Political Opponents

John Briggs (1930 – )

John Briggs was a Republican California State Assembly Member from 1967 to 1977, and then a California State Senator from 1977 to 1981. In 1978, seeking a cause that he could ride to the Governor’s Office, he sponsored an initiative that would have required firing gay teachers in California as well as any straight teacher found to be “advocating, imposing, encouraging or promoting” homosexuality. Though he ended up dropping out of the Governor’s race, the initiative qualified for the ballot as Proposition 6. The No on 6 campaign, co-chaired by Harvey Milk and Sally Gearhart, beat the initiative by more than a million votes, with more than 75% of San Franciscans voting against it.

Dan White (September 2, 1946 – October 21, 1985)

Dan White was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in November of 1977 in the same district elections that elected Harvey Milk. He was a part of the Board’s moderate/conservative majority. He resigned on November 10, 1978, citing financial difficulties despite voting against raising the Board’s pay. When Mayor George Moscone decided not to reappoint White to the Board, he snuck through a basement window of City Hall, shooting Mayor George Moscone four times before reloading and shooting Supervisor Harvey Milk five times. His conviction of voluntary manslaughter rather than first degree murder resulted in protests and the White Night Riots. He was released from prison after serving five years of a seven year sentence. In October of 1985, less than two years after his release, he committed suicide through carbon monoxide poisoning in his garage.