Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, has signed bills to introduce Harvey Milk Day in the state and to recognize gay marriages performed in other states.
The governor had 700 bills to sign or veto by midnight on Sunday. Gay rights activists feared he would veto all in a row over water supplies for the state.
Harvey Milk Day will be a special commemorative day to encourage schools to recognise the activist's work. Nearly 40,000 California residents signed the petition for the commemorative day. It will not be an official holiday, but will encourage schools to remember Milk's actions.
The other bill allows the state to recognise marriages performed in places where gay marriage is legal.
In a signing message, Schwarzenegger said the move will "provide the same legal protections that would otherwise be available to couples that enter into civil unions or domestic partnerships out-of-state.
"In short, this measure honours the will of the people in enacting Proposition 8 while providing important protections to those unions legally entered into in other states."
The bill is an "everything but marriage" measure – meaning that gay couples who married in other states will have all the rights and benefits given to straight married couples but will not have the "designation" of marriage.
Gay marriage was legal in California until the state's voters decided against it in November 2008. Gay rights activists are gearing up to get the issue on the November 2010 ballot.
Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn has said that his film Milk is "one of the steps forward" in the battle for gay marriage.
Mr Penn won the Academy Award for his portrayal of Harvey Milk, the first openly-gay man elected to public office in the United States.
Mr Milk was assassinated less than a year after his election to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977.
During his acceptance speech at last week's ceremony Mr Penn spoke about gay marriage.
In November voters in California approved a ballot measure denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry.
Proposition 8 was in response to a court ruling that gay marriage was legal. The validity of Prop 8 is being challenged in the state Supreme Court.
Between June and November 18,000 same-sex couples got married in California.
Mr Penn said he hoped Milk would change attitudes towards same-sex marriage.
Now he has revealed he wants to take his film to the country's President. "Eventually we are hoping for a White House screening," he said. "I think this film will be one of the steps forward … but I think things are going to go forward with or without it."
"I was once asked to tell the difference between luxury and necessity for a human being. The right to equality for all, including homosexuals, is of course a necessity. That's why this right will become a reality and I think in its own way this film will be part of that."
"The need for tolerance, equality and so on is on the move, and will go on."
President Obama supports civil unions but not same-sex marriage.
On Wednesday the California Supreme Court will hear arguments about the validity of Prop 8.
Milk tells the story of slain gay rights icon Harvey Milk from Academy Award-nominated director Gus Van Sant. Early reviews for the film and especially Sean Penn's portrayal of Milk are very strong.Here is what the entertainment venues are saying:The Hollywood Reporter:“Yes, it’s a biopic, a love story, a civil rights movie and sharp political and social commentary. But it transcends any single genre as a very human document that touches first and foremost on the need to give people hope.”Variety:“The quality of the writing, acting and directing generally invests them with the feel of real life and credible personal interchange, rather than of scripted stops along the way from aspiration to triumph to tragedy. And on a project whose greatest danger lay in its potential to come across as agenda-driven agitprop, the filmmakers have crucially infused the story with qualities in very short supply today — gentleness and a humane embrace of all its characters, even of the entirely vilifiable gunman, Dan White.”Milk opens on November 26 in limited release and December 5 wide.For more infomation, visit MilkTheMovie.com.
Sean Penn, who is to star in new film Milk, has shared an on-screen kiss with co-star James Franco.
The actor was reportedly so excited about his first gay kiss that he sent a text message to Madonna about it.
Mr Penn and Madonna were married in 1985 but divorced four years later.
Mr Franco said: "After our kiss, Sean texted Madonna and said, 'I just popped my cherry kissing a guy. I thought of you. I don't know why.'"
Mr Penn also has to kiss Mart Martinez in the film. Of the kiss, Mr Martinez said: "I'm performing, and Sean comes onto the dance floor. He grabs me, and he just slaps the biggest kiss on me.
"It felt like the kiss was forever. I'm like, 'Is he going to stop?' I had to close my eyes, I just couldn't believe it!"
Milk will depict the life of Harvey Milk, California’s first openly gay elected official. Milk was assassinated in 1978.(Article from www.pinknews.co.uk)
Arnold Schwarzenegger, the governor of California, has signed bills to introduce Harvey Milk Day in the state and to recognize gay marriages performed in other states.
