words of wisdom « Lil Miss Hot Mess

Category: words of wisdom

The Future of San Francisco

Posted by Lil Miss Hot Mess on September 23, 2011

Categories: events| performances| politics| words of wisdom
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I am OUTRAGED. Between the execution of Troy Davis last night (with this cherry on top today) and the suicide of 14 year old Jamey Rodemeyer, it’s all I can do not to cry my eyes out. I’ve been feeling helpless and can’t fathom how innocent people can be killed like this and what that says about our country. I can’t help asking myself, Why Didn’t Anybody Stop This?

I was going to write a cute and cheeky blog post about the Homo Homecoming fundraiser I’m putting on for John Avalos next Saturday. But instead I’m about to get serious about why I’m supporting him. After years of Bush and Arnold and Gavin (and all of them really), I want someone in power who’s watching out for us. I want someone in City Hall who’s a real person, who’s part of the community, and who’s willing to put their ego aside to fight. I want someone who isn’t going to sell our city to the highest bidder, because I want my friends and the freaks and the families to stay. I want somebody who will help stop some of this madness. I don’t normally put any faith in elections, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a viable candidate who gets it and who can hold it down with very few compromises. And that’s why I’m putting my time, energy, and money behind John Avalos.

So please, please, please do 2 things for me right this minute:

1. BUY A TICKET NOW!

2. Invite friends + colleagues by email, Facebook, Twitter, or talking to them!

And for the haters: Do I think that having John Avalos as mayor will solve all the city’s problems? Hell no. But I think he’ll be a thoughtful advocate who will help shape the right conversations and shake up the way things happen in this city. The rest will be up to us.

If you want to get more involved in the Avalos campaign, talk to me or take a look at the campaign website.

UPDATE: Just wanted to add a link to the sweet write-up we got in the SFBG (for posterity).

I Support John Avalos for Mayor

Posted by Lil Miss Hot Mess on May 28, 2011

Categories: politics| words of wisdom| wow!
1 Comment

Those who know me well and know that I very rarely get excited about electoral politics. It’s not that I think it’s not important, but I just have trouble compromising and I tend to prioritize other work. BUT, I’m getting really really excited about John Avalos for Mayor! With him, I guess I feel like I don’t have to compromise and I am excited by the thought of having a truly progressive and community-oriented mayor in City Hall.
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I was tipped off to Avalos’s campaign by a friend of mine who is a queer woman of color and organizer in the Arab-American community, whose politics I trust and work I admire deeply. There are links to articles at the bottom of this post that speak more to his experience and platform, but here’s what she said about John:

Prior to and during his time as Supervisor, he has been the most humble, passionate, tireless, and generous advocate on behalf of poor and working communities, particularly our communities of color that are being pushed out of SF.

I’ve decided to help out with the campaign, and am one of the “hosts” of a Queers for Avalos Happy Hour on Friday, June 10 at Dolores Park Cafe. Please consider joining me, even if you don’t identify as queer, someone who lives in SF, or someone who cares about local politics. We need support from everyone who wants a more sustainable and livable city!

Here’s some easy ways you can get involved:

DONATE MONEY! John is running a grassroots community driven campaign, which is how he will also run San Francisco if he’s elected. He’s using public campaign financing, but still needs the financial support of the community as those funds are matched. Even $5 helps, for real, and you don’t have to live in SF.
PUT A SIGN IN YR WINDOW + LIKE JOHN ON FACEBOOK. These are basically the same things now, right? If you can put up a sign, let me know, and I’ll be sure to get you one.
HAPPY HOUR. I’m just including this here again to make it pop.

But can he win? YES! Although he may not be a front-runner (yet), it’s always useful to have someone who can raise the important issues (watch the doc on Shirley Chisholm if you don’t know what I’m talking about) AND especially with this being the first Ranked-Choice mayoral election there’s a lot of opportunity (look at Jean Quan in Oakland)!
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