Sean Penn wants Harvey Milk Day in California

State Senator Mark Leno intends to introduce a bill today that will mark Harvey Milk's birthday as a holiday in the state of California. The same bill was proposed last year but was eventually vetoed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The governor cited the fact that he believed Milk should be honored in San Francisco, but not necessarily throughout the entire state of California.

Now some, including Jay Leno, are pointing to Sean Penn's Oscar win as proof that Harvey Milk's popularity stretches far beyond San Francisco. But is that really enough to make his birthday a holiday in the state of California? Prior to the movie and the awards season, how many Californians had heard of Harvey Milk? Certainly, the percentage of Americans who knew the story was very low.

But that said, what better way for Hollywood and politics to intermingle than over an argument about whether a politician - portrayed by an actor - should be honored for his political contributions that were brought to light largely because of the movie about his life. Where does it end?

But this one should be interesting to follow. Following the surprising loss of gay marriage rights in California, the Milk holiday would be a step toward mending some of that hurt, while still offering no real value to the thousands of gay Californians who were devastated by the loss of a fundamental right.