The Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, one of San Francisco’s largest Democratic Clubs, is respected for both its progressive history and political actions, empowering activists and members of marginalized backgrounds, and bolstering the resistance to status quo politics, changing rather than obeying power dynamics that leave members of our community out in the cold.

Founded in 1976 as the San Francisco Gay Democratic Club, it was the City’s first Democratic Club with the word “gay” in its name, a controversial and radical move at the time. The Club was renamed for Supervisor Harvey Milk after his assassination in 1978.

The Milk Club is a place for people to be political, left, and queer. It is also a Club founded to keep the LGBTQ community free of anointed gatekeepers and machine politics.

Although the Club is well into its fourth decade, its role has not changed. Consistently, it has supported solidly progressive issues in San Francisco. It was instrumental in electing progressive queers and pushing issues that have changed the world, from Harry Britt, Tom Ammiano, Carole Migden, Rafael Mandelman, and Tom Temprano, to early sex education about HIV, domestic partnerships, and safe injection facilities.