Classical heroes commonly display courage and strength in their noble feats of self-sacrifice in order to gain fame and glory as the savior of his people. However, in modern times, a hero can represent a cause to achieve peace and friendship with his society, regardless of the differences between each person. Other admirable modern heroes express indifference to racial and religious distinctions and help those in need, sometimes at the risk of their own lives, even though their society disapproves. Whether society recognized their contributions years later or immediately thereafter, our culture values ​​a hero's expressions of courage and goodwill. In the early 1970s, a gay man named Harvey Milk refused to accept discrimination as a homosexual and gained fame as the world's first openly gay man. the United States won elections for public office. After running twice, citizens elected Milk as San Francisco city supervisor in 1977. Milk constantly told gays to remain hopeful and said, "We have to make up for hundreds of years of persecution" (Gold). Oliver "Bill" Sipple, a gay man who saved President Gerald Ford from assassination, refused to reveal his sexuality to the public for fear that his mother, an ardent Baptist, would ostracize him. Milk wanted to encourage Sipple to reveal this information, saying, “It's too good an opportunity…for once we can show that gays do heroic things” (Shilts 122). After Dan White murdered Harvey Milk in 1978, a memorial plaque honoring Milk mentioned his human rights activism, the respect and support he gained from his efforts, and the inspiration he provided to people seeking to end the discrimination and fanaticism. Likewise, Martin Luther King Jr. defended Africa... middle of paper... in his factory when they faced deportation to concentration camps. Schindler even exempted handicapped people, women and children from deportation by convincing Gestapo soldiers that they still served mechanical purposes. Oskar Schindler and his factories saved approximately 1,200 Jews by the end of World War II. While many classical and modern heroes would try anything in the name of fame, Harvey Milk, Martin Luther King Jr., Miep Gies, and Oskar Schindler acted out of morality and the need for justice in their societies. However, both types of heroes display some form of self-sacrifice and goodwill. Works Cited Gold, Herbert. "A stroll through the gay side of San Francisco." The New York Times. October 6, 1977: SM17Shilts, Randy The Mayor of Castro Street: The Life and Times of Harvey Milk New York: St. Martin's Press, 1982.