Checking In with Anna Conda, SF’s Drag Queen Candidate for Supervisor

Only in San Francisco could a drag queen run for political office with a viable chance at taking the seat. We sat down with SF activist, drag queen (Miss TrannyShack 2004), club promoter and now candidate for the District 6 Supervisor Seat Anna Conda to discuss politics, potentials, and growing pains in the LGBT community.

Why did you decide to run for SF District 6 Supervisor?

I strive to bring more of a public/community voice. So much city government is made up of corporate lawyers, and I don’t want corporations to be the only voice for change.

What do you want to change in District 6?

I want to give people toilets so they don’t have to use the street like dogs. I want to change the shelter systems, which are increasingly hard on LGBT people. We need housing and alternatives to give people stability so we can move forward from there; the better the housing, the better the community. Finally, I think small businesses need rent control so mom & pops aren’t priced out. We need to work toward sustainability. It’s hard to send the message of hope and acceptance when no one can afford to live here.

How do you feel San Francisco can continue to stay influential as the LGBT branches out to more & more cities in the U.S. today? Who is our competition in your eyes?

San Francisco’s history already makes it important. The biggest problem with our LGBT community is apathy. We need to get over ourselves and become more active instead of just believing we are safe. We can’t forget the need for minorities to be mobilized for their rights. Our biggest competition in the nation is ourselves and whether we can defeat our inactivity. People perceive LGBT people as upwardly mobile, but the reality of the situation is that 35% of LGBT people will be homeless in their lifetime, and we are second to Hispanics as the lowest paid minority group.

Your activism towards marriage equality has been inspirational. What are some of the road blocks around that issue and how can we tear them down?

The American attitude towards gays is one of amusement, as though we are nor more than fun people or good hairstylists. Gays have lost touch with their own history, which reaches all the way back to the origins of thought and forefront of ancient social movements. Yet, it seems so many forget that our history precedes Boy George. The shame that we tolerate in the gay community has been placed upon us, and to accept it or treat it with apathy is disheartening and will only counteract forward motion in our struggle for equal rights.

Has gay life really waned on Polk Street? Is it still a gay hub?

Polk Street is absolutely not a gay hub. Something is afoot with the Mid and Lower Polk Neighborhood associations. All the gay bars have been targeted for removal, yet the straight bars that are just as noisy and disruptive, if not more so, are not. Our people let go of their roots and that neighborhood, and by no accident this negative atmosphere has been created.

Why hasn’t San Francisco had a gay mayor yet, and do you think our time has come with Bevan Dufty?

Bevan Dufty is not my choice for mayor. He is for sit/lie laws and he blew his opportunity to be the influential swing vote on rent control.

You are really against our first shot at a gay mayor? Are you sure I should publish this?

When we find a gay leader who remembers compassion, they will have my vote. I wouldn’t just vote for someone because they are gay.

Where do you check-in in Gay San Francisco? What crowds have really supported your campaign with gay dollars?

I love Something at The Stud Bar, but of course The Cinch is my favorite bar. Also, I can’t leave out Sunday Beer Bust at The Eagle Tavern. I have received much support from my drag family and the environs of clubs, but more and more the general public who are sick of San Francisco criminalizing people and are ready to implement more open door policies are lining up behind me, and I am truly proud and blessed for it. I am not doing this with an agenda to step up, but rather to serve and improve San Francisco and District 6!

Learn more about Anna Conda’s campaign at www.annaconda2010.com

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