Defense attorneys of Dan White used what was later referred to as The Twinkie Defense , arguing that White was under mental duress and garnering sympathy from jury members . White was saved from a murder conviction , and convicted of voluntary manslaughter , with a maximum sentence of seven years in prison . The verdict led to rioting and burning of police vehicles by some members of the LGBT community on 21 May 1979 which came to be known as the White Night riots . The day after the verdict , a birthday party for Milk was held in the Castro , drawing 20,000 people . Also reported in 1979 , off-duty police officers attacked a San Francisco lesbian bar , assaulted the bouncer and harassed the women , which was widely criticized . The assault resulted in one conviction with a sentence of probation and temporary suspensions of some of the officers involved
White Night riots
White Night riots
San Francisco in the 1970s