More than thirty years ago Harvey Milk died, gunned down by a man who hated the achievements Milk had made. Over the last couple of years, the government has begun to commemorate the achievements of this man, and the latest was revealed today.

In a special ceremony in the White House, dignitaries and family unveiled the new stamp emblazoned with the portrait of the late activist. Among the guests were U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senator Tammy Baldwin, Representative John Lewis, and Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman, according to the White House website.

"Harvey Milk was a visionary leader who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S. when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977," a statement says on the White House website. "Milk's achievements gave hope and confidence to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community in the United States and elsewhere at a time when the community was encountering widespread hostility and discrimination."

The Obama administration has also honored Milk's memory by posthumously giving him the Medal of Freedom in 2009, according to the White House site.

Following the release of the stamp, people begun lining up outside the local post office in San Francisco's historic Castro district, where Milk lived and marched for gay rights. According to the San Francisco Examiner, roughly 45 people were lining up waiting to buy the stamps before the office opened at 9 a.m. The post office's manager had ordered 6,500 stamps, and all were sold out by lunchtime.

Among those waiting to buy were screenwriters Cleve Jones and Dustin Lance Black, who wrote the script for the 2008 biopic "Milk." However, among those who were present for the unveiling but was not mentioned by the White House was Milk's nephew Stuart Milk, a resident of South Florida.

According to the Sun Sentinel, Stuart Milk leads the Harvey Milk Foundation and has taken over his uncle's activism, promoting equality and help for the LGBT community.

"He gave his life," Milk said of his uncle, according to the Sun Sentinel. "He knew those bullets were coming. That did not stop his message, which was that people have to be present, they have to be authentic, they have to take off their masks. This stamp represents the fact that, 35 years after he was assassinated, we are seeing historic levels of people being visible.

"Let your authenticity into the world."