where the present body of Harvey Milk was to say his last goodbye.
Despite the many threats he received throughout his political career (and of which he used to comment: "If a bullet enters my brain, let it destroy all the cabinet doors" ) and as if predicting his soon end, Harvey Milk had recorded a tape that was only to be heard in the event of his death just nine days before his murder.
"My election gave hope to someone else – one more person. That's what it's all about, after all. It's not about personal gain. It is not a matter of ego. It is not a question of power. It is about giving all young people... hope. We must give them hope.".
Harvey Milk exhibit in the new terminal
HARVEY MILK AS A SYMBOL OF STRUGGLE
In 1985 the documentary on Milk's political career _(The times of Harvey Milk) _ received the Oscar for best documentary. As a great opera fan, the opera in three acts Harvey Milk was heard in 1995 in memory of his essential life. In 2008, the movie was in theaters My name is Harvey Milk, with the spectacular performance of Sean Penn In the role of Milk which earned him the Oscar for best actor, just like Dustin Lance Black for best original screenplay. In 2009, President Barack Obama awarded Harvey Milk the posthumous title of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
THE HARVEY MILK TERMINAL: INCLUSIVE AND LOW CONSUMPTION
With these antecedents it is not surprising that the aged 1960s Terminal 1 , belonging to the airport of a city that is a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association ILGA **(the world's leading network of businesses that welcome tourism from the LGBTQ+ community)**, has been chosen to host a new airport concept that is not only a place of passage towards dream trips, but that supposes in itself an extraordinary experience.
As stated by the airport director, Ivar C Satero : "Terminal 1 Harvey Milk raises the bar for airport experiences and serves as a tribute to the life and legacy of a civil rights leader and pioneer. SFO is the first impression of the San Francisco Bay for millions of people from all over the world and Terminal 1 Harvey Milk offers an example of what distinguishes our region: an innovative spirit, an approach towards the environment and, most importantly, a commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion . I hope that travelers around the world will be inspired by the story of Harvey Milk at the SFO terminal named after him."
Sean Penn as Harvey Milk in 'My Name is Harvey Milk'
The Center of attention of the newly opened terminal is dedicated to the exhibition Harvey Milk-Messenger of Hope . Along 120 meters you can see r 100 impressive images, memorabilia and personal belongings, some from the Scott Smith collection, others thanks to the call he made in November 2018 SFO Museum to get people's donations on his and others' bequests from the San Francisco Public Library. The exhibition is a beautiful way to show travelers details of daily life and the struggle of a man who saw He lived and died to defend his principles , an irreplaceable life without which San Francisco would not be the city it is today.
Works of art, mostly by North American artists of the Public Art at SFO International Airport will be included in the exhibition Harvey Milk , coming to complete the ambitious San Francisco Arts Commission art program to create a dynamic scenario that catches the tourist as soon as they enter the airport. With each new building constructed, the Commission has the opportunity to work with different artists, thus creating an atmosphere that reflects the innovation and creativity of the city.
Harvey Milk exhibit in the new terminal
The state-of-the-art facilities of Terminal 1, designed to improve the connection of passengers beyond the boarding gates, represent a commitment to diversity, a example of an innovative spirit focused on the environment , in which they have invested $2.4 billion.
The huge floor-to-ceiling windows darken or lighten depending on the sunlight. Circular openings in the roof, called oculi, let in natural light. Its waiting areas around the boarding gates with 2,134 seats are lounge style.
The Harvey Milk Terminal has installed the first multi-purpose toilet for all genders in the world and one service room for animals.
Trendy shops and restaurants for all tastes (Amy's Organic Drive Thru Bourbon Pub, Bun Mee, illy Coffee, Starbird, The Little Chihuahua) . self-powered elevators, slow escalators that reduce electricity use , a baggage transport system efficient of low consumption (the first of this type installed in the USA). All this testifies to the general eagerness of a city that hopes shortly to eliminate carbon dioxide emissions.
One of the demonstrations in San Francisco in the 70s
Terminal 1 uses 70% less energy to accommodate 70% more passengers than other SFO terminals . The Airport provides 43,000 direct jobs, including hundreds of new trainees, many of whom have worked at Harvey Milk Terminal 1. When work on the Harvey Milk Terminal is complete, in 2022, this will exceed the patterns of terminals 2 and 3 of the San Francisco airport.
During phase one of terminal 1 they will open nine gates in boarding area B for JetBlue and Southwest airlines and a commemorative plaque will be installed in honor of the fruitful life of Harvey Milk.
Upon completion, towards the end of 2022, the terminal will have 16 new boarding gates that will add 24 of which six will be for international flights.
San Francisco maintains a connection with Madrid three times a week, offering almost 900 weekly seats between the two cities during the summer.
What the Harvey Milk terminal will look like in 2022