he Oscar-nominated film Milk is igniting related tourism in San Francisco. The city played host during filming of this biopic about Harvey Milk, one of the first openly gay people elected to a high public office.

Start your visit off with a trip to City Hall, where the city supervisor worked and is honored with a large rainbow flag and a series of photos. Tours are available weekdays at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. (sfgov.org/site/cityhall).

CITY GUIDE: More to see and do in San Francisco

Take the “Cruisin’ the Castro” Milk walking tour and visit everything from his former residence to the home of his ashes. Tour includes entry to the GLBT Historical Society’s Harvey Milk exhibit. Available Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., $55 (cruisinthecastro.com, 415-255-1821). For a quirkier view of the Castro District, visit some of Milk’s lesser-known stomping grounds with FOOT! comedy walking tours. Available Saturdays at 2 p.m., $32 (800-979-3370, foottours.com).

Top of your touring with a glass of “Harvey Milk Punch” from the JW Marriott Hotel’s Level III lounge (levelthreesf.com, 415-929-2087).

 See Tours take in the sites of Harvey Milk’s life
USA Today - 

“I’M FROM WOODMERE. I’M JEWISH. I’M GAY.”

Harvey Milk often carried a sign with those words on marches during his activist days in the 1970s, his nephew Stuart Milk says. The first openly gay man in the country to be elected to public office “was not religious or observant, but Harvey absolutely identified himself as a Jew,” he said.

The San Francisco County supervisor, who was murdered in his City Hall office in 1978, also enjoyed conversing in Yiddish with Sharyn Saslafsky, who would come into his camera store in San Francisco’s Castro district as a customer or just to shmooze.

“Although neither of us spoke it fluently,” Saslafsky recalls, “we had fun using Yiddish to tell stories, laugh and talk about different things. We would use it interchangeably with English, correctly or incorrectly. 

“We would also talk about Yiddishkayt, about what Judaism stresses,” she continues. “That was clearly very important to Harvey. I believe his concern for justice, fairness, equality and ethical behavior came from his Jewish background.”

The fact that he was Jewish is mentioned only briefly in the recently released biopic, “Milk,” which focuses instead on the personal and political events that occurred over the last eight years of Milk’s life. 

Prior to that period, Milk, born in 1930, had played high school football, served in the Navy, worked on Wall Street, dabbled in the theater, been a Republican and led an essentially closeted life until he settled in San Francisco. There he transformed himself into a progressive gay activist at a time when violence and discrimination against gays were commonplace. 

Many Hollywood filmmakers, including Oliver Stone, have contemplated making a movie about Milk. However, it wasn’t until a young writer named Dustin Lance Black finished a spec script based on extensive research that the project began to move forward. 

Cleve Jones, one of Milk’s protégés, sent the script to Gus Van Sant, who enthusiastically agreed to direct the film and who brought the screenplay to Bruce Cohen and Dan Jinks, the team that produced the Oscar-winning film, “American Beauty.” Jinks, like Milk, is gay and Jewish and says they were on board immediately.

“I thought the idea of this ordinary man who was not raised to be a politician, and who was not a particularly good politician initially, becoming a tremendous leader at a time when leadership was so necessary was a spectacular story. I found it powerful and so moving. As soon as I read it, I knew I had to be part of it, and as I was going through the script, I started thinking about actors who could do it, and I kept going back in my mind to Sean Penn. Fortunately, he said ‘yes’ pretty quickly, in about three weeks.”

The movie is already creating Oscar buzz, particularly for Penn’s extraordinary performance in the title role. Filmmaker Rob Epstein, whose documentary, “The Times of Harvey Milk,” won an Oscar in 1984, particularly admires what he calls the tenderness of Penn’s portrayal.   See ‘Milk’ captures doomed life of gay, Jewish politician
The Jewish Journal of greater L.A, CA

Sean Penn and “Milk,” (LEFT),Gus Van Sant’s biopic about gay rights leader Harvey Milk, continued to gain awards momentum Wednesday, winning best film from the New York Film Critics Circle.

Penn was chosen as best actor for his performance in the lauded film about Milk, the openly gay San Francisco politician who was assassinated in 1978. Josh Brolin won best supporting actor for his performance in the film.

On Tuesday, Penn was chosen as best actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. “Milk” also leads the Broadcast Film Critics Association with eight nominations, tied for the most with “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

Like their West Coast brethren, the New York critics picked Sally Hawkins for best actress for her performance in Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky.” Best director went to Leigh.

See  ’Milk’ named best film by New York Film Critics

James Franco’s kiss with Sean Penn in Harvey Milk biopic Milk left him feeling uncomfortable - because his co-star wanted to act out a full-on love scene.

Franco, who plays San Francisco

politician Milk’s gay lover Scott Smith in the Gus Van Sant film, knew he’d have to pucker-up with Penn - but was shocked when the director told him the Colors actor wanted to take it further.

 See James Franco Surprised By Sean Penn Gay Love Scene In ‘Milk’
Post Chronicle