San Francisco Supervisor David Campos Supervisor David Campos announced that he plans to introduce a charter amendment to rename San Francisco International Airport in honor of slain supervisor and civil rights leader Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the state.
Milk, 48, was assassinated along with Mayor George Moscone by former Supervisor Dan White at City Hall in 1978.
According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the effort would rename the travel hub to the Harvey Milk-San Francisco International Airport.
“Harvey Milk fought tirelessly to raise the visibility of LGBT people, and placing his name on San Francisco’s airport would bring awareness of his work to the 40 million travelers from around the world who pass through SFO annually," HRC President Chad Griffin said Wednesday. "Harvey Milk’s legacy is what guides our work as we continue the fight for full equality, and HRC is proud to support this effort to honor his memory."
But not everyone is in favor of the name change. According to MSNBC, San Francisco Airport Commission president Larry Mazzola, said that airport names are "untouchable."
"I knew Harvey Milk. He was a great leader," Mazzola told the San Francisco Examiner. After listing several other leaders, he said "and I don't think any of them should bear the name of the airport."
Eighty other airports in the country are named after people, including the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport. If SFO were to be rebranded to honor Milk, it would be the first named after a gay person.
So what do you think? Should the airport get a new name? Or should it stay the way it is? Tell us in the comments!
--Bay City News Service contributed to this report. Copyright © 2013 by Bay City News, Inc. -- Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
