Transgender in America Today

The Wild Reed’s 2023 Queer Appreciation series continues with author and presidential candidate Marianne Williamson’s June 28, 2023 conversation with Maebe A. Girl, the first drag queen ever elected to public office in the United States when, in 2019, she was elected treasurer for the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles.

Maebe, who identifies as non-binary and uses she/her and they/them pronouns, hopes to also become the first drag queen and first trans person elected to the U.S. Congress.

On June 28, 2019, Maebe A. Girl announced a Democratic Party bid for California’s 28th congressional district, challenging incumbent Adam Schiff. If successful, Maebe 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, Maebe announced that she would run against Schiff again in the 2022 election. Maebe placed second in the June 2022 jungle primary and advanced to the general election, becoming the first Democrat running against Schiff to do so. After Schiff announced that he would retire from the House of Representatives to run for Senator in 2024, Maebe announced her candidacy for his seat a third time to succeed him.

Marianne Williamson’s 45-minute “firelight chat” with Maebe A. Girl focuses on a number of transgender issues in the United States today.






NEXT: Accounting for the Backlash


See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• Maebe A. Girl: A “Decidedly Progressive Candidate” for Congress
• Angela Kade Goepferd on the “Manufactured Controversy” Targeting Gender-Affirming Care
• The Bigger Box of Crayons We All Deserve
• Trans 101
• Lisa Leff on Five Things to Know About Transgender People
• Judith Butler on the Reactionary Movement and Fascist Trend Opposed to Diverse Ideas About Gender
• Gabbi Pierce on the “Evolution of Gender”
• “This Is Indeed Part of My Queer Agenda . . .”
• Catholics Recognize and Celebrate the Truth of Transgender People: “Their Quest for Authenticity Is a Quest for Holiness”
• Francis DeBernardo: Quote of the Day – September 21, 2016
• Terry Weldon: Quote of the Day – August 20, 2015

Related Off-site Links:
The Big Myth About the Supposed “Anti-Trans” Backlash – Sarah Posner (MSNBC.com, June 23, 2023).
Court Ruling Gets Right What Corporate News Often Gets Wrong About Gender-Affirming Care – Alex Koren (Common Dreams, June 24, 2023).
How Pro-Trans Rights Lawmakers Can Fight the Right Wing’s Weaponization of Courts – Jessie Ulibarri and Leigh Finke (Common Dreams, June 26, 2023).
The Gender Spectrum – Carrie Kilman (LearningForJustice.org, Summer 2013).

UPDATE: Gender-Affirming Surgeries for Trans People Have Tripled in Three Years. Experts Explain “Significant” Increase – David Artavia (Yahoo! News, August 23, 2023).