Bibliography
Biographical Information
Who Was "Milk's Friend?"
The Character "Milk's Friend" was most likely Scott Smith, a political acitvist who was romantically involved with Harvey Milk for seven years. While the two broke up about a year before Milk's assassination, they remained friends and buisness partners. Learn more about Scott Smith here
What did Moscone Stand for?
Despite his conservative upbringing, George Moscone had very liberal views for his time. He was supportive of the gay community, diversity, and reproductive rights, among other things. His legacy has been a bit overshadowed by Harvey Milk, which prompted a team from PBS to make this documentary in 2018 (Additionally, here is a short interview regarding Moscone and the film)
Milk's Headquarters
Harvey Milk and Scott Smith owned a camera shop in the gay district of San Fransico called Castro Camera. This store became famous for its connection to Milk and his campaign. Learn more here
Dianne Feinstein
Diane Feinstein was the president of the San Francisco board of supervisors at the time of Moscone and Milk's deaths. She was appointed mayor after Moscone, making her the first woman to be San Francisco's mayor. Since 1992, she has been a U.S. senator representing California. She is now 86, making her the oldest sitting U.S. senator.
In this video, Diane reflects on her experience on the day of the assassinations and how this event influenced her career.
Case Information
What is the Twinkie Defense?
This is a brief explanation of the Twinkie Defense
What did Dan say?
Here is the full transcript of Dan White's confession.
Reflections of a Reporter
In this piece, Duffy Jennings, a reporter in 1978, reflects on his experience covering the Dan White trial.
Legal Terms
Murder or Manslaughter
This video lightheartedly explains the legal difference between different kinds of killing.
Diminished Capacity
Dan White's attorney argued Diminished Capacity, in that the combination of junk food and depression made White unable to pre-mediate murder. This defense led to White being convicted of voluntary manslaughter. However, this caused so much uproar that in 1982 the state of California voted to eliminate the diminished capacity defense. Learn more here
Jury Selection
Near the beginning of the play, there is a depiction of Jury Selection for the trial. This article explains how that process works and what factors can lead to removing someone from a jury.
Critical Commentary
The White Night Riots
What was left out
In 1988, Warren Hinkle wrote an article looking back on the case, pointing out inconsistencies, injustices, and elements of White's character that made the verdict all the more controversial. This is an excerpt of the original article.
Other uses of the Twinkie Defense
The term "twinkie defense" has popularized since the trial of Dan White. This article explains the term and provides examples of other cases that have used a similar defense..
After news of the verdict was made public, protests in San Fransicso turned violent into what is now referred to as the White Night Riots. This video briefly explains what happened that night in 1979