Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune / McClatchy Tribune
An interview with Cleve Jones
The last time Cleve Jones came to Fresno to talk about gay rights, the Ku Klux Klan showed up in the Free Speech Area—in full, hooded attire.
Jeff Robinson remembers it well. He was there at Fresno State on that President̢۪s Day weekend in 1989, when the Western States Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered United Students Conference was held on campus.
“The Klansmen had to be escorted off the premises by campus police,â€Â said the Gay-Straight Alliance’s “Expression Not Suppressionâ€Â organizer. “So when I asked Cleve to come speak at our conference this year, the first thing he said was, ‘Is the Klan going to be there to greet me?’â€Â
Jones, founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt and historical consultant for Gus Van Sant’s film “Milk,â€Â was in Fresno’s Tower District Saturday for the conference to talk about issues affecting the gay community and about the film.
“Milkâ€Â chronicles the life of Jones’ close friend and mentor, former San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk, and the assassination of him and mayor George Mascone.
The Collegian got the chance to sit down with Jones and ask him about the film.
The Collegian: What did you think of the movie?
Jones: I loved it. It was very well done, and I̢۪m extremely proud to have been a part of it.
C: Was there anything left out that you feel should have been included?
J: Well, there were many things that had to be left out. [Screenwriter] Dustin Lance Black chose to focus on the last year of Harvey̢۪s life.
C: How did it feel seeing someone portray you on screen?
J: It was pretty bizarre, but quite lovely. I think Emile Hirsch is a very fine actor. Cute as a button, too.
C: How did San Francisco change after Harvey̢۪s death?
J: People were very sad, and then they got very angry. There was a big riot after his death, and then a year and a half later, the AIDS epidemic hit.
C: Do you think Harvey would have tackled the AIDS issue head-on?
J: Most certainly. I̢۪ve thought about that often over the years.
C: You campaigned for Harvey in the ‘70s, started the AIDS Quilt in 1987 and wrote a book about it, “Stitching a Revolution.â€Â What are you doing now?
J: I work for United Here, a labor union that represents hotel workers. Right now I̢۪m working on a campaign called Hotel Workers Rising.
C: What kind of a person was Harvey Milk?
J: Harvey was the most empathetic person I̢۪ve ever met. He went out of his way to make connections with people and to find a common ground.
dw • Feb 23, 2009 at 7:51 am
Paul–the Klan was very active in the Fresno area in the 1980s (and before). In the 1990s, Klanmen in sheets and hoods attempted to disrupt the Pride Parade in the Tower District. As late as a few years ago, Klanmen tried to hold a rally on campus.
Klanmen left leaflets on cars over at Bulldog Stadium challenging the University to keep them from exercising their freedom of speech on campus. After much debate and discussions with legal counsel, administration decided to allow them on during the evening, with heavy security. A small group of sheet-wearing cowards showed up, to be greeted by an irate crowd. After about 10 minutes, campus police escorted them off campus.
The sad thing was that their presence sparked several hate crimes. A black Fresno State student was beaten to a pulp by skinheads attracted to the event, and there was a violent assault in Visalia, done by skinheads who had been at the Klan event in Fresno.
When Cleve was here in 1989, someone over at Peters Business encountered a man armed with a rifle in one of the stairwells (after campus police had received a death threat directed at Cleve). Before campus PD could seal off the area, the would-be sniper had fled the area.
dw • Feb 23, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Paul–the Klan was very active in the Fresno area in the 1980s (and before). In the 1990s, Klanmen in sheets and hoods attempted to disrupt the Pride Parade in the Tower District. As late as a few years ago, Klanmen tried to hold a rally on campus.
Klanmen left leaflets on cars over at Bulldog Stadium challenging the University to keep them from exercising their freedom of speech on campus. After much debate and discussions with legal counsel, administration decided to allow them on during the evening, with heavy security. A small group of sheet-wearing cowards showed up, to be greeted by an irate crowd. After about 10 minutes, campus police escorted them off campus.
The sad thing was that their presence sparked several hate crimes. A black Fresno State student was beaten to a pulp by skinheads attracted to the event, and there was a violent assault in Visalia, done by skinheads who had been at the Klan event in Fresno.
When Cleve was here in 1989, someone over at Peters Business encountered a man armed with a rifle in one of the stairwells (after campus police had received a death threat directed at Cleve). Before campus PD could seal off the area, the would-be sniper had fled the area.
Paul Blart • Feb 22, 2009 at 10:25 pm
Klansmen in Fresno on campus in full gear in 1989???—-is that date accurate. Kind of past the expected era of hate—–kind of scary.
Paul Blart • Feb 23, 2009 at 5:25 am
Klansmen in Fresno on campus in full gear in 1989???—-is that date accurate. Kind of past the expected era of hate—–kind of scary.