PHOTO SOURCE: RADIOMAP

By Joel P. Engardio

On the other side of Twin Peaks, there’s a neighborhood called Forest Knolls perched high in the fog. It overlooks a western swath of San Francisco that Harvey Milk would find very different from when he served as the city’s first openly gay supervisor.

My partner Lionel and I recently sat on a deck with some gay friends who live on a steep and winding road next to Sutro Tower and a forest of Eucalyptus trees. Their neighbors, another gay couple, joined us. It was a clear day and they pointed to all the gay rooftops below.

Even some of today’s LGBT leaders might be surprised by the view. The far western side of San Francisco that descends from Twin Peaks into West Portal over Mt. Davidson and out to the ocean has for decades been a place where gays didn’t live in great numbers and weren’t necessarily all that welcome.

My Forest Knolls friends said there was an elderly widow nearby who wouldn’t answer her door when they invited her to their barbeques. The woman told another neighbor that she didn’t associate with “that kind.�

She was the original owner of her home, representing a population of western San Francisco that remained unchanged for many years. But when she died it was a gay couple that bought her house and moved into the neighborhood.

It’s the same story now at open houses every Sunday in places like Miraloma Park, Golden Gate Heights and Westwood Highlands.

San Francisco’s District 7 has long been a contrast to the rest of the city. It was an Irish Catholic stronghold known for its fiscal and social conservatism -- a place where Republicans actually lived. Nearly half of the voters in precincts along Sloat Boulevard supported the Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage. Yet an influx of gay couples, Google engineers and young Asian families is creating a demographic shift.

The new residents of District 7 still value fiscal responsibility because they’re mainly homeowners. While San Francisco is largely a city of renters, more than two-thirds of District 7 residents own their home. That’s why they don’t like it when City Hall spends their property taxes on pet projects over basic services. They resent bonds that make them pay for things like street repair twice. But when it comes to social issues, the new District 7 demographic is decidedly more liberal than previous homeowners.

The changing face of District 7 has political implications. Any LGBT leader or democratic club wanting to expand their reach should be looking West of Twin Peaks to find new followers. I hope to make a little history as the first openly gay supervisor to represent District 7.

It’s not my style to run down West Portal Avenue waving a rainbow flag. But my partner Lionel appears with me on my campaign website and flyers, even if some have counseled me not to push the issue too far.

There are still many Catholic parishes in District 7 where Mass is well attended by the thousands at multiple services each Sunday. The most common question I get at the parishes is, “Are you married?�

I’m still refining my answer. It seems too confrontational to say that California’s constitution won’t let me get married, especially when so many District 7 residents voted for Prop 8. I usually just say I have a partner and then move on to how I will help homeowners not be the city’s ATM machine.

I can see it in their eyes when I’ve lost them by coming out as gay. Other times they don’t bat an eye and ask me more about the issues. Some of the older ones don’t seem as bothered by things like same-sex marriage anymore.

One woman at St. Cecilia’s parish said, “I don’t care who you marry, I just want a supervisor who will do something about the budget.�

Another elderly woman told me, “I’ll give you a pass for now. But when they let you get married, your excuse is up. You better make it legal!�

I promised her I’d get married as soon as I was allowed to marry a man. That’s all she needed to hear. And that’s how I know a gay candidate can win in District 7.

Joel Engardio is running for District 7 Supervisor. His campaign website is www.engardio.com