‘Milk’ screenwriter uses Oscar speech to advocate federal gay rights

Dustin Lance Black, winner of the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “Milk,” used his acceptance speech Sunday night to call for gay rights. Noting that his mom moved him from a conservative Mormon community in San Antonio to California when he was 13 (his IMDb profile says he used to be Mormon), Black said he subsequently learned about slain San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk. “It gave me hope that one day… I could even get married,” Black said.

Black continued by telling gay youths that regardless of what the church or government says they are special, adding “you will have equal rights federally across this great nation of ours.” His remarks drew hearty applause, especially from “Milk” star Sean Penn.

Black also writes on the HBO series “Big Love.”