District 3 Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who’s a good friend of mine, is the newest addition to a growing pool of political figures vying for SF Mayor Breed’s seat this year.
In 2017, Supervisor Aaron Peskin invited me to City Hall to accept a Certificate of Honor from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Years later, he’d confess he was ready to beg me to attend. And he almost had to! Not for lack of gratitude. People find it hard to believe, but even a drag queen as pretty as me gets nervous about these kinds of things.
As I sat in the gallery of City Hall’s gorgeous legislative chambers, my palms started to sweat with the anticipation of having to accept my certificate. Surrounded by some of my own personal heroes, my anxiety was creeping in. I listened as Aaron said lovely things about me as if we’d been best friends all our lives. (That’s when I first realized Aaron does his research.)
Aaron was gushing about my accomplishments in front of people I admired – so many friends and family – and yet my dumb fear of public speaking was starting to overwhelm me. It became more difficult for me to hear anything come from his mouth. I watched his lips move, and he glanced up now and then; when he did, I could see him throw a proud smile my way. With that one glance, I knew everything was going to be okay. I walked up to the podium and graciously accepted my award. I stumbled over the few sentences I had scribbled down on the back of a Jackson postcard, and the entire room burst into applause.
It began a deep and collaborative relationship between me and Aaron. In the years ahead, I worked with Aaron to save Polk Street’s famous all-hours diner, the Grubstake, from closure. When I asked him in 2018 for help with the March to Remember Queer Space, he and his staff jumped at the opportunity to help, putting me in touch with local neighborhood groups and community leaders. I’ve lived in the Lower Polk neighborhood for 30-plus years, and this District, specifically the Polk Gulch neighborhood, has been a queer destination for me since high school, first exploring my blooming identity.
The March to Remember brought all of us together in remembrance of our queer history as we gathered to lay wreaths to remember Polk Gulch’s vibrant LGBT past. Aaron didn’t take up space, but it couldn’t have happened without his guidance. As Cleve Jones has said about Aaron, “Aaron Peskin understands government and knows how to make it work to protect our neighborhoods, support businesses, and defend the most vulnerable among us.” I couldn’t agree more.
And it’s more than just the big shows. It has been the smaller-scale things with Aaron, too. When Rosalie (of Gypsy Rosalie’s Wigs and Vintage) moved into the Polk Gulch neighborhood, the wig master settled into a safe and supportive space. Over the last 30 years, Rosalie and her staff have styled many wigs for me, and I was happy to see her settle into my neighborhood. I became close friends with two of her employees, Ronnie Lynn and Manuel (rest in peace), who took my bouffants to new heights. But after a few years at the Polk Street location, the greedy landlord decided to push her out.
That’s when you call on Aaron, and that’s when he came to the rescue. Aaron helped Rosalie relocate to a new space in North Beach, where she could continue working and living. Aaron and I got to hang out at the new shop with Rosalie a little over a year ago and listen to stories of the glory days of teasing hair to a diverse list of customers, from socialites to strippers. People like Rosalie are a part of our community’s fabric. Even so, she needed that extra help and attention in her later years. Aaron knew it and obliged.
I could go on and on. When Aaron worked at all levels of government to facilitate the City’s purchase of the Granada Hotel and to convert it into permanent supportive housing for over 230 vulnerable seniors, Aaron drew on the community to help ease the transition. He asked me for advice and brought me into meetings to ensure that the seniors living in the building would be cared for and the surrounding community would be cared for, too. Later, he would help open the first housing project specifically for formerly homeless trans residents. He did so with pride and deference to the specific needs of our trans community. Later, he worked with neighbors in my building to pass the first law in the country allowing tenants to organize into tenants’ unions and to bargain with landlords about all sorts of issues. I think about these stories when people spout off about Aaron’s record on housing. We are a city of fierce advocates, but that fierceness shouldn’t come at the cost of blindness to so many things that Aaron has done to ensure residents and communities remain whole.
Over the past few years, Aaron Peskin and his office have also supported the People’s March & Rally, which activist Alex U. Inn and I started in 2020 in support of Black Lives Matter and to protest the 500+ laws against our Trans, Queer, and Drag communities. He led from behind, learning from us and ensuring our voices could be heard through a huge sound system. He has marched with us as we called out racial injustice and demanded the much-needed changes to help keep our communities safe.
That’s the Aaron whom I know as an effective leader who works for San Francisco’s diverse communities because he understands them. He listens. He believes—as do I—that we are nothing without the sum of our parts and that it takes real hard work, often in high heels, to ensure that we flourish together. He’s an ally and a friend.
These are the reasons, among many, that I support Aaron in this next chapter as he runs for Mayor. I was proud to join him at his kickoff rally in Portsmouth Square last month. I met his mother, who was also seated next to him. I sat with Mark Leno and stood with members of the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club. And I listened. I listened as Aaron spoke with passion, intention, and kindness. He talked about how his experience, both personal and political, would help lead San Francisco toward its recovery. He spoke about expanding rent control protections, low-income subsidies for seniors and families, and increased access to child care. I could feel the needs of my community (if you’re reading this, you’re probably part of it), and where there was weight, it felt lighter. I’ve been less than impressed by the other candidates running for Mayor, but I felt something different about Aaron that day. I felt like he was trying to do for San Francisco what he’s done for me, quietly and professionally, for years.
At the rally, I ran into drag diva Juicy Liu, recently elected by Democrats on the eastern side of San Francisco to serve on the San Francisco Democratic Party. I asked her about her support for Aaron, and she said, “Aaron’s story inspires me. I haven’t agreed with everything he’s done in the past. Still, he’s the only reasonable person in the room who is committed to defending our progressive values while also being a champion for our beautiful neighborhoods, which is why so many flock to SF! That’s what makes me Juicy 4 Aaron!”
It’s that kind of support that resonates most with me. Because we don’t have to agree about everything, we won’t agree on everything, and we shouldn’t. Beautiful things come out of disagreements as long as we are open to listening and talking through them. Aaron isn’t perfect – who amongst us is? But the desire to iron out those imperfections convinces me that Aaron is more than just any politician, human. And like the best humans, his heart is in the right place. His heart is in San Francisco, and it’s in all of San Francisco’s nooks and crannies, its parks, its waters, its history, and in making sure it once again realizes its full potential.
I don’t have all the answers here. I’m just one gorgeous drag queen trying to make a difference in our City. And I may know Supervisor Peskin differently than you do. He’s been my Supervisor longer than anyone else, and he’s the person I go to when I need help and when our community needs help. I know all the headlines and can already read the attacks, so you don’t need to remind me––trust me, I’ve heard far worse.
I am not perfect and have never claimed to be. The prettiest? YES. But beneath all the noise, there’s a hardworking queen responding to emails, giving you advice, and ensuring you have what you need. I haven’t gotten this far on my own, and neither have any of us. “Humble” might not be the first word that comes to mind when you see my face painted in murals across the City, but as my palms were sweating that day in Legislative Chambers, all I could think about was the community that helped me get here. It’s a part of me I’m proud of, and it’s a part of me I see in Aaron, too.
Last Saturday, I got a phone call from someone in a pinch. It was Aaron, someone I’d called when I was in a pinch and who always picked up.
“Juanita—–it’s Aaron. Are you home? I’m in your neighborhood and would like to stop by and purchase one of your t-shirts so I can wear it to the Stud opening tonight.” With only one eyelash on, I opened my door and handed Aaron a “missmore8” t-shirt.
Juanita MORE! is a denizen of the limelight. For almost three decades, the laudable hostess has blitzed San Francisco with high glamour, drag irreverence, and danceable beats that have illuminated the entire city. MORE! continues to be a heaping dollop of generosity and a sprinkle of nerve. She inspires those around her to make positive differences in their lives and communities — and doing it all with timeless elegance and an innovative spirit. Most recently, after her reign, Miss MORE! holds the title of Absolute Empress 56 of the Imperial Council of San Francisco –– one of the oldest non-profit organizations globally.
To date, MORE! has helped raise over 1 million dollars for local charities — among them GBLT Historical Society & Archives, Our Trans Youth, Q Foundation, Queer Lifespace, Transgender Law Center, and more. In addition, MORE! tirelessly fundraises for organizations in San Francisco that are adamant about helping communities in the seven-by-seven thrive, all while shining light and offering support to those who’ve been overlooked for far too long.
MORE! embodies what it means to be a conduit of connection. MORE!’ brings the people together to fundraise, celebrate community, and demand social change around San Francisco and elsewhere. Her culinary expressions are an extension of what mothers have been doing in their kitchens for generations — which, simply states, is sharing “loads of love.”