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Maebe A. Girl

Revision as of 16:31, 31 October 2020 by imported>TXJ

Maebe A. Girl is a drag queen and councilperson in Silver Lake, Los Angeles. Maebe came to prominence as the first drag queen ever elected to public office in the United States.[4][5] [6]

Maebe A. Girl
Date of birth July 27, 1986
Place of birth Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Nationality American
Pronouns she/her, they/them[1][2]
Gender identity
Occupation drag queen and councilperson

On June 28, 2019, Maebe announced a Democratic Party bid for California's 28th congressional district, challenging incumbent Adam Schiff.[7][8] She positioned herself as the progressive alternative to Schiff, who has been characterized as a moderate or conservative Democrat.[9][10][11] If successful, Maebe A. Girl would have been the first transgender person ever elected to Congress.[12]

Maebe conceded the 2020 election on March 27, 2020, when the final results from Los Angeles County races were released. She placed third in a very close race with fellow Schiff challenger Eric Early, a Republican.[13]

Early life and drag career

Maebe A. Girl was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She subsequently moved to Chicago, where she became semi-notable for doing pizza tours of the city.[14]

Years later, Maebe would begin performing in drag. As host and producer of the Lyric Hyperion Theatre's drag brunch, she became known for doing satirical impressions of figures including Melania Trump, Betsy DeVos, and Sarah Sanders.[15]

Political career

Political positions

Maebe considers herself a progressive, and has likened her policies to those of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.[16] Her policies are strongly pro-LGBTQIA, identifying as a queer person. She has said that dressing in drag is itself political, and has "taught [her] how to engage with people".[17] Sitting on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council's Homelessness Committee, Maebe has highlighted homelessness in her campaign and tied it to the high number of homeless LGBTQ youth (40% of total homeless youth identify this way). She supports Medicare for All, the Green New Deal, and the abortion-rights movement.[18]

Silver Lake Neighborhood Councilwoman

Having worked as an overnight supervisor at a homeless shelter, Maebe A. Girl declared a run for the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council on the basis of addressing the homelessness crisis, supporting LGBTQIA rights, and protecting immigrants.[19] Maebe followed in the footsteps of José Sarria, a drag queen who became the first openly gay man to seek public office. (Sarria ran in San Francisco in 1961 and lost, but the parallels between Sarria and Maebe A. Girl have been noted by news outlets including The Advocate.)[20] Maebe ran for Neighborhood Council with a slate of candidates called Silver Lake Progressive. The election took place on April 16, 2019, when Maebe was elected and became the first known drag queen ever elected to public office.

Maebe formed the Silver Lake LGBTQIA Advocates Committee, a new type of committee in Los Angeles. Maebe soon took on the position on the council of Homelessness Liaison, aiming to bridge the gap between the Homelessness Committee and the rest of the council. As part of this homeless advocacy work, she voted in favor of submitting a Community Impact Statement to Los Angeles City Hall to address homeless encampment clean-ups.

Congressional run, 2020

Maebe A. Girl announced on June 28, 2019 that she would be challenging Adam Schiff in the March 3, 2020 primary election for California's 28th congressional district. She said her goal for policy-making was in three parts: "PROTECT, ADVOCATE, and LEGISLATE".[21] Maebe decided to run as a Democrat, challenging Schiff from the left, and receiving the endorsement of progressive groups like the LA Democratic Socialists of America and Our Revolution LA.[22]

During the campaign, Schiff became a prominent voice in the impeachment of Donald Trump, significantly increasing his popularity among Democrats.[23] Even though Donald Trump was not removed from office, Schiff stood by the impeachment, and appeared to maintain popularity in his district as a result of it.[24]

Seven challengers opted to run against Schiff in the 2020 primary.[25] Of these, four (including Maebe A. Girl) were Democrats. Though two Republican Party candidates appeared on the ballot in the district, attorney Eric Early enjoyed the clear backing of the California Republican Party, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars and strongly supporting Donald Trump.[26][27] Independent challenger Jennifer Barbosa campaigned on some similar topics to Maebe A. Girl, focusing the largest amount on homelessness.[28] In contrast to Maebe, however, Barbosa spoke out against Donald Trump's impeachment and called Schiff's comments on Russian collusion "disgraceful".[29][30]

Links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Hawgood, Alex (October 29, 2020). "Yass, We Can! Drag Performers Enter the Political Mainstream". W Magazine. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  2. ↑ Twitter bio, retrieved 31 October 2020
  3. ↑ "Maebe A. Girl for Congress 2020". Retrieved 31 October 2020. Maebe A. Girl is genderfluid/trans, and her pronouns are she/her.
  4. ↑ "NowThis News: Meet the First Drag Queen Elected to Public Office in the United States". youtube.com.
  5. ↑ Blum, Steven (April 12, 2019). "Meet the First Drag Queen to Be Elected to Public Office in California". lamag.com.
  6. ↑ Zonkel, Phillip (April 11, 2019). "Maebe A. Girl might be California's 1st drag queen elected to public office". Q Voice News.
  7. ↑ Maebe A. Girl for Congress
  8. ↑ "She May Be the 1st Drag Queen Elected to Congress: 'People Can't Ignore You,' Says Maebe A. Girl". PEOPLE.com.
  9. ↑ "The Damage Report (The Young Turks): Drag Queen to Unseat Adam Schiff?". youtube.com.
  10. ↑ "Adam Schiff is not your friend". Alternet.org. November 1, 2019.
  11. ↑ "The Immoderate Adam Schiff". nationalreview.com. May 16, 2018.
  12. ↑ "The First Drag Queen Elected to Local Office Is Making a Run for Congress". Route Fifty.
  13. ↑ Q Vouce News: Maebe A. Girl, Drag Queen Running for Congress, Finishes in 3rd Place
  14. ↑ Esposito, Stefano (February 2, 2020). "Ex-Chicagoan who led pizza tours making long shot bid to be first drag queen in Congress". Chicago Sun-Times.
  15. ↑ "Green Eggs and Glam Drag Brunch! – The Lyric Hyperion".
  16. ↑ "For Maebe A. Girl, gender nonconformity isn't her only political act". KCRW.
  17. ↑ Arie, Benjamin (September 4, 2019). "Drag Queen 'Maebe A. Girl' Challenges Adam Schiff for His Seat in Congress". The Western Journal.
  18. ↑ Congress, Maebe A. Girl for. "#voteyesonmaebe @maebeagirl". Maebe A. Girl for Congress 2020.
  19. ↑ Valenzuela, Beatriz E. (April 5, 2019). "Drag queen Maebe A. Girl running for Silver Lake Neighborhood Council". Q Voice News.
  20. ↑ "Genderqueer Drag Queen Maebe A. Girl Is Running for Office in L.A." www.advocate.com. March 26, 2019.
  21. ↑ "Maebe A. Girl 💄 on Instagram: "I'm beyond excited to announce my candidacy for California's 28th Congressional District! We've completed all of our preliminary filings…"". Instagram.
  22. ↑ Zonkel, Phillip (June 30, 2019). "Drag queen Maebe A Girl announces run for Congress". Q Voice News.
  23. ↑ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (January 15, 2020). "Adam Schiff: Former Prosecutor Who Led Inquiry Will Helm Impeachment Team" – via NYTimes.com.
  24. ↑ "Column: Adam Schiff has no regrets about the impeachment — except losing". Los Angeles Times. February 26, 2020.
  25. ↑ "A big week for LA-area Rep. Adam Schiff — and his 2020 opponents". July 26, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Republican Eric Early's Anti-Schiff Bid for Congress". December 4, 2019.
  27. ↑ McKay, Hollie (October 10, 2019). "Adam Schiff's 2020 Republican challenger vows to propel 'the viper into retirement'". Fox News.
  28. ↑ Congress, Jennifer Barbosa For. "MY PRIORITIES". Jennifer Barbosa For Congress.
  29. ↑ Givas, Nick (November 25, 2019). "Schiff's congressional challenger: He's wasting taxpayer money on impeachment, ignoring homeless crisis". Fox News.
  30. ↑ "Republicans talk tough about Adam Schiff, but will they run against him?". April 2, 2019.
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