According to Frances FitzGerald, Milk's legend has been unable to be sustained as no one appeared able to take his place in the years after his death: "The Castro saw him as a martyr but understood his martyrdom as an end rather than a beginning.
Frances FitzGeraldin mukaan Milkin legenda ei ole pysynyt voimissaan, koska kukaan ei kyennyt ottamaan hänen paikkaansa hänen kuolemansa jälkeisinä vuosina: ”Castro piti häntä marttyyrina, mutta ymmärsi hänen marttyyriutensa tarkoittavan loppua eikä alkua.