The United States Postal Service made added Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official, to the list of people to grace a postage stamp. It was a proud day for supporters and the equality movement, but not everyone was happy about it.
The American Family Association let loose a press release denouncing the choice of Milk for the stamp and said they will refuse all mail using the stamp. From Mediaite:
The American Family Association put out a press release this week with the title, “A drag queen was behind USPS Harvey Milk stamp.” After moving past the fact that a “self-described drag queen (a biological man with implanted breasts) and former transsexual prostitute” had lobbied to get Milk on the postage, the group let its views on San Francisco Board of Supervisors member, who was assassinated along with the city’s mayor in 1978, be known:
Honoring predator Harvey Milk on a U.S. postage stamp is disturbing to say the least. Harvey Milk was a very disreputable man and used his charm and power to prey on young boys with emotional problems and drug addiction. He is the last person we should be featuring on a stamp.
The AFA then submitted these instructions to those who felt the same:
What you can do…
1. Refuse to accept the Harvey Milk stamp if offered by your local post office. Instead, ask for a stamp of the United States flag.
2. Refuse to accept mail at your home or business if it is postmarked with the Harvey Milk stamp. Simply write ‘Return to Sender” on the envelope and tell your postman you won’t accept it.
You didn’t hear this kind of anger when Elvis got his stamp. So I guess being an overweight drug addict that died on a toilet is cool, but another who was murdered in public office isn’t. Strange world we live in.
This would be a lot better if you couldn’t pay your bills online, but it’s still got a bit of a chuckle attached to it. Someone should just sign them up for a porno mag subscription (that still exists, right?) and see if they’ll accept that without the stamp on it.
(Via Mediaite)