A Florida drag queen announced on Sunday that they are running for state office against incumbent Tim Mooney to fight for equality in a political system that has turned “wacky.”
Speaking with the LGBTQ+ news outlet, PinkNews, for an interview published on Sunday, Travis said that he is “running to win” against Mooney, not just “to make a statement,” as he said he has frequently been asked.
Earlier this year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a host of legislation targeting the rights of transgender people living in the Sunshine State. He has faced a barrage of criticism over issues that include his feud with Disney and the new education curriculum that suggests Black slaves were empowered by their situation.
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Among the new restrictions, such as preventing teachers from using a student’s preferred pronouns and blocking Medicaid from covering gender-affirming care, the new laws also sought to block venues from hosting certain “adult live performances” when children might be present, which was seen as specifically targeting drag shows.
In June, the “adult performance” and Medicaid laws were blocked by a federal judge, who said that they were overly broad and likely violated the U.S. Constitution.
The laws came amid a renewed push by the U.S. conservative political movements against LGBTQ+ rights. Drag shows have been among the most prominent targets of this move, with numerous Republican-led states introducing legislation to block them from being held anywhere children might be present. Many of these laws, as in Florida, have been accused of being overly broad, potentially leading to all such shows being blocked.
In response to the campaign against drag in Florida, Travis, who performs professionally under the drag queen persona “Erika Rose,” launched a political campaign, seeking to unseat Republican State Rep. Tim Mooney, who has represented Florida’s 120th State District, which covers the Keys islands, since 2020.
“I’m running to win,” Travis said. “I’m running to go out there and sit across the aisle from Rep. Mooney, who has trashed the entire Pride system in his district; to sit across the aisle from Rep. [Spencer] Roach who, when we were in Tallahassee [protesting], went on his little Twitter and is like the ‘trans agitators are here.’…Somebody out there is going to feel validated and see because that is what I am here for, to let them know that they matter and I am here for them.”
Despite his serious intentions, Travis also conceded that, win or lose, the campaign will help make a statement about the “wacky” state of Florida politics.
“Because one, yeah, there’s a statement,” Travis said. “I’m gonna be sitting across the aisle going, ‘Hi. Hello. We’re equals’—assuming they don’t get voted out of office. But either way, we’re making a statement. The statement has been made. The system is so wacky that a drag queen is running for office. My mother reminded me of this: that if I win, great, we won. If I don’t win the election, you still win.”
Newsweek was unable to reach Mooney or Travis for comment.
