Re-elect Mayor Kevin Faulconer

When it comes to the 36th mayor of San Diego, Kevin Faulconer will go down in history as one of the most supportive of LGBT equality. Within days of being elected, Mayor Faulconer accepted the national chairmanship of Mayors for Marriage Equality. He was at The LGBT Center to celebrate with our community when the Supreme Court ruled in our favor. He appointed the most LGBT citizens ever to serve on his mayoral transition team and the first community advisory board that the mayor established and met with was the LGBT Advisory Committee. He invited the Gay Men’s Chorus to sing at his inauguration celebration, and he has appointed more LGBT citizens to San Diego City Commissions and Boards than any mayor ever has, with many of these appointees serving as committee chairs.

Faulconer became the first mayor in the history of our city to have the rainbow flag officially displayed at San Diego’s City Hall during LGBT Pride month, and hoisted the first rainbow flag ever displayed downtown in a ceremony hosted by the Downtown Gaslamp Business Association.

Mayor Faulconer has walked, along with his wife Katherine, the entire route of our Pride parade together with almost his entire staff, even last year, when it poured down rain and thunderstorms. And yes, LGBT San Diegans serve on the mayor’s staff, and he has been one of the most visible mayors ever to attend countless LGBT events.

Kevin Faulconer became the first mayor to ever serve as a waiter at our community’s annual Dining Out for Life AIDS fundraiser, and does a great job as he had a job as a busboy when he was younger. Mayor Faulconer not only brought his wife, but two young children to the annual Scott Carlson Thanksgiving Community Dinner at our LGBT Center for homeless people living with HIV/AIDS and seniors. Every year, the mayor and his family donate Easter baskets and toys to the LGBT community’s Children’s Easter Egg Hunt at Trolley Barn Park, and our community’s Toys for Kids campaign.

Concerned about the recent suicides of four transgender teens in San Diego, Kevin Faulconer appointed a 16-year old transgender high school student to his mayoral LGBT Advisory Committee.

When Mayor Faulconer was informed that San Diego was one of the only major cities in the U.S. that did not have an AIDS memorial, he quickly established a task force to work on one in memory of the over 8,000 San Diego men, women and children who have died of AIDS. Mayor Faulconer has continued to support city funding for our LGBT Community Center.

As for the first lady of San Diego, Katherine Faulconer, our community has never seen such a visible and supportive first lady. She is not only the co-chair of the San Diego AIDS Memorial Task Force, but has become its most articulate and strongest advocate, appearing on television news shows and radio interviews.

Yes, Mayor Faulconer’s accomplishments could fill two more of my columns, but what is most important to note is that Mayor Faulconer has about the same record of supportive community involvement with San Diego’s African American, Pacific Islander and Latino communities. Indeed he believes in being a mayor for all San Diegans, and truly believes in “One San Diego” where we are all one community of equal citizens, regardless of race, religion or sexual orientation.

I urge you all to re-elect our mayor and our good friend, Kevin Faulconer.