Honey Mahogany Chosen to Lead SF's Office of Transgender Initiatives

San Francisco Mayor London Breed has appointed multi-hyphenate community advocate, artist and former San Francisco Democratic Party Chair Honey Mahogany to lead the Office of Transgender Initiatives. The office was founded in 2017 to connect San Francisco’s trans and gender-nonconforming communities to resources and advocate for their needs within city government. Mahogany’s first day is May 6.

“I am grateful to Mayor Breed for the opportunity to take on this role in this first of its kind office, and to fight for my community at this pivotal time in our nation’s history,” Mahogany said in a statement. “After two decades of community-based work and legislative experience, I look forward to leveraging all I have learned over the years in service of this office and the entire transgender, gender nonconforming, intersex and 2-spirit (TGNCI2S) community. I’m especially excited to be leading an extraordinary team of trans staff at the Office of Transgender Initiatives, and to work alongside longtime community leaders to continue our fight for equity and to ensure that San Francisco continues to be a sanctuary city for the trans community.”

Born and raised in San Francisco, Mahogany first rose to prominence in 2013 as a contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race, but quickly turned her focus to community organizing and politics. In 2017, she co-founded San Francisco’s Transgender Cultural District, the first of its kind in the country. She also served as the chief of staff for former San Francisco Supervisor Matt Haney. (She ran to replace Haney in 2022 but lost to current Supervisor Matt Dorsey.)

In 2023, while anti-drag and anti-trans legislation swept the nation, she co-organized last year’s Drag Up! Fight Back! march. Last month, she helped re-open historic LGBTQ+ venue The Stud as a co-founder of its worker-owner collective.

“Honey Mahogany is a proven champion and in her new role will work to advance San Francisco’s values of inclusion that will inspire communities everywhere and future generations,” said Breed in a statement. “I look forward to partnering with Honey to ensure our City continues to be a place of acceptance, fairness, and opportunities for all.”

Following Mahogany’s appointment, the Office of Transgender Initiatives will move from the City Administrator’s Office to the Human Rights Commission, which addresses causes and effects of discrimination. The office was formerly led by Pau Crego, who helped establish initiatives like Mayor Breed’s plan to end trans homelessness by 2027.