Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin's book "Son of Birmingham" was released on January 21. It follows his life from his youth through the present day, ending just before the 2024 presidential election.
In it, Woodfin's first reference to the LGBTQ+ community appears on page five, when he says of Birmingham, "We fight for the rights of women and defiantly resist unjust laws that threaten the LGBTQ+ community."
Towards the end of the book, he includes a 2022 speech he gave to the Human Rights Campaign in which he said, "Not long ago, I read an article that named Alabama as the worst state for LGBTQ+ Americans. I won't deny it. That hurts, and it's proof that our state must do more to make its residents feel accepted. But let me assure you, we don't roll like that in Birmingham."
By his own admission, however, some Birmingham or Alabama Democrats do "roll like that," having tried to weaponize homosexuality in attacks against him in several campaigns—attacks he takes on directly throughout the book.
In telling the story of his mayoral run in 2016, Woodfin describes what happened once polls showed him winning his first primary debate — he faced opposition research attacks, which he called "opps."
"There was an immediate target on my back. The opps were coming for me."
The first line of attack was that too much of his money came from outside Birmingham. His opponent was saying, "I was the tool of white outsiders. In a city of nearly 70 percent Black folk, many of whom are very wary of meddling white interests, it was a nasty low blow. But the opps would go even lower."
Woodfin describes a whisper campaign that included rumors that he "secretly ran off to Atlanta or DC or New York to marry a white man," saying that his opponents were saying, "I was secretly a gay man living a double life."
Addressing the rumors directly, Woodfin said, "Look, bruh, I have nothing but love for the LGBTQ+ community… I'm a proud ally of the gay community. But I'm not gay."
"What angered me wasn't beng called gay; it was that candidates were weaponizing homophobia as a scare tactic. A young, male, soft-spoken brother who wears nice suits? Oh, he must be gay – and we can't have him leading our city."
He went on to say, "How dare we make sexual preference a barrier in a city where no less than 60 years ago, men and women bled on our streets for the equality of all people.
It infuriated me, not because of my pride, but because it was a reminder that we still had so far to go – and grow - as a city."
Woodfin won that first election, upsetting an entrenched Birmingham campaign apparatus with unrivaled old-fashioned but effective grassroots campaign efforts.
The rumors about his personal life didn't stop there, though. In the book, he describes how the same two rumors would return in his next bid for reelection.
"We had to deal with our share of mudslinging during the previous campaign, but the attacks felt more salacious – and desperate – this time around," Woodfin explained.
"The opps had to go back to the usual nonsense: I'm gay and only love the white folks."
"Seriously, this again? Is this all y'all got? No, I'm not gay…and yes, my campaign was blessed with lots of generous donors, but to pretend that the evil white Illuminati secretly funded me is a horrible disservice to the residents of all colors who contributed their hard-earned money to our cause."
He then describes that in the "midst of all that campaign drama, I would find my forever," his wife Kendra.
Their relationship would become public with the release of photographs of Woodfin and Kendra dancing a moment; according to Woodfin, they intended to be private. "We had no plans to share this video. It was supposed to be our moment, a representation of our growing love. But those political arsonists attempt to destroy everything we build," says the book.
Photos Kendra sent to friends, however, were leaked and posted on Facebook hours before voters went to the polls with culprits who "used it to play into the 'is he or isn't he gay?' rumor mill funded by the opps."
"I. Was. Pissed," Woodfin describes in the book.
Later, before the election was called, with his future wife's permission, he released the full video the photographs originated from, showing the two of them dancing, "If these nosy people wanted a relationship reveal, they were gonna get it on our terms."
While the book depicts the romance between Woodfin and his future wife—the way two grown men might share such a story—Woodfin's book is co-written by Edward Bowser, his deputy communications director. The full story of their introduction and wedding is best told in a New York Times-style piece, which details their relationship.
Apryl Marie Fogel is a Birmingham resident who frequently appears on and guest hosts radio programs around the state. She can be reached at aprylmarie.fogel@1819news.com or on X and Facebook at @aprylmarie.
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