Randy Shilts' biography of Harvey Milk, one of America's first openly gay public officials, records the extraordinary life and death of a man who was emblematic of the emerging political power of the gay community in 1970s America.

From his unconventional and extraordinary campaign to his assassination in 1978, the story of Harvey Milk is an exceptional one in the history of American politics.

The life and death of Harvey Milk provide an insight into the early gay rights movement and illustrate the tension between conservatism and sexual freedom in San Francisco, an emerging gay mecca in the 1970s.

Randy Shilts was a respected journalist and author, and was the first openly gay reporter for the San Franciso Chronicle.

In The Mayor of Castro Street, Shilts used reportorial techniques to gather a comprehensive picture of the life and times of Harvey Milk.