Juicy Liu: Joy as Resistance
The first time I performed in drag was in 2001 at a small liberal arts college in Texas. There were only a few of us—few openly gay folks—and we organized our own drag ball. It was about more than performance. It was about saying: We exist. We matter. We deserve joy.
Years later, in 2016, I began performing professionally in San Francisco as Juicy Liu—a singing drag queen who believes that our joy is resistance, our visibility is power, and our community is worth fighting for.
What Drag Taught Me
Drag gives me the opportunity to experience myself in a different way—a more highly-stylized version who refuses to hide or shrink. Through Juicy, I've hosted "Juicy Thots" at the Lookout, performed at Oasis, and brought people together for fundraisers and celebrations.
Sister Roma once said I "brought the house down." But what matters most isn't the applause—it's the community we build together, the joy we create in spaces that are ours.
Why This Matters Now
Right now, state governments are purposefully trying to classify trans people as drag queens, targeting our whole community through bans and restrictions. They want to make our joy illegal. They want to erase us from public life.
But as I said at a Harvey Milk Democratic Club event: We have to fight for queer joy to perform.
This isn't new—our community has fought this battle before. But this generation is vocal, passionate, and we will overcome this again.
Queer Joy isn’t just celebration— it’s survival, defiance, and community power.
From Stage to Supervisor
The courage it takes to step on stage as Juicy Liu is the same courage we need at City Hall. I'm running for District 8 Supervisor to fight for:
→ LGBTQ+ folks who deserve to live openly and joyfully
→ Artists and performers whose cultural spaces are disappearing
→ Everyone who refuses to be erased or silenced
Because queer joy isn't just celebration—it's survival, defiance, and community power.
And I'm bringing all of that fight to District 8.