By Keith Freedman–
As the top-performing openly gay candidate for mayor this year, the San Francisco Bay Times asked me to write about my plans and goals for the LGBTQ+ community. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the Bay Times, and I’m an out-and-proud gay man, but the question left me feeling a little … meh.
I mean, come on—it’s 2024, and we’re in San Francisco, the gayest city in America. Do we still have battles to fight here? Outside of our special bubble? Of course! But here in the city Mrs. Madrigal called “the lost Atlantis,” with our Transamerica Pyramid glowing like a beacon of hope to queers everywhere, is there really more work to do?
Sure, there are still challenges, but aren’t they the same for everyone at this point? Does being gay make the heartbreak of homelessness hit us any harder than it does straight people? My plan to fix this city and tackle the homeless crisis (check it out at https://bit.ly/4gs7ffr) isn’t some sort of “super gay” plan—it’s just the best one out there. Well, maybe it is a little queer in that it’s pretty darn fabulous.
And about the housing crisis—is it a GAY problem that people can’t afford rent because housing supply hasn’t caught up with demand? Do our gay dollars not stretch as far? Or do we just need smarter policies on construction for everyone (another little idea of mine, by the way)?
Then there was the time the police took months to respond to a robbery at my small business. And no, it wasn’t because I’m gay. Trust me, I know—I’ve served on the SFPD Small Business Security Advisory forum and gone out on patrol with the brave officers sworn to serve and protect. It’s our outdated policies that prevent them from doing their jobs, which is why I’m pushing for a stronger community policing program (plan also on my website).
So, is there still work to do for the LGBTQ+ community? Well, my candidacy alone kind of answers that. Harvey Milk believed in electing queer people to represent us, and yet both queer Democratic Clubs, the Alice B. Toklas and the one that took Harvey’s name, endorsed straight candidates this year. Equality California, which only endorses openly gay candidates, is still deciding whether or not they will endorse anyone this year.
You might only know about me and my ideas thanks to this article because—here’s the kicker—the very openly gay politicians who inspired me to run? They haven’t exactly helped get my name out there. But they do love to talk about how we need to elect more gay people.
At the local level, many of our struggles as queer folks mirror those of the larger community, but let’s be real—we still see the world through our unique lens. We’ve always been a part of the system, yet, somehow, always felt like outsiders. As the only candidate who grew up closeted, I bring the kind of empathy for outsiders that you don’t just learn—it’s lived.
San Francisco gave me the space to find magic, beauty, and the freedom to accept myself and others. And now, I’m the leading gay candidate, treated like an outsider by all the gay politicians and institutions.
So, what would it mean if you elect me as San Francisco’s first openly gay mayor? Well, it might mean absolutely nothing—or it might just mean everything.
Keith Freedman is a small business owner who previously worked as a software engineer at Los Alamos National Laboratory and as an educator at City College of San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley. https://mayor.keithfreedman.com/
Election 2024
Published on September 19, 2024
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