Big Mike and Friends
Big Mike Phillips
San Diego brings so many amazing individuals to our shores who are looking for a new beginning and a new home where they can make a difference. Not only in their own lives, but also in their communities. In the 30 years I have lived in San Diego, I have witnessed so many young people beginning their life’s work by involving themselves in becoming public servants. One such gentleman is my dear friend Tyler Renner. An interesting thing about Tyler’s last name is that it is a palindrome, you can spell it forward and backwards. Not many people in the world can claim that. Thought he does have various nicknames like Ty, T.T. and TyTy (none of which are sanctioned), I just know him by Tyler.
With a smile that brightens up any room he enters, you can’t help but be drawn by his striking good looks and his tall statue. I personally enjoy the fact he loves to laugh and has a great sense of humor. He challenges himself to have fun, be creative and throw the glitter. He especially gets a kick out of painting his fingernails (which always gets people’s attention), and feels lucky to be in professional settings that support his expression and identity.
Tyler grew up in La Palma, California, a small suburb in Orange County. Then moving to Santa Barbara, where he worked for the LGBT and HIV Center for three years as well as attended college at UC Santa Barbara until 2015. It was then that he found himself growing restless and wanted to make some changes in his life. It just so happens that two of close friends had already moved here to San Diego. They extended an invite for Tyler to join them and so he did, moving to San Diego on Pride weekend of 2015. If any of you remember, that was the year it rained during the entire parade. Well, he may have had a wet Pride but one he enjoyed very much. Excited about living in San Diego, Tyler wasted no time finding his first job at #1 Fifth Ave., a local and historic gay bar in our community. This finally gave him the opportunity to meet new people; he soon applied at the San Diego LGBT Community Center and was hired as a development associate and HIV test counselor.
Both of Tyler’s parents worked in public schools until they recently retired, his mom as a counselor and his dad as a high school government and social studies teacher. (My Dad was a math teacher for 25 years. I saw the dedication and struggles he went through to make sure his students received the best education possible. I admire our parents for following this path in life). As a child, Tyler’s dad, along with his family who immigrated from Mexico, gave him a deep sense of pride in being Mexican American. He taught Tyler and his brothers the importance of being civically engaged. Tyler has two brothers — Will, his older brother who is gay as well and married his wonderful partner in 2016, and Keith, his younger brother who accepts and loves both of his older gay brothers equally. Tyler feels very lucky to have been born into a liberal, open-minded family, but that doesn’t mean he still didn’t have his share of struggles coming out and coming into himself. There were some growing pains when he came out in high school, but today he has the full love and support of his family and that has inspired Tyler to make that more of a reality for other people. It was because of those growing pains Tyler studied psychology at UCSB and began working as a behavioral therapist for children on the autism spectrum. That was one of the most rewarding jobs Tyler said he ever had, it taught him so much about empathy and communication.
Today Tyler serves as the director of Community Outreach for City Council member Chris Ward. He feels so proud and honored to serve the constituents of District 3 for the last three years and is excited for all that 2020 will bring. In his role, he plans all the outreach events, manages grant funding, works on special projects, and serves as our LGBTQ liaison and community representative for Old Town, University Heights and Hillcrest.
Starting his work in the nonprofit organization here in San Diego with The Center, you will often find him supporting programs such as #CenterSupporter because The Center is such an important space for our community and provides so many vital services to those in need. He is proud to support their Young Professionals Council and always participates in the annual AIDS Walk and Run. Aside from charities, he has recently become more involved in Democratic clubs, especially the Democrats for Equality and YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) Democrats. Nicole Murray Ramirez is always saying “watch out for Tyler, he is a future City Councilman,” and I must agree with him. God knows he is getting his feet wet and learning more about our city and about the people who live here. He is well respected in our city and people are getting to know and see how hard he works. I think one day he will make an excellent City Councilman. Keep an eye open as he continues to grow.
This is hard to believe but because of how hard he works, he finds himself single at this point and time in his life. He does have an amazing group of friends that he loves to spend time with, travel with and out go out with. He loves to draw, make handmade cards and write letters to his family and friends near and far. He has always loved to swim and go to the beach, a plus living in beautiful San Diego. One thing I’m very impressed with is with his talents to cook and bake.
I asked Tyler to give me a thought in his own words and he replied, “You have to play the game to change the game.” I believe he is playing the game very well. Tyler is changing the game for the better. Thank you for taking that invite from your friends to move to San Diego. Tyler has big dreams. We look forward to watching his dreams come true. We will all benefit from them.
Feel free to connect with Tyler on Facebook, also follow him on Twitter @TylerRenner6 or Instagram @Tylerrnnr.
