For a second year, Harvey Milk Festival President Shannon Fortner has created a rich line-up of musical acts to perform in honor of the late Harvey Milk, the first openly gay American elected to public office. Separated from her life-partner Kelly, a resident of Birmingham, England, Fortner became an equal rights activist to spread awareness of civil rights legislation, while keeping the community clean, safe, and united against prejudice. As lead singer of the electro band MeteorEYES, Fortner's hope for a better tomorrow can be lyrically traced in songs like Splish Splash, where she sings, â┚¬Ëœwe will be the change when you open your eyes.' Fortner states the goal of the festival is to be recognized as a â┚¬Ëœnational stage for emerging artists' aligned in the name of equality. This year, the festival's program includes Ha Ha Tonka, MeteorEYES, A Fragile Tomorrow, and Sons of Hippies.
The 2nd Annual Harvey Milk Festival will take place May 20-22nd in the Historic Rosemary District of Sarasota. Admission is free.
Fortner took a few moments to talk to Watermark about the festival.
Watermark: Congrats on the success of the festival. Last year, you had over 2,000 attendees. What changes have you made to ensure the festival continues to grow?
Fortner: We're booking more national acts and spreading the word through social media. This year, we're offering a variety of musicians to match all musical tastes. Also, we hope to have a more prominent art show to accompany the festival, with work from critically-acclaimed artists.
Watermark: What separates HMF from typical gay pride events?
Fortner: We're focused on LGBT rights, but we also hope to attract people outside of the queer culture. We'd like support from the American community as a whole. We need everyone to be part of the movement, not just the gay population.
Watermark: Was there anything in particular you were looking for in an act when booking musicians?
Fortner: Of course, we searched for artists who support equality. Also, we wanted musicians on the cusp of being discovered nationwide. Ha Ha Tonka is gaining an enormous following through word-of-mouth. Last week, the band's latest album debuted at number four on Billboard's Heatseeker chart. They just played SXSW, so we thought they'd be a great option. We have two stages, actually. The second stage is for local acoustic acts.
Watermark: As lead singer of MeteorEYES, you have written a lot of equal rights language into your songs. Besides Harvey Milk, who has influenced your goal of attaining LGBT equality?
Fortner: Cleve Jones, who actually worked with Harvey Milk. I saw him speak at an equality march at the Capitol. In his speech, he said, â┚¬Ëœgo home to your town, big or small, and organize.' As a musician, I thought a music festival would be the best way to do my part. So I started one.
Watermark: How has legislation affected your relationship with your life partner, Kelly?
Fortner: Because of the current law, I'm unable to sponsor Kelly (a UK resident) as my partner, so we've been forced to live in separation for five years. There's a bill in Congress called Uniting American Families Act (UAFA) that could change that with enough support.
Watermark: Other than his work in the political realm, what do you feel the world needs to remember about Harvey Milk?
Fortner: Harvey Milk focused on the community as a whole, while creating a safe place for the queer community to be themselves. He cleaned up his district. He was a sounding board for equality and justice. He was a tremendous advocate of a world where people, gay or straight, would no longer need to live in fear.
Watermark: What do you feel average citizens can do to make a difference in the name of LGBT equality?
Fortner: Call your representatives and let them know you support equality. No matter how small an act, we can each be a catalyst for positive change.
