The campaign poster for drag queen Maebe A. Girl, who is running for Congress against Adam Schiff. Image by Maebe A. Girl/Twitter

By Aiden Pink July 1, 2019

It’s still 16 months until the 2020 elections, but House Intelligence Committee chairman Adam Schiff already has an opponent, and it’s someone who has already made history: Maebe A. Girl, the first drag queen ever elected to public office.

In April, Girl was voted onto the neighborhood council in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles. Now Girl, who identifies as genderfluid and trans and uses female pronouns, has set her sights on Washington.

“I want to run against Adam Schiff because I believe the people in (California’s 28th District) deserve a representative that can relate to their struggles and who knows what it’s like to experience systemic oppression,” Girl told the LGBT news site Q Voice News on Sunday. “Too many of our representatives are wealthy, middle-aged white men, and that doesn’t accurately represent our diverse population.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Schiff, who is Jewish, has served in Congress since 2001.

Girl, who is running on a platform of protecting the rights of minorities, immigrants and the environment, said her quest to serve on the neighborhood council pushed her to seek higher office.

“I’ve been inspired by all the people I’ve spoken to who want to see real change and actual representation in government,” she said. “I want to do as much as possible for both my local community and the nation at large.”

In addition to her work on the Silver Lake Neighborhood Council, Girl is also a performer known for her impersonations of political figures like Melania Trump, Betsy DeVos and Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Los Angeles Magazine reported.

California’s congressional primary is March 3, 2020. The top two vote-getters regardless of party will proceed to the November general election.

Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor of the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aidenpink

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re in the middle of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 22.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount