The following is an extract from Passport magazine. For the full article, follow the link at the end of the page.
You might not even notice Evan Low walking down the streets of Campbell, California, a suburban community of 40,000 in the heart of Silicon Valley, where Asian-Americans are the second-most populous demographic. Home to high-tech megaliths eBay and Netflix, Campbell is also one of the youngest cities in the Bay Area – the average age of residents is about 35.
Evan Low, however, is no ordinary suburbanite. Low, 23, made history last year when he became the first Chinese-American, openly gay, and youngest person to be elected to Campbell’s city council. Having earned endorsements from such political heavy-hitters as U.S. Congressman Mike Honda and California Assemblyman (and gay politico) Mark Leno (not to mention a throng of local and state officials) Low won one of the three open spots in the November 2006 election, after narrowly losing his first campaign two years ago.
Community service is in Low’s blood. He traces his roots back to Robert Locke, the first police chief of Campbell, while his father Dr. Arthur Low, an eye doctor who worked and volunteered in the community for over 25 years, was Campbell’s Citizen of the Year and president of the Chamber of Commerce.
During Evan’s teens and early 20’s, while his peers worried about prom dates, keg parties, or figuring out ways to sneak into San Francisco’s gay clubs, Evan was volunteering in the community. He served on the County Commission on Senior Care, as Director of Government and Public Affairs for the Volunteer Center of Silicon Valley, as an instructor at De Anza Community College, as Treasurer of the local Kiwanis Club, on the Campbell Chamber of Commerce, and on the board of directors for the city’s museum, as well as numerous other affiliations.
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Perhaps the gay community in Asia could organise some community projects (e.g. non-HIV related) beside those campaigns that target at solely gays. Evan had volunteered in senior care. We might want to do something for the growing senior population. For example, providing free health screening, group outdoor activities, or used spectacles and hearing aids (which we could collect from those who have old spectacles and hearing aids that are still functional but which they no longer need). Many elderly folks in Singapore and elsewhere in Asia are unaware of the importance of early detection of costly diseases like kidney failure, diabetes and hypertension. Many are suffering from ageing-related deteriorating hearing ability and vision. Others do not enjoy adequate outdoor social and physical activities, which reduce the likelihood of depression, frailty, arthritis, dementia and vascular diseases in old people.
We have seen from Evan's example how he had more successfully won respect from people without being actively involved in gay activism. Instead, he had made positive contributions to his community, and, by being an openly gay person, he had shared the respect he had earned with the gay community. He had successfully demonstrated the universal principle of reciprocity in communication. His community had reciprocated his effort with respect and support, and so would our communities in Asia should there be more Evans here doing similar community work.
young Asian American mayor vs Mr. (American) gay HK
what can an young gay mayor brings to the society;
and what does new Mr gay Hk bring to the locals?
If Evan becomes the President, he won't be the first openly gay person to head a government: the present Prime Minister of Iceland, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, is an openly gay politician who had registered for a gay civil union in 2002.
Moreover, Evan had achieved so much at just 26. Evan had even surpassed Obama if we weighed the pair's respective achievements at age 26: Obama was working as just a community organizer at age 26, and became a publicly elected official for the first time at age 35. Evan had been educated at the world-famous Kennedy School of Public Admin at Harvard (where our PM Lee was educated), which even Obama hadn't been.
And, now that China has become America's most important trading partner, it's even more important for the future US Presidents to become conversant with the Chinese culture and languages. The present US Secretary of Commerce is a Chinese, so I wouldn't be surprised if a Chinese becomes a future Secretary of State, Vice President or President of the US.
I wish Evan all the best in his postgrad studies, and that he'll move on to the Congress once he is ready. He may consider to do his JD considering that a disproportionately high % of former US Presidents are trained in law. If he has a JD on top of a Master of Public Admin, he would become academically and professionally more qualified and credible to become a Senator or President. Or perhaps he may want to relocate to a less competitive State so that his path to the Senate would be easier.
Keep up the great work. ^^
i love you...you are my idol... ;-)
Honestly, the world needs less people screaming with rainbow flags for gay rights! Gay people just need to show straight communities that they are regular human beings like Mr. Low and that they care about people.
People remember how you make them feel, not what you say to them. Mayor Low did that by meeting people in his community on their level - instead of with a narrow agenda.
To influence people, you have to meet them where they are at; you have to meet people halfway.
It's great to see that Mayor Low's agenda is for the overall well-being of his community rather than only for his rights.
Inspiring!
That is somewhat shocking for the South, though most Houston constituents are minorities and are not exactly of the traditional Texas mindset.
Awesome!
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/13/houston.mayor/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn
I dont know why that Houston election was not headlined already. Maybe it is thought here that the only news from the USA comes from west of the Rockies... :(
admire + love
Excellent Office Example!
WELL DONE!
Resprctfully !!
Anton in RSA
hehe congratulation anyway !
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