Kyle McIntyre was born in, and has spent most of his 27 years, in Upper Darby Township, just west of Philadelphia. And it was shortly after getting his Master\u2019s in Public Policy from Temple University that he became inspired \u2014 some would say radicalized \u2014 into political activism, which, perhaps inevitably, led him to the path he is on now.<\/p>\n
McIntyre is running his first campaign as an openly gay candidate for Upper Darby Township Councilperson-at-large.<\/p>\n
After college, he worked for a few years in local Democratic politics, serving as an organizer for the Biden campaign. However, it was the George Floyd murder that kicked his activism into high gear.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen a lot happened around George Floyd, remember?\u201d he says, recalling the nationwide protests inspired by the 2020 incident where Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was killed by a white police officer. The outrage over Floyd\u2019s murder sparked some of the largest demonstrations in U.S. history, amplifying the Black Lives Matter movement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t really have much in the way of protests out in Delco or in Upper Darby, even though we were such a diverse community,\u201d McIntyre said. \u201cWe started with a few Facebook posts, then we formed a group chat, and then, with a few people I knew, we organized a protest, and Delco Pride just took off from there.\u201d<\/p>\n
McIntyre remembers how relatively oppressive Delaware County in general, and Upper Darby specifically, was in the early days of his activism (less than a decade ago). \u201cMy graduating class of 900+ only had three openly gay students \u2014 and this was in 2016, a year after gay marriage was legalized. So, it was pretty oppressive. Not as oppressive as times past, I know, but still pretty bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that was the motivating factor that got me involved in politics,\u201d McIntyre said. \u201cI was one of those three people who was out. And I had the belief that politics could be a force for good. When you have people that care about their community, that want to do good work, that want to fight based on their values, and with integrity \u2014 the world can get better. So, I went into politics. Sometimes I think it\u2019s the worst thing I\u2019ve ever done, and sometimes I know it\u2019s the best thing I\u2019ve ever done.\u201d<\/p>\n
McIntyre launched his campaign for township council in January, after quickly gaining the endorsement of the local Democratic Party.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, running for office means more than just keeping the potholes filled, and keeping the lights on, keeping people safe and making sure they aren\u2019t speeding, clean the parks, clean the bathrooms \u2014 that kind of stuff. That stuff is important, but that\u2019s not all there is. There\u2019s more than just getting by\u2014 there\u2019s getting ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe it\u2019s just naturally a queer kind of existence that we live in,\u201d McIntyre muses, \u201cthat kind of philosophy that\u2019s almost by nature for a lot of LGBTQ politicians, at least that I know, that there\u2019s always this insatiable drive for, not stability, but progress. Not for survival, but to thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
McIntyre is optimistic about winning his race. There are two at-large seats open on the council, and there are two other candidates competing with McIntyre, one being Republican (which he doesn\u2019t want to discuss), and one is a former Democrat running as an independent with a problematic history.<\/p>\n
But McIntyre also points to an evolution of the community that has happened over the last few years. Four years ago, it would\u2019ve been more competitive. Upper Darby and Delaware County as a whole have undergone this tidal shift in the last decade. And now, I think the last few holdouts [of majority conservatism] in Delaware County are Broomall and Ridley. A lot of our residents have moved to Upper Darby from Philadelphia, and with that comes a lot of our politics \u2014 which is good.\u201d<\/p>\n
McIntyre defines his platform as \u201cthe three A\u2019s\u201d: affordability, accountability and accessibility.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Upper Darby, that means making sure that the people who live in our township can stay in our township,\u201d McIntyre said. \u201cWe are dealing with the rising cost of living, as everywhere is, but we\u2019re looking at how the rising tide of gentrification is creeping up the el. It\u2019s not a matter of if it will reach us, but when. And when that gentrification reaches 69th Street, we want to make sure that we have a zoning code that protects our residents in their homes.\u201d<\/p>\n
As an openly gay man running for public office, McIntyre admits that that makes him a target for homophobic attacks. While such attacks are not as common as they once were, he concedes that it does happen. But he shrugs it off.<\/p>\n
\u201cComes with the territory,\u201d he says dismissively.<\/p>\n
When asked to say succinctly, in just a few sentences, why he thinks people should vote for him. What makes him different, other than being gay? What makes him better? After a long, thoughtful pause, McIntyre replied, \u201cThey should vote for me, not because I know what I\u2019m doing, not because I\u2019m able to get things done, they should vote for me because I\u2019m just like they are.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m scared about our future. I\u2019m scared about the seeming decline of opportunity and lack thereof, frankly, of a future. We used to be optimistic about the future. That\u2019s what keeps you going \u2014 that\u2019s what drives you forward. That\u2019s why they should vote for me, because I understand that, I can feel that. I\u2019m not someone who\u2019s going to sit here and pretend that this is not a terrifying time to be alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
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