Policy Briefs

LGBTQ+ Policy Platform

District 8 is the heart of San Francisco's LGBTQ+ community. Neighborhoods from the Castro to Noe Valley are a living monument to generations of queer people who fought, and even died, so that we could live openly and freely. But they’re not just monuments: they’re communities where LGBTQ+ people live and gather and celebrate. District 8 demands more than symbolic representation. It demands a Supervisor who has walked this road personally.

I'm a gay man living with HIV for more than 20 years. I've lived on the streets while I struggled with addiction. Fifteen years ago, I got sober and rebuilt my life through San Francisco's systems of care. That’s how I know exactly where those systems break down for everyone, but particularly for queer people and HIV+ people. That’s why I went on to lead both the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club and the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, the two most influential LGBTQ political organizations in the city. And if elected, I will be the third person living openly with HIV to serve on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

This city gave me a community when I had nothing – and it gave me a ladder out of homelessness and addiction. Our LGBTQ+ institutions and leaders gave me a way to put that experience to work for others.

As your Supervisor, I will show up every day for this community. Not just during Pride month, or when it's easy and topical. I will stand up for the queer community in every budget negotiation and every land-use decision that determines whether District 8 remains a place where LGBTQ+ people can afford to live and thrive. This city became a refuge for me in my early 20’s when I moved from a very conservative hometown that was known for its love of Pat Robertson, the Christian Coalition and 700 Club, and Jerry Falwell. I want to be sure San Francisco is just as welcoming today as it was for me nearly 25 years ago.

That’s why this isn't a platform about LGBTQ+ issues added to an otherwise complete agenda. The truth is, issues like housing, health, safety, economic security, and the fierce defense of our community against the federal government are all connected.

Defending the LGBTQ+ Community Against the Trump Admin & Federal Attacks

The Trump administration has launched the most aggressive assault on LGBTQ+ rights in modern history. As Supervisor, I will use every tool available at the local level to push back.

My plan:

• Defend local LGBTQ+ organizations against federal funding cuts. The San Francisco AIDS Foundation has had $2 million in funding put at risk. The SF Community Health Center has seen roughly 15% of its total funding threatened. I will work with the Mayor and Board to identify and secure bridge funding and local appropriations to keep these organizations whole while federal legal battles play out.
• Protect the Office of Transgender Initiatives (OTI). This office coordinates city departments around trans-inclusive services and housing. It must be fully funded.
• Oppose cooperation with any federal anti-LGBTQ+ enforcement actions. San Francisco's sanctuary protections extend to all residents. I will advocate forcefully against any city cooperation with federal actions targeting LGBTQ+ people whether it be on immigration grounds, gender-affirming care, or otherwise.
• Champion local ordinances that fill gaps left by federal rollbacks. This includes non-discrimination protections, access to gender-affirming care through city-funded programs, and legal defense funding for LGBTQ+ residents.

HIV/AIDS: Preventative HIV Care and Treatment

San Francisco was ground zero for the AIDS crisis. So many of our queer elders who survived are now aging in poverty and isolation. This is shameful and must be addressed by our District 8 Supervisor.

I have lived with HIV for over 20 years. I know what it means to move through this city's systems of care, and what it means to fall through the cracks. With an AIDS diagnosis and subsequent severe internal Kaposi’s Sarcoma since 2008, I understand the urgency of accessing adequate services and receiving life-saving benefits.

My plan:

• Champion funding for HIV long-term survivor services. Aging LGBTQ+ residents living with HIV face disability, social isolation, the psychological weight of survival, and housing instability. I will push to protect and expand programs at the SF AIDS Foundation, Openhouse, and other organizations serving this population.
• Protect Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program backfill funding. The city has historically stepped in to backstop federal Ryan White funding gaps. I will fight to maintain that commitment.
• Support the 1939 Market Street LGBTQ senior housing development. This 185-unit development from Mercy Housing California and Openhouse, for queer and transgender older adults, is one of the most important LGBTQ+ housing projects in the city's pipeline. I will use the Supervisor's seat to ensure it stays on track.
• Expand HIV prevention access. STRUT and SF Community Health Center's on-site pharmacy are models. I will support continued expansion of PrEP access, STI testing, and HIV screening, and fight to protect their federal funding.
• Invest in mental health support for long-term survivors.

Supporting Transgender San Franciscans

San Francisco has led the nation on trans rights. But that leadership is under threat from federal funding cuts and from a city budget under strain. We also haven’t done enough to protect our trans community from a political climate that too often treats trans lives as political pawns rather than actual humans.

My plan:

• Fully fund and protect trans-serving organizations. The Transgender District lost its Entrepreneurship Accelerator program in 2025 due to city funding cuts. Programs at the SF AIDS Foundation and SF Community Health Center are operating under sustained financial stress. As Supervisor, I will be a consistent advocate for full funding of trans health, housing, and economic programs in the annual budget process.
• Support the Ending Trans Homelessness initiative. Transgender people are disproportionately represented in San Francisco's homeless population. The city's Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool, the TGNCI+ permanent supportive housing site, and the Affirming Trans Access to Housing training program are all critical.
• Expand gender-affirming care access through city programs. SFDPH provides gender-affirming hormone therapy, surgeries, and primary care for uninsured and trans residents. This must be protected from budget cuts and expanded.
• Support trans-owned and trans-led businesses. The Transgender District's entrepreneurship programs fill an important gap. The city's economic development office should reimplement seed grants and training that were cut in 2025.
• Ensure District 8 is a welcoming home for trans people relocating from less-safe regions of the country. Our local nonprofits are reporting that there’s growing demand from trans people arriving from states with hostile laws.

Housing:

District 8 contains neighborhoods that are some of the most expensive places to live in one of the most expensive cities in the world. LGBTQ+ residents, especially trans people, seniors, and queer people of color, are being pushed out. Housing is health - and it shouldn’t be treated as a "satellite issue” for the queer community. It is the issue that determines whether San Francisco remains a living, breathing LGBTQ+ community or just a tourist destination with rainbow crosswalks.

What I'll do:

• Fight for LGBTQ+-affirming affordable housing throughout District 8. I fully support Open House’s 1939 Market Street development and will push for future affordable housing projects in D8 that prioritize LGBTQ+ seniors and other vulnerable community members.
• Protect rent-controlled housing for long-term LGBTQ+ residents. I am a renter. I am pro-rent control and anti-demolition of rent-controlled units.
• Support housing specifically designed for LGBTQ+ seniors through Openhouse. Openhouse provides services that reduce isolation and improve health and economic security for LGBTQ+ seniors.
• Expand access to subsidized housing for HIV-positive long-term survivors. These residents built community and have too often been left behind by a housing system that doesn't account for the effects and challenges of living with HIV.
• Support LGBTQ+ youth housing. The Castro Youth Housing Initiative and permanent supportive housing for LGBTQ+ young adults must be protected and expanded. Queer and trans youth are dramatically overrepresented among homeless youth.

LGBTQ+ History and Legacy

The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District was established to preserve and promote the neighborhood's role as a global home for LGBTQ+ culture. That mission requires continued and active investment that makes this a meaningful and exciting place to experience LGBTQ+ culture and history.

My plan:

• Support the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District's preservation and programming work. I will be a consistent partner in securing city funding for the District's efforts to highlight historic sites [such as]
• Protect LGBTQ+ nightlife. District 8's queer bars and clubs are community infrastructure. I support extending last call to 4 a.m. in nightlife districts and improving lighting and late-night transit in the Castro for all service workers and patrons to use.
• Invest in the Castro's small LGBTQ+ businesses. Many of the queer-owned small businesses that give the Castro its character are struggling with high rents and the long-lasting impacts of the pandemic. This means advocating for property owners of many of our long-boarded up and vacant storefronts to lease as pop-ups for artists and entrepreneurs while we work with them to make it more enticing to provide longer term leases.
• Preserve and expand LGBTQ+ historic sites. Pink Triangle Park, Jane Warner Plaza, Harvey Milk's camera shop (now Queer AF art gallery), and the GLBT Historical Society Museum are historic sites of national importance.

Safety, Mental Health and Substance Use:

LGBTQ+ people experience disproportionate rates of mental health challenges, substance use disorders, and violence (including hate crimes).

I know what it means to be at rock bottom, and that ladder out requires wraparound support.

My plan:

• Expand mental health crisis response teams that are specifically trained to work with LGBTQ+ people, including trans people.
• Take hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people seriously. I will push for adequate SFPD and District Attorney resources for hate crime investigations and stronger community reporting pathways.
• Expand community-based violence prevention that specifically addresses violence against trans people, queer people of color, and homeless youth.
• Support LGBTQ+-affirming substance use treatment and recovery pathways. My own recovery was made possible by San Francisco's systems of care and recovery community, such as the Castro Country Club.
• Support a “housing first” approach to get people off our streets and in shelter beds, even if they’re still in active addiction. We need to meet people where they’re at and give them the tools to eventually get sober. We also need to reform Coordinated Entry to ensure the success of Housing First opportunities.
• Support sober housing – but not at the expense of funding for affordable housing and permanent supportive housing, and expanding opportunities for group living by amending our Planning Code.

Aging Adults and Seniors

San Francisco is aging. The LGBTQ+ elders who built this city, survived the AIDS crisis, and built community here, deserve to age in place, with dignity.

My plan:

• Partner with Openhouse to expand services, reduce social isolation, and increase housing options for LGBTQ+ seniors across District 8.
• Ensure LGBTQ+ seniors can navigate Muni, Medicare, and other services with culturally competent support that understands their specific needs.
• Fight cuts to Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medi-Cal, and disability benefits that many LGBTQ+ seniors depend on.
• Fund social programming and community-building for LGBTQ+ seniors, who face unusually high rates of social isolation compared to their straight peers.
• Ensure adequate access and funding for in-home support services and care.