Stoli Gets Colorful for LGBTQ Rights on Harvey Milk Day

“The Harvey Milk Limited Edition Bottle continues Stoli’s 25-year history supporting the LGBTQ community and commemorates the 40th anniversary of Milk taking office in 1978 as the first openly gay elected official in California,” said a company spokeswoman in a statement.

“We are excited to take our partnership with Stoli to a higher level this year as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of my uncle’s historic 11 months of public service,” said Stuart Milk, global LGBT advocate and co-founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation.

The bottle features a portrait of Milk holding a megaphone that reads “Hope will never be silent,” inspired by the work of Paraguayan artist Oz Montania. The bottle is part of Stoli’s “Raising the Bar” program, the brand platform dedicated to promoting equality for the LGBTQ community. The bottle’s label will help raise funds for the Harvey Milk foundation, according to the statement.

“‘Raising the Bar’ celebrates individuals and organizations central to advancing diversity and originality within the LGBTQ community,” the Stoli spokeswoman noted. “This reinforces Stoli’s recently launched global campaign ‘Loud and Clear’, created to encourage people to find what drives them and celebrate their bold and authentic selves.”

Stoli launched the “Loud and Clear” campaign featuring Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer and his collaborator, Emmy- and BAFTA-nominated Lorne Balfe, as well as Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison in collaboration with agency Fred & Farid.

Stoli has faced heat in the past because of Russia’s discriminatory policies toward the LGBTQ community, and has since launched several initiatives to show it condemns the national attitude and supports gay rights.

Stoli has even appointed an official USA LGBTQ ambassador, Patrik Gallineaux, who might be the only person in the global spirits industry to occupy such a position, according to Forbes. 

“We couldn’t be more excited to continue our partnership with the Harvey Milk Foundation and honor one of the most important activists in the community,” Gallineaux said.