Maebe A. Girl
Maebe A. Girl (born July 27, 1986) is an American drag queen and politician. She came to prominence as the first drag queen ever elected to public office in the United States. Girl is non-binary and uses she/her and they/them pronouns. On June 28, 2019, Girl announced a Democratic Party bid for California's 28th congressional district, challenging incumbent Adam Schiff. If successful, Girl would have been the first transgender person ever elected to Congress. She conceded the election on March 27, 2020, when the final results from Los Angeles County races were released , after placing third. On February 2, 2021, Girl announced that she will be running against Schiff again in the 2022 election. Early life and drag career. Girl was born in Pittsburgh. She subsequently moved to Chicago, where she did pizza tours of the city. Girl later began performing in drag. As host and producer of the Lyric Hyperion Theatre's drag brunch, she became known for doing satirical impressions of political figures, including Melania Trump, Betsy DeVos, and Sarah Sanders. Career. Silver Lake Neighborhood Council. After working as an overnight supervisor at a homeless shelter, Girl declared a run for  the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council on the basis of addressing the homelessness crisis, supporting LGBTQIA rights, and protecting immigrants. Girl ran for Neighborhood Council with a slate of candidates called Silver Lake Progressive. She was elected in the election on April 16, 2019, becoming the first known drag queen ever elected to public office. After her election, Girl formed the Silver Lake LGBTQIA Advocates Committee. She 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. 2020 congressional election. 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". Girl decided to run as a Democrat, challenging Schiff from the left, and receiving the endorsement of progressive groups, including the local branches of Our Revolution. Political positions. Girl considers herself a progressive, and has likened  her policies to those of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her policies are strongly pro-LGBTQIA. She has said that dressing in drag is "part of who [she is] as a queer person" and is itself political, saying it "taught [her] how to engage with people". Sitting on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council's Homelessness Committee, Girl 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, a Green New Deal, and abortion rights. Girl opposes going to war  with Iran, Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen, and increases in defense spending. She has repeatedly expressed support for the abolition of ICE.