Come out Sunday, January 22nd for a screening of Gus Van Sant’s Milk, starring Sean Penn in his Oscar–winning performance as openly gay politician Harvey Milk. Suggested donations of $5 will benefit One Anchorage in its campaign to gain passage of the Anchorage Equal Rights Initiative.

Harvey Milk (1930–1978) became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the U.S. when he was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. He served eleven months before he was assassinated by former supervisor Dan White. White also assassinated San Francisco mayor George Moscone.

The film stars Sean Penn as Harvey Milk and Josh Brolin as Dan White. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards including Best Picture, and actually won two — Sean Penn for Best Actor in a Leading Role and Dustin Lance Black for Best Original Screenplay.

Milk was last screened in Anchorage in January and February 2009 at the Bear Tooth. It had earlier screened in December 2008 at Century 16, but had only a two-week run there — “the lowest-grossing film in the theater that month, according to a Century 16 employee,” Bent Alaska reported at the time, attributing its poor showing at Century 16 to local LGBTQA participation in a national boycott of Century/Cinemark Theaters, whose  Mormon-owned CEO had donated $9,999 to pass California’s Prop 8.  The Bear Tooth, an LGBTQ-supportive theater, reported had greater success in its 6-showing run of the film.

By now, of course, Milk is available on DVD. But it’s still worth seeing on a big screen, especially because the $5 suggested donation will benefit One Anchorage in its campaign to gain passage of the Anchorage Equal Rights Initiative. This is the measure on the April 3 Anchorage municipal ballot which will, if passed, amend Anchorage’s equal rights code to provide the same legal protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender identity that are already provided based on race, color, sex, religion, national origin, marital status, age, physical disability, and mental disability.

So come out and see a great film in company with other supporters of equality in Anchorage:

• Date/time: Sunday, January 22, 2:00-4:00 PM
• Location: Wilda Marston Theatre, Z.J. Loussac Library, 3600 Denali Street, Anchorage, AK (see map)
• Cost of admission: $5 suggested donation. Feel free to donate more!  All proceeds benefit One Anchorage.
• Further info: see One Anchorage Facebook page

Mark your calendar for other One Anchorage fundraisers:

• Dine Out for Equality at:
  Spenard Roadhouse: Monday, Jan. 30, 5:30 PM to closing
  Snow City Cafe: Tuesday, Feb. 14, 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM
  Sack’s Cafe & Restaurant:Monday, Feb. 27, 5:30 PM to closing(& be sure to let these establishments know you appreciate their support for equality in Anchorage!)

Is your event not on our calendar? No matter where you are in the state, if you’re running an event of interest to the LGBTQA community, we’d be glad to put it on the  Bent Alaska events calendar.