As the San Diego mayoral race gets underway, it seems that the LGBT community has an embarrassment of riches. Congressman Bob Filner, State Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and City Councilman Carl DeMaio have all thrown their hats into the race. State Senator Chris Kehoe is still exploring her options.
What does this mean for our community? Progress I hope. Unfortunately, the pessimist in me says we could have just the opposite.
Each of the current candidates has an interesting record on support of LGBT issues; two are considered LGBT allies, two are openly LGBT and a third who is not yet officially in the race is also part of the LGBT community. So it would seem that the LGBT community will win no matter who ends up in the mayor’s office. Of course, that view would be misguided.
It is going to be a long 18 months for our community. Before the race has even gotten started Councilmember DeMaio has been booed at a major LGBT event, there is an LGBT run Facebook page against District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis and some in our community are attempting to stop State Senator Chris Kehoe from running because of some of her votes with respect to city pensions. Talk about eating our young. Are you surprised?
I think our community should take the high road and set expectations that need to be met by any of the candidates to get the LGBT vote. Shouldn’t we expect a statement for full marriage equality from each candidate? Or will we let them dodge the issue by saying that our equality is a state issue? Will we expect a statement on the ability of same-sex partners to immigrate to the United States or will we get a “that is a federal issue” dodge? Is it fair to ask each candidate how they helped in the Prop 8 fight?
I was struck by how the candidates handled their same-sex partner during their announcement for mayor. Shouldn’t the LGBT community expect same-sex spouses and partners to be acknowledged from the podium? Particularly in front of groups from the broader community. That would be progress.
When openly lesbian Houston Mayor Annise Parker ran her campaign, her life was fully open with all audiences. Parker was the most qualified and was willing to run on her abilities. She was unafraid to discuss her sexual orientation because she knew she had the best vision for Houston. One of Parker’s favorite quotes is by Andre Gide, “It is better to be hated for what one is than loved for what one is not.” We will have to wait and see if our LGBT candidates are from the Parker school of thought, or will they only be open when in front of LGBT audiences?
Who someone is married to, or partnered with, is often considered an insight into their personal character and values. Should we consider the partners of all of the mayoral candidates as we make the decision of who will lead us in 2012 and beyond? Should the partner’s career, relationships and centers of influence factor in your voting decision?
Spouses or partners play significant roles in the candidates’ lives and often in a voluntary civic capacity. Their role and background can cut both ways; Filner is addressing questions concerning his wife’s financial compensation from his campaigns over the years and Fletcher is heralding his wife as the loving mother of two adopted kids.
The San Diego LGBT community will expect the best from its newly minted LGBT mayoral candidates. The community will not expect a dodge on questions of marriage and immigration equality. The community expects your partners or spouses to be handled in the same way as broader community candidates handle and pay tribute to their partners. Our relationships, as represented by the LGBT mayoral candidates, should not be relegated to behind the scenes, their spouse or partner deserves more respect than that. They know it and so does the community. That would be progress.
While the potential of three LGBT candidates may dilute the political power of our community by splitting the vote, I think it is important for our community to hold candidates responsible for their words and opinions. We should not align ourselves with a candidate because they are a member of the LGBT community. We should align ourselves with candidates with a record of leadership and vision on LGBT equality. That would be progress.
Of course, the fiscal troubles of San Diego are of importance, as are issues concerning safety and the education of future generations. While LGBT Weekly will also cover these issues as the mayoral race rages on, rest assured we will ensure that all candidates are authentic. That may mean that we do not get interviews with all candidates, but so be it. If a candidate does not want to reach out to you, our over 30,000 readers, then perhaps they are not interested in being the mayor of all San Diegans. You know the saying, give them enough rope and candidates just may hang themselves.
STAMPP CORBIN, Publisher
San Diego LGBT Weekly
Gross. More hidden agenda and gossip disguised as “journalism.”
REAL progress is when an LGBT candidate can run and not have his sexual orientation be incessantly at the forefront of every dialogue. REAL progress for our community is having a mayor who is mayor first, happens to be LGBT, and everyone knows it, but looks past it because they care more about the state of our city and the real issues at hand than about upholding some stereotype. That’s REAL equality and what we should all aspire to. (It’s no different than authentic color blindness being real progress for African-Americans, Asians, and Latinos, etc.)
I doubt Stampp has ever attended civic events in District 5 such as the 4th of July parade where Carl and Johnathan (Carl’s partner) walked side by side and were introduced together by the parade emcee.
I also doubt he was in Rancho Bernardo (District 5) or all over San Diego when Johnathan was introduced with Carl to supporters.
Nor was Stampp at Carl’s campaign kickoff where Johnathan greeted every single person that walked through the door (including Stampp’s own staff writer that wanted an interview with Carl.)
For two years, I have watched Jonathan and Carl attend festival after festival, coffee after coffee, town hall after town hall, most of which were outside of the LGBT community. To me, that’s REAL progress. That’s how you open hearts and minds. Hillcrest events are safe. It takes real commitment and courage to put yourself out there as an gay man in one of the most conservative districts in San Diego.
And the best part is, people (gay, straight, bi, young, old, on, and on) all over San Diego know Carl means business and are coming out in droves to support him and his vision for San Diego being great again.
Why? Because he has our city’s interest at heart, including the LGBT community, and the people of San Diego know authenticity when they see it.
Clearly, Stampp doesn’t attend events outside of his limited gay-community bubble and has no firsthand knowledge of what responses Carl and Johnathan receive from supporters from all San Diego communities. What the LGBT Weekly is very good at is innuendo and gossip. And it’s disgusting.
Our community is better than this.