Friday, December 04, 2009

Celebrity Friday: Evan Low (26-year-old Gay, Asian Mayor)

More history for LGBT people of color was made on Tuesday night in the Bay Area when openly gay, Chinese-American Evan Low, 26, a member of the Campbell, California City Council was elected the nation's youngest, openly gay Mayor by his fellow colleagues.
Low grew up in San Jose but eight years ago moved to Campbell, where his father, Dr. Arthur Low, is an optometrist and sits on the Chamber of Commerce. Low said he became interested in politics because he felt young people's interests, such as affordable housing and the future of Social Security, were not being addressed.

He first ran for City Council in 2004 and lost, but won when he tried again in 2006. His term ends in 2010.

Campbell seems to be an unlikely city for a young, gay, Asian American politician to gain a foothold in public service. The San Jose suburb is 70 percent white and 11 percent Asian, with a small, quiet gay community.

Low said he received hate mail when he announced his opposition to Proposition 8, the gay marriage ban, as well as threats of a recall.

But he never considered moving to San Francisco or San Jose, which have larger gay communities, he said.

"For me, it's about making a difference in the community I live in," he said. "Campbell is my home."

Go ahead, boyee!

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