Transgender man Leo Castillo to serve as interim District 2 rep on San Antonio City Council

San Antonio City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to approve Leo Castillo, a transgender man, to serve as District 2’s interim representative while Councilman Jalen McKee-Rodriguez is on an eight-week parental leave.

McKee-Rodriguez described the appointment as historic, noting that Castillo will be the first openly transgender man to serve in public office in Texas.

McKee-Rodriguez himself is the first openly gay man to be elected to San Antonio City Council, and San Antonio voters also elected the city’s first openly gay mayor, Gina Ortiz Jones, in last Saturday’s runoff election.

“Today is a huge win for our community and another reason to celebrate Pride Month,” McKee-Rodriguez told council on Thursday. “At a time when our community is under attack, especially the trans community, this was a historic vote.”

Council selected Castillo, who works as a social media and marketing manager for Thrive Youth Center, from among a pool of 13 candidates, all of whom applied during an open process.

McKee-Rodriguez and Castillo met while they attended the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Castillo helped operate some of McKee-Rodriguez’s past election campaigns.

Castillo was sworn in Thursday but won’t officially take the seat until McKee-Rodriguez goes on leave Aug. 1.

McKee-Rodriguez announced last month that he and his husband, Nathan, are expecting a surrogate baby girl in July. He’s expected to return to the dais in late September.

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This article appears in Jun 12-25, 2025.