Modest, but friendly crowd turns out for DeMaio’s happy hour at Eden

A crowd of 60-70 supporters and would-be supporters came out to hear San Diego City Councilman Carl DeMaio, who is running for mayor, speak at a fundraising happy hour at Eden Tuesday evening, as well as a performance by comedian and DeMaio backer Shawn Pelofsky.

DeMaio’s campaign billed the event as a social hour for “Democrats for DeMaio and LGBTs for DeMaio,”

The candidate spoke for about 20 minutes and took questions from the audience. One supporter, asked DeMaio to talk about his support for LGBT San Diegans. DeMaio emphasized his openness about being gay and that he is in a committed relationship with SDGLN publisher, Johnathan Hale.

“I proudly walk in parades with my partner,” DeMaio told the crowd. “We host events at our house; we’ve gone on TV to support important charities and nonprofits.”

For her part, Shawn Pelofsky cajoled the crowd before introducing DeMaio.

“I don’t know what the big deal is with gay marriage,” joked the comedian. “Liza Minelli has been doing it for years!”

DeMaio also pointed to his support of Stepping Stone, a drug and alcohol residential rehabilitation center in City Heights that caters to LGBT recovering addicts and alcoholics, as well as organizations such as the Trevor Project. DeMaio noted that Pelofsky has been instrumental in supporting the latter organization, which focuses on solving the problem of bullying.

DeMaio flatly denied that, in a post on conservative blog, SDRostra.com, his campaign manager, Ryan Clumpner had criticized Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher for supporting LGBT rights. However, it is clear, as LGBT Weekly reported last week, Clumpner did indeed criticize Fletcher’s low score from a group whose mission is to oppose LGBT equality. But DeMaio was unwilling to acknowledge that move as a slam against Fletcher, who is also running as a Republican candidate for mayor.

“No matter what my opponents want to say; no matter what deceptions they want to create, they are not going to run me out of my own community,” DeMaio said. “I’ve been into communities that have never had any interactions with someone from the LGBT community … and you know what? We are changing minds, because we are touching hearts.”

One supporter, 31-year-old Mike Hansen, of San Diego said, “I’ve been a supporter of Carl DeMaio from the very beginning; and he is the candidate that has the best policy to get the city out of its fiscal crisis and make it easy for small businesses to thrive in San Diego.”

Asked whether or not he was satisfied with DeMaio’s support of LGBT rights and issues, despite the fact that the candidate has received money from anti-LGBT activists, Hansen indicated that economic issues are just as important as LGBT issues.

“I think he represents the gay community and the business community equally well,” he said. “As far as I know, he would be the first gay man to be elected mayor of a large American city. I know Portland has a gay mayor, but it’s not a top-ten big city. That alone is a major achievement for our community.”

Hansen brought his sister, Jenny Hansen, 37, of Poway, to the event. Although she can only support DeMaio financially, she is enthusiastic about the prospect of a DeMaio administration.

“I came as undecided – I’ve never heard him speak – and I left as a supporter,” she said. “I appreciated and support everything he said about small businesses, because I own a small business in San Diego.”