http://youtu.be/Du6mAOeq1XE

BY ANTHONY GIOFFRE

After living in New York City in the late ’70s, Miami through the ’80s and San Francisco through the ’90s, I’ve seen some struggles. From the glamour days of Studio 54 and weekends on Fire Island, to carrying, sometimes literally, thousands of people with AIDS to their grave, followed by their quilt panels out of the Names Project warehouse in San Francisco, it’s always a wonder what era has been my life’s defining time. Suffice it to say, I’ve been on a few battlefields.

Most of my feelings thus far were ones of powerlessness until one day I woke up and realized, with our production company, that not only was I the guy with the high-powered cameras, but they worked best when rolling. After addressing topics of importance to the LGBT community in San Diego and at large through on-camera interviews, my childhood dream of being a journalist was suddenly in full force.

After covering everything from bullying, DADT, LGBT youth homelessness and interviews with national LGBT leaders such as John J. Duran, the question was, where do we go from here?

In the LGBT community locally, nationally and internationally, that’s a big question in these times.

Having participated as a sponsor, volunteer and professional filming and editing at The annual San Diego Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast since its inception, it was clear that I lived in the heart of Harvey Milk country.

It appears no other city in America, or perhaps the world, has more to attribute to the recognition of the slain civil rights leader.

I needn’t remind you of the Harvey Milk bench in beautiful Balboa Park, where I often times sit and reflect; the first ever Harvey Milk Street in the world; the campaign to name a Navy vessel after Harvey Milk; the annual Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast and more. San Diego truly is Harvey Milk country.

The obvious next step for me was to secure an interview with Stuart Milk, Harvey’s nephew, and founder of The Milk Foundation.

So when Stuart Milk was in San Diego for the recent San Diego Harvey Milk Diversity Breakfast, despite having 29 engagements on the schedule, he still found the time to talk to me. Here it is.