Activist Collective

  📍 Hi, friends. Welcome back to Activist Collective. Today is July 1st, 2026, and I know I've been away for a minute, but, um, life is getting hairy out, out there. I don't know if you've noticed, but s**t's getting really real. Everything we predicted that would happen under a Donald Trump America is happening, including higher cost of living, uh, gas prices, energy costs, uh, uh, just day-to-day life. Rent is getting jacked up. Interest rates are getting jacked up. This America under Donald Trump is not only expensive, but it is dangerous. We are dealing with white Christian nationalists committing violent acts against marginalized groups and facing no accountability for that. And I need for you to understand that this was an open book test on America and they failed. You failed.   📍 Um, as of about 30 minutes ago, an active duty Air Force member was standing on the steps of the Capitol holding a sign, not behind the barricades where he couldn't be, but where the public is allowed to be. And he was holding a sign in opposition, in dissent to the illegal military actions and this administration, and the Capitol Police walked up and arrested him. Why? What per se was he doing that was illegal that warranted arrest? Do tell. Uh, because it is not illegal to wear your uniform. In fact, I see people wearing their uniform everywhere. In fact, a Congress member wore his Israeli IDF f*****g military uniform into Congress, where he s- he spoke out on all the things and yet nobody ever gets arrested. This man wears his uniform and holds a sign and they f*****g put him in jail. This is your Donald Trump America, friends. A clear f*****g violation of constitutional rights. Texas Bible Law & Constitutional Rights Speaking of clear violations of constitutional rights, did you know that the Texas School Board is now forcing teachers to require the Bible as re- as required reading in, in schools? The... This is the group that said, "Don't touch my guns. It's in my Constitution. It's my, my Second Amendment rights. Don't you touch them." And we say, "Yeah, well, guns have come a long ways." They, "They never said nothing about guns getting better or bigger or having more bullets. Nothing. Don't touch my guns. It is an ironclad, ironclad 'don't touch it' constitutional amendment." But when it comes to the wording in the Constitution that says there shall be no establishment of religion, that seems to be up for f*****g debate, when it is the only thing that is cut and dry, clearly stated. There's no way to interpret it other than what it says. No establishment of a religion, yet these b*****s keep continually screaming, "We're a Christian nation. We're a Christian..." No the f**k we're not, b***h. We never have been. You're a Christian, because you fell for it and got duped. You're the f*****g morons who keep forking money into the baskets of these pedophile priests. That's you. The rest of us aren't as dumb as you. I'm sorry that you are a loud minority, truly sorry, but that doesn't make us a Christian nation. And if the people in Texas who love their Constitution don't speak up, we will not be able to save this. It's already gonna take a long f*****g time to come back from all of the s**t this, this administration has done to this country. We are truly i- in a, in a, in a f*****g pile of s**t right now, excuse my French. We are in a, we are in a world of hurt in this country, and it's gonna take a long time to get out of it. So on that note, um, I also wanted to talk to you guys about election time, election time. People see an election, and they go, "Oh, more ads, more this, more that." I see elections as hope. I see an election coming, and I have hope. It is the one time of the two-year cycle where hope is returned to me, and I have hope that the American people are going to do the right thing. Have they consistently let me down? Yes. Every time, it would seem. But as I watch New York sweeping the primaries with Democratic socialists winning, kicking long-term Congress members out of their seats, I am having more hope than I have ever had, and that is saying something under this fascist dictatorship that we find ourselves in. So with that said, I want for you to get involved. I want for you to get involved, not just by watching videos and sharing and reposting. I want you to find your favorite candidate. I want you to go to their website, and I want you to sign up for something, to volunteer, stuff an envelope. Uh, you know, I- we don't lick stamps anymore, but put stamps on envelopes. Um, you can text bank. You can phone bank. If you can't door knock, do something. Do something, please. Our country needs the American Army, me and you. Me and you, the people truly fighting for our freedom. It needs us. That means the people who've never done this before. That's you. That's okay. You can still get involved. It's scary. Uh, sometimes we don't like to do things that are uncomfortable, that put us in positions we're not comfortable with, but now is not the time to be bashful, my friends. Now is the time to get off your butt and get involved in any way possible for you, whatever that looks like for you, but it's gotta be doing more than a repost on a social media app. That's not enough anymore. Put the sign in your yard. Put the f*****g sign in your yard, you guys. I look up and down my street, and I know who they're voting for because they're all friends, right? I know who they're voting for, but they will not put the goddamn sign in their yard because, "Well, I don't think, yeah, it's, it's a, it's a tumultuous political situation, and I don't want people to know who I'm voting for." Put the f*****g sign in your yard, and have some goddamn balls and some bravery. People are getting themselves arrested on the Capitol steps in their Air Force uniform for you. Put the sign in your f*****g yard We need American fighters, me and you together as a team. Your neighbor, your neighbor's neighbor, the people behind you, the people on the corner, get them together and go door-knocking and inform the public and get everyone you can involved. We need everybody involved. And I know that this is uncomfortable, but it has to be done or we will never get out of this, friends. Never   📍 So while we're on this topic of electing of- elected officials, um, I need for you to know that I'm not going to rest. I will, I will spend my very last breath fighting for what I'm about to show you is some of my, some of the list of demands that I will be requiring of the people I helped to get elected. Um, they're re- they're referring to the new Democratic, uh, Socialist candidates who were just elected. They're calling them Squad 2.0, just so that you're aware.   📍 In no particular order, but kind of. Okay, 📍 Medicare for All. We have been waiting for far too long for a Medicare for All program. We are the richest country in the nation. Healthcare is a human right. We shouldn't have to die because we can't afford My List of Demands it 📍   📍 No more tax dollars to Israel. None None. Not a single tax dollar, not a single, um, yeah, treaty, nothing. No more cooperation with that country. They are genocidal maniacs. They've proven that they are the terrorists in the Middle East, and it is time that the United States as a whole completely divest from Israel. Until they can find their way back to, uh, you know, not being genocidal maniacs, returning the land to the Palestinians, using their tax dollars to rebuild the homes of the people and, and the families whose lives they destroyed, maybe, maybe there might be some cooperation. That's one of my demands. Cutting and cutting them off completely because no other country, you guys, none, no other country gives those motherfuckers the amount of money we give them. Zero They are supposed to use this $30 billion to, uh, equip their military with American-made weaponry, and, and there is now no longer this requirement that they spend all of it on American-made products. They can now use Israeli, uh, companies to provide them their military weaponry, and they are working on building up their military industrial complex as we speak, using our tax dollars to do that. Done cut them off. 📍 Accountability... Listen to me. Every Republican Congress member who is helping Donald Trump with his active coup on our representative democracy should be held accountable, face a, a jury of their peers, and go to prison for treason for assisting a man in his coup on our freedom. You're watching it every day. You are watching Americans and immigrants getting yanked up off the streets, getting kidnapped, violating their due process, and these Republican congressmen and women are helping them do it. We don't have to agree politically, but goddammit, that Constitution says what it f*****g says, and you are violating it, and you f*****g know you are, and that is a goddamn crime.   📍 Accountability for every one of them. 📍 Nancy Mace, Mike Johnson, Jim Jordan. Uh, oh my God, the list is so f*****g long. 📍 Mitch McConnell, if he's not dead. I don't give a s**t. All of them. All of them including that f*****g psychotic b***h, uh, who scares men in bars. I forget her name. It doesn't matter. Um, 📍 the Trump family investigated. I want every tax dollar they stole or swindled from the American people back in our banks. Every, every dollar gained by peddling Trump's influence back in the American people's banks. They came down hard on Hunter Biden. They used that man as the whipping boy for, for their crusade against Biden, and they said he was peddling Biden's influence, making money off of his father, who is a vice president, while they actively sell Trump's influence at Trump Jr., Alex, and Zach Witkoff's new executive branch bar, where the selling point for your $500,000 initiation fee is closer access to Donald f*****g Trump. I'm not kidding you. That is their selling point, that you can have closer access to Trump if you pay this initiation fee one time and then a yearly due Is that not influence peddling? Every dime, every single family member from Barron up to Ivanka's b***h ass, I don't give a s**t, investigate them all. And don't forget Kushner, 'cause that b***h is still woven into the fabric of the MAGA movement, very much so J- this is,   📍 this one is important to me. The January 6th rioters who were released,  you know that many of them were jailed, not because of what they had done on this January 6th, but because that charge was cumulative in their long criminal history, and one more crime was to put them in jail. Most of these people had long criminal histories or had done something that day that was so incredibly egregious, violent, a- and disgusting that they had to be jailed. But a lot of them were doing time because of prior criminal offenses, and Donald Trump released a mob of violent criminals onto the streets of America, and I want them back behind bars. And I want every elected official that I helped get elected listening to what I just said, and I want us all demanding these things because we deserve, we deserve these things. The American people deserve these things. We deserve elected officials who don't lie to us. We deserve healthcare. We deserve to feel safe on our streets, um, w- and we don't now because Donald Trump released, uh, thousands of January 6th rioters who have violent criminal pasts.   📍 We deserve to have our tax dollars returned to us, uh, from the Trump family, who is swindling us out of them via either scams, crypto scams, um, no-bid military contracts. Like, the son buys into a big company, right? Um, the company now, because the son bought into it, gets a no-bid military contract. Son takes away a chunk of money, and now this company has the bid, has the, has the job. That's what's going on. Eric did it. Trump Jr. did it. I think Barron did it The Trump family is financially benefiting and peddling Trump's influence, and it needs to be brought to goddamn justice. And you know what I don't hear? Friends, do you hear how I'm talking to you? Do you hear me say... These are... What I'm saying to you should be said by our Democratic Congress members, and they're not saying it. Why aren't they saying it? Why aren't they do- The only person I think is, like, Al Green, and Rashida Tlaib, and, uh, uh, um, uh, oh, God, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, the people who have the backbones. The rest of the centrist, um, establishment Democrats don't care because they are financially benefiting from this administration too. Stay quiet and benefit. Stay quiet and benefit, and don't forget to support Israel while you're staying quiet. It's got to f*****g stop, and the American people need to put their foot down, make their demands heard. But we can't demand that until we get these people elected. So we all need to work together to make that happen Um, I hope to be back with you and have some more, um, Activist Collective episodes coming, but it's been crazy, girl. It's been... I've been working, um, off- not off screen, but, like, on other projects for people who've hired me, um, and getting my daughter from place to place. Um, it's just been crazy, but I love you guys oh so much, and I think about this podcast every day and how I owe it to you to get these out here to you, um, because we need to vent together. We need to have these moments, and you, you need to know that I feel your frustration so deeply in the pit of my stomach. Together, we feel this frustration, but we have to use it. We have to use that anger and that energy, and we have to put it to good. We have to turn it into action. Find your favorite candidate and go volunteer today. Donate if you can't volunteer, and if you can't donate, volun-f*****g-teer. You can text bank and you can phone bank. Yes, you can. Don't make excuses. Talk to your neighbors, your friends, your family, your adult children. Get everyone you know involved, and we can do this. We can pull it together, and we can do what New York did on a national goddamn level. Michigan, Michigan, Michigan, you have one month until one of the most consequential primary elections comes knocking at your door, and I'm going to say this in the kindest possible terms, do not f**k it up, old white liberals in Michigan.   Michigan Primary Endorsements 📍 I'm an old white liberal in Michigan, so I know very well how I used to vote, so I know what you're doing too. You don't... You may not even know you're doing it. You're voting for name recognition. I need you to stop. If you live in Michigan, and you... And, and these people are on your ballot, these are who you're voting for, 📍 Abdul El-Sayed will be on your ballot statewide. Abdul El-Sayed over any other candidate. No Mallory, no, um, Haley. Those two people are gonna send your money to Israel, hands down, no question. Um, I believe we have found out that 📍 Mallory McMorrow has claimed grassroots, but she's working with some, uh, dark money, and w- well We have a suspicion that allegedly Mallory McMorrow may be taking money from some dark money PACs where, you know, you don't quite know where the money's going, where it's coming from. They don't quite have to claim it on their FEC filing, so you don't really have to, like, know what they're buying. It's shady as s**t. And now with this new Supreme Court ruling, you don't have to know anything. And Mallory McMorrow paying for $400,000 in meta ads but not having to tell anybody where that money came from is not being truthful, you dumb b***h. God, sorry. No, I'm not. I'm truthful and honest but won't tell you what I said in my APAC position papers. I'm honest and truthful, but I won't admit that I take DTE money. I'm honest and truthful, but I won't admit that I voted to give tax breaks to data centers and then to give hundreds of millions of Michiganders taxpayer dollars to the data centers as another incentive to come here. I won't talk about that. And then I won't talk about the fact that $400,000 in meta ads was paid for, but she won't tell us where the money came from or, or, or, um, and doesn't have to claim it on her FEC filing. F**k you, Mallory McMorrow. You are the least trustworthy person. And I've said this before, at least Haley Stevens is honest. At least she's a trash heap, but she's honest about being a trash heap. It's, it's even worse when you got to lie about it. Abdul El-Sayed is the only person who isn't lying to you. The people in Detroit love this man with all their heart. This man has done good for Wayne County across the board. So Abdul El-Sayed, if you live in the Royal Oak area, Bloomfield Hills, Walled Lake, Commerce, we're, we're talking Aisha Farooqi over Jeremy Moss. F**k Jeremy Moss. Do not vote for that centrist f*****g PAC money-sucking liberal. Do not do it. We're voting for Aisha Farooqi, okay? Um, let's see. Uh, state Senate in that same area, Natalie Price. Natalie Price has endorsed Melanie Macy to replace her for representative. Um Oh, uh, William Lawrence for Lansing. I think it's District Seven. Congress. William Lawrence. D- Bridget Brink and Matt Masden have million-dollar homes in Washington, DC. Million-dollar homes in Wa- They just bought a house in the district last year, so it looked like they lived there. They've never f*****g lived there. Don't fall for this s**t, you guys. William Lawrence for the Lansing area. No ha- no question, hands down. Okay? No... Hands down Um, who else? Um, Donovan McKinney, um, Ebony Taylor, a representative over in Allen Park area is, um, Joanna Whaley. Um, if you see the Liberati guy on your ballot, he is the one who attacked a, an innocent trans woman, uh, because she was his opponent. Uh, attacked her by trying to invalidate her, her position on the ballot. It was crazy. He's a Democrat, too. He also voted against trans kids just recently. Um, no more centrist Democrats, and I need old white liberals to stop going, "But I've always been a Democrat my whole life. I've always voted for my whole life." Well, never a better time than now when we're sitting neck-deep in fascism, and they're arresting Air Force members for utilizing their constitutional rights. Then no better time than now to stop being a centrist Democratic cuck. Progress, friends. Progress. Progress, progress, progress. We cannot move forward if you wanna be a stick in the f*****g mud. Listen to me. I would not tell you a lie about these candidates. I trust them. I've met them. I have spoken to people close to them who trust them If I were wrong, I would apologize, but you will be thanking me if they get elected. You will be thanking me if they get elected because they are the real deal. Everyone I listed doesn't take corporate PAC money. They're a Medicare for All, uh, money in your pocket, right? They wanna shut down fascism, investigate stuff, sending your money to Israel. It's time. It's time. It's time. Okay, friends, I'm gonna let you get out of here. I got s**t to do. I hope to be back with you next week for another episode. Um, I'll be moving up to Muskegon for a couple of weeks in August. Uh, so hopefully that will give me some time to do some more episodes if I don't get any out to you, uh, in the next week or so. I love you. Go get involved. We have to fight like n- never before, and everybody has to take part in this. You guys can't bury your head in the sand and act like nothing is happening. Get involved. Get your kids involved. I love you

  📍SHOW TRANSCRIPT

Hi everybody. Welcome to Activist Collective. Um, it's been a few minutes since I've been able to do an episode because life is busy, but today we are so lucky and I'm so excited to have, uh, Joanna Whaley with us. Joanna is running in the second state congressional district, Joanna. House District, excuse me, state House District. Um, and she is one of my favorite people. I, she doesn't know that. I've been following her for, for at least over a year now. I've been following Joanna for over a year now, because you're actually, um, I think you're security team is my best friend's company. my Yeah. Yeah. So, um, she told me about you and I've been following you ever since. And Joanna, I just gotta tell you, your, your, your platform, how, however simple it is, it actually reaches. So many working Americans. So I wanna introduce Joanna Whaley to you all so that you all get, um, a glimpse of who this amazing woman is. And hopefully if you're in her district and you get to see this, you get a better idea of who she is. So Joanna, um, why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself and then I'll start asking you some questions. world that you know. I know it's sad that I have to have a security team, right. But, uh, but I do, um, one of my. Second biggest campaign expenses is armed security. Fun, Wow. for a house race. Wow. Um, but hi everybody. I'm, I'm Uh, I am running for the Michigan House of Representatives. Uh, the four cities that are in my district are Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale, and Southgate. Um, and cities are, you know. many in our community kind of treat them as drive through cities. As cities, you kind of drive through to get to other things. our city has, our communities have so much heart and they have so much to give and they're such wonderful people. And I have really getting getting to know the people of my district, uh, way. Um. But I have a wild background. Uh, yes. I, I am a trans woman, uh, came out almost five years ago. We're coming up on five years, uh, next month. And, uh, or no, this month, oh my gosh, this weekend. well, congratulations. be out. Thank you. I'll be out five you know, I, uh, I, I did what every, uh, closeted trans girl does. I became an evangelical pastor, and. And, uh, had a long career in the evangelical megachurch Wow. um, and was trained deeply in Christian um, by many of our state's, most influential pastors. And so, you know, I, I. is where I came from. So you can imagine, uh, many people are already starting to do the math of what an evolution that had to be to go from evangelical Christian nationalist to transgender progressive candidate for I can't get my jaw off the floor. I'm like. Yeah. And, and we're that timeline and why, why that timeline matters right now. And I think, um, my community is ready for that type of leadership, uh, that understands the full spectrum of the political, um, the political world. We, we all Do you still practice as clergy in any way? I, so I left congregational work when I came out. I, I shouldn't say I left. I got shoved right. of congregational work. I I was forced to fired from my job, which. Just so everyone knows in all 50 states, if you work for a religious nonprofit, they can discriminate against you based on gender and sexual orientation. Um, and so I got fired for my job here in Michigan, one of the biggest mega churches in the state. And, uh, and so what I did is over the years, I, I had to pick my life up. I ended up going to seminary. I studied what's called liberation theology. I went to a very progressive seminary. Um, and I went to Wartburg Theological Seminary in Iowa, which is progressive in Iowa. Right. Um, and I studied liberation theology, which is the marginalized people within divine systems and, uh. so I, studied that. and I became a clinical chaplain. So I a lot of our area hospital systems as a clergy member, uh, doing spiritual care for people in trauma and end of life ICU settings. I, I do hospice work. I am with people, um, in some of the worst moments of their life. And I, so I'm still a clergy member, That's amazing. but I do it That is that, that is such a, a massive give back to your community. Um, that I don't know if you get recognized for. So as an atheist, I will say thank you for doing that for the people who need it. That's amazing. I I had no idea. That's I reaction. when a Ooh, I mean, ooh, I don't, right. I don't know if I would say, uh, but I, I, the, the fact that you, where you came from. To where you are now, that is such a, a, a complete three. Like is it a 180 a total turnaround? We don't wanna do 360 'cause you're back where you started. Right. But a, a total 180. I mean, that is amazing. Um, so are you Christian or Catholic or say? um, is Okay. It is my, it is what I consider to be language, um, spiritually, um, as a clinical chaplain, I. I study and I work with inside of a lot of different religious spaces, but I, my, my identity is still Okay. Um, and so, uh, to me that it's um, that I hold onto that. 'cause I think that God is so unexplainable. Um, and, and to some, if you're an atheist, you're like, is that unexplainable, I, and I have, I have the most respect for people in their religions. And, um, I think people like you who are holding onto their Christian identity is important because of so many people who are trying to rebrand it, I guess in this hateful, as you stated, Christian nationalist way. And that's kind of, it's, it's like this dark cloud that's just like seeping into our, our country and, and. I don't know that there's a, an end in sight, and so I think people with your, uh, true background knowledge and understanding of it is important to keep talking about it. And I like right now, if we look around the, our political world, we have so many politicians trying to use the name of Jesus to make people go into compliance with their doctrine. We, and, and on the left, we do not have people who are prepared and equipped to fight that fight theologically. And this is a theological battle for many Republicans. have to have to have people on the left who can theologically fight um, yep. and, and I'm, I'm telling you, the State House, the like Matt Hall and his, his little queens are not ready to argue the Bible with a progressive trans woman. I, God, I would pay to see that Joanna. I, if it's, to see that, make that happen. 'cause I would pay, Yes. Matt Hall is a monster. I'm gonna say that out in public. Matt Hall is an absolute monster. You don't have to agree or say anything. Um, this is my own personal opinion. I think he is diabolical and, uh, he, it, him being there was the worst thing Michigan ever did. I mean of its history. Yes. lot of intentionally, I believe. Intentionally. Yep. He's trying to turn Michigan and the Republican portion into like this, this arm of maga and he's trying to copycat everything that he did, but him. I have, I have questions for you, Joanna. I woke up yesterday morning. Um, and I, the first thing that I saw, and I don't know why this was on my, was an article about you and how you had been, I'm, I'm calling it an attack because that's, there's no other way to put it, but somebody had filed a complaint with the clerk about. You saying that you didn't put the right name or you, you didn't change your name legally the right way, and therefore you either needed to be dead named on the ballot or kicked off the ballot. And I was shocked at who it was because it is a member of the Democratic Party and his name was Frank Ti. I had never heard of this man in my life and I have done some research since. This is a business owner. He's a local, him and his brother, I believe they have a family business. Um, he, he was, um, uh, he held a seat in the 13th District, so I think that's what it was. And out of nowhere, because he's running for the same seat you are. Is that correct? Yeah, that he just erroneously decided that he knew everything about your life and filed this complaint, and how, what, what has the, what has it been like since yesterday chaos. Um, you know, uh, same thing. I, I was on a morning call with one of my, um, campaign team early in the morning, uh, before we all clocked into our day jobs. And in the middle of the meeting I saw, this email come through and it was the county clerk saying that. My name was being removed from the ballot unless I proved, that I filled out my affidavit correctly. And so, yeah, I was on the phone like the day off Day This cost me a, a day of right to this, right? Um, and so, for me, me. uh. I was shocked because I this from Yeah. I, I expected this from the other side of the Mm-hmm. but I did not expect it from my own party, I did not expect it from him. and so, you know, this is a guy who's been, uh, part of our community, part of this community for a really long time, has been an establishment name, you know, very known. And overnight really has tarnished his Yeah. by going after me. Yeah. and you me, I I am, I'm thankful that this has happened and I'm, I'm thankful that it's me because I, I, I want to. I'm ready to fight this and we're ready to fight this at every turn. and if they're attacking me, they're not attacking other trans folks. And so, um, for me, I, I was on the phone with the party Mm-hmm. I was on the phone with Curtis Ortel. I was on the phone with Curtis Hertel is the head of the Michigan Democratic Party. Right. Okay. worked with a lot of folks ar across the party who were who were in Mm-hmm. Um, and we were talking to all of our endorsers just make sure we had the support. Um, and yeah, and the A CLU got us a lawyer Wow. uh, that lawyer this morning filed all Um, and we do expect to be right back on the ballot. Come early next week. 'cause of course we filed it on a Yeah. so we have to wait till Is there any recourse against Mr. Otti for this? I mean, because it's absolutely false. He had nothing to go on other than, uh, I, I, I mean, I don't even know what he went on. Um, but it was erroneous. It was, it was wrong. It was false information, and they just allowed him to file this without any evidence. is Winning in AP in August, winning on August 4th. That's going to be the recourse. And I, I will say this, thank you to Frank Otti for doubling our cash on hand in 24 Yes, yes. For those of you who don't know, if you'd like to donate to Joanna Whaley, uh, which will help her pay for the security that she needs, um, in all of my, in all of my bios, there's, there's a link tree and her, her website is the very top one. Go click on it and donate a few bucks because no other candidate has to pay for armed security. I just wanted to get that out there. That's crazy. guards on hand because there was so many threats. But, you know, Jesus. That's crazy. we are, we are feeling will be the voters and the voters are beginning to speak. People are angry yeah, and because we expect our party we're trying to move, the Democratic party is moving yeah. It's. is the growing pains are tough yeah. There's of growing pains in our Mm-hmm. are a moving forward and have spoke up today that this is not okay and we're ready to move forward That's, I, I'm so incredibly glad to hear that. Um, I'll tell you this, I wish Curtis Hertel would've put out a statement, um, besides just inside that article. He made a statement to that one publication and I tried finding, like if he said something on Instagram or on his ex, and I couldn't find anything. And I know that Lori Poky and the L-G-B-T-Q caucus made it very bold and, and it, it condemnation and I was so glad to see that. But Curtis Hertel, I feel like, and I know you don't have to say anything bad, but I am, I am one of the Democratic party's biggest, um, thorns. Because I expect so much of them, and I, I am a coach. Right, right. throwing Look at if there were chairs they'd be thrown. There's no question. I am, um, one of their biggest thorns. But, um, I just wish that he would've made a more. Grandiose, um, statement, but the L-G-B-T-Q caucus and Lori Po Husky, who I'm a big fan of, um, made a a great big condemnation against Frank Lib, and I do believe that this will, um, this will be what causes him to lose. Absolutely. And I will not be shutting up about it, just so you know, until August I will be reminding the people about what he did. Um, and I just hope that you have the, the, community support, um. oh you know, to rally around you. And I know that you said you're glad it's you because you can take it, you can take it, and I'm, I'm gonna play like big sister here and I don't know how old you are, it doesn't matter, but I feel that you shouldn't have to take that. I don't, I don't feel like you should have to take, um. The beatings at all. Nobody should. And I mean, I appreciate your strength and your honesty and your, um, your drive and determination to bust through this no matter what, but um, if, I've been dealing with this. I mean, 15 years of a conversion therapist trying to me who I can and can't be, um, deal like persevering through that. Um, persevering through five years Christians and yelling and trying to save my soul and telling me, That there's something inherently wrong with me and that I will be eternally separated from God. this is just another Friday for me, and, and, and I've, I've been through some of the biggest battles that trans folks have to go through. so I, I'm ready to run through this wall so people can walk through later. you are an amazing woman, absolutely amazing, and you are exactly who I think the Democratic Party should be. You should be honest. You should truthfully be for the working people. You should love everybody for who they are, uh, not what they are. Um, and you, you embody that. You truly do. And I want more people to know you. I want more. I don't want just the people in your district to know you. I want Michigan and I want more people to know you because you, you really do embody all of those things. Um, I didn't even know you were as. Spiritual and religious as you are, and I think that that just adds another layer of amazing because you have that knowledge of deconstructing the evangelical and still holding onto something so close to you. Um, so important to you in being able to say what that is isn't really Christianity, that's not the God I know. And you can help people. You can still help people who are, who are, there's a lot of people falling away from it. And, you know, you could be a, you know, you, you are a good, um, beacon, if I can use the word beacon. I don't know if you wanna be a beacon, but, um. We should, we should. you're making me feel so good. Well, you're welcome. good big sister stuff. Well, you're welcome. Um, so tell me, um, let's talk about your, um, platform. Um, what is, what is it that you are, um, uh, I guess you're, you, you most want to accomplish? If you win, when you win, when you win, let's put it out. When you win. that in the right. Um, so the number one thing is we to get our DTE bills and our water bills down. Um, I wanna bring DTE Consumers Energy. I want Great Lakes Water Authority to become accountable to the voters. Um, I do believe we need to expand and elect the MPSC. They need to be, they need to be accountable to. Us, the voters, not to politicians who are bought and paid for by these companies. Uh, that's, that's my number one thing. I am going to be a thorn in the ass of our utility companies, um, because. are gouging us, and we are getting, we are getting gouge at every corner. It's 1% here, it's 2% here, it's 3% here, it's $6 gas here, it's It is And I, I can't keep my bank, I can't keep money Right. And I work three jobs, you know, so like that is, that is the reality that we're facing. The second thing is we need single payer healthcare in the state of Michigan that the federal government cannot act. I'm going to be supporting C Rep, Carrie Regan's, plan of MyCare to get a single payer healthcare program here in the state of Michigan. Um, and insurance companies are not going to Yeah. and that's okay because this has to happen. As a that is my profession. I have the heartbreaking conversation with people each and every day who make decisions and say, well I could fight this disease. Go bankrupt and leave my kids with nothing or I can die and leave my kids with my life savings. And that conversation is horrible and God. gotta stop that conversation from having is one of the biggest conversations I when I'm in palliative care conversations. This is wrong and it is immoral make people pay to live. And so we've gotta fix that. Yeah. and you know, I, I am going a staunch and kind of the foundation of my platform is civil rights. I am going to. Every turn, fight for civil rights, no matter who you are, who you love, how you show up in the world, where you were born, how much money's in your bank account, you are going to be, uh, welcome and you're gonna have the opportunity to thrive in this country. Um, and so, you know, my, my community is high foreign born yeah. uh, high middle Eastern, high Hispanic communities. they are nervous now. Rightfully so, this, Yep. this administration has gone, um, much further than any line I had ever imagined would be crossed. And I had some of the worst thoughts when this all came to be. When he won. I was like, I was thinking the worst things. And he has exceeded those worst things. We're scared people like you and me. I mean, I'm, I'm a lesbian, you're a trans woman. Um, and we're, I mean, we, we had to, we updated our passports, um, just before he got elected on purpose. 'cause we didn't know we have a go bag. We have all of our documents and a burn proof bag that if we have to go, we to just grab. I mean that seriously, I never thought in my own country that that's what where we would be, the thought that it could get worse. Yes, it could. And it could and it will get worse. Especially with the, um, I could talk for hours about this, so I don't wanna bore you with it, but the Supreme Court, who is completely illegitimate, bought and paid for, and working for Donald Trump, I mean, they're ruling outside of the Constitution. They need to go. They are out of control. Exactly. Yep. They need to be, and I know you can impeach them and they need to be impeached as well. Um. So, Joanna, I, I don't wanna keep you too long. Um, I know you are a busy woman, but I wanna say a few things. You are a beautiful woman. I am so glad to know you. Um, I would, I would really like your permission to help your campaign. I will do it for free. I will, I will make videos for your campaign for free, um, and help you raise money because nobody should have to pay for armed guards. Um. Just to run for office because of who they are. I think it's absolute garbage. Um, I'm so glad Frank Otti did what he did because it put you on the map and um, it made him look like a pile of dog s**t. And I can, we can swear here. So I, is there anything you. given me Is No, I, I'm absolutely going to, uh, make videos for you. Um, but I want you, you know, off, off here, you can let me know, um, certain things you want and need and I will absolutely push those for you. Um, is there anything you wanna end on, um, if we could get this out to your community, um, and Michigan, is there anything you'd like to say before we go? um, I'll speak to my community and then I wanna speak to the entire state, first to Allen Park and Lincoln Park and Melvindale and Southgate. Um, you are getting a present leader with me. You're getting a leader who cares? You're getting a leader who understands empathy. and you're getting a leader who doesn't get distracted um, the trends in a party or, uh, who does not get distracted when punched in the face. I'm gonna get up and keep going after the things that you care about. I think that is the number one thing I want you to know about. Whether you like my politics or not, I'm going to show up for you. I made a career of serving people even if they didn't like me. And yes, even as a pastor, there are people who didn't like you, but you serve, you show up and you serve them. And I've made a career of that. Um, and so will do that and to the entire state. if you can't vote for me with a, with your vote, you can vote with a dollar and you can vote with your money and you can help us win this race because here's why me getting elected in downriver matters to you in Petoskey. reason it matters is because we have got to have leaders in the Democratic Party who are ready for this moment. We have gotta have leaders across the state. Who have the backbone and, and, and have the readiness to fight, I think the biggest existential threat our state is facing. talk about budgets, you can talk about whatever you want. It is Christian nationalism, and I am a leader equipped to fight this moment in our state. And I, I'm ready for it. Um, and and so I want you. you to know. That the way people are on the right side of the aisle is not right, there are progressive Christians coming. We're coming to be in government and to fight back and to get government the hell out of our laws. so, or I'm sorry to get religion the hell out of our laws. Um, that's what we need. And I think it's going to take someone who's theologically trained to hear this stuff coming a hundred miles away before it gets on top Yeah. And so I am here, if you if you're a queer person. Somewhere across the state. If you're in Traverse City and you're listening to this and you have, you might have a homophobic representative, just know that I will represent That's amazing. and we're like, I will show up if there's rep won't do it. I will. I will That's amazing. I will That's amazing. Joanna, I wanna thank you for your time. I wanna thank you for, uh, the bravery that you exude every single day, coming out here and doing what you do because it, it is brave. It. I, when, when my friend, uh, told me you were running, I don't wanna say her name 'cause I don't know how she feels about it, but, I was like, Gabi I mean the name right. Gambino Security. That's right. of your If you need protection. transphobic hater If need protection, contact Gabo Gambino Security. I should drop the phone number. Um, anyways, yeah. when she told me you were running, I was like, oh s**t, she's gonna, she's gonna have a hard time. And that's when I started following you and I was like, maybe she isn't gonna have such a hard time, after all. She's pretty tough. Um, so thank you for your time. I'm going to help your campaign, uh, for free. and we're, we're gonna get you elected. It's period, period. Full stop. You're gonna be elected. right. Alright. Let's do this. I'm gonna let you go. You have a good weekend. Thank you for your time, Joanna. All right. Have a good one. Bye.  amazing having Joanna Whaley, um, on with us today. It was, um, an absolute pleasure getting to meet her and to get to know her further. Um, if you live in the Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale South Gate area of Michigan, um, you have a fighter. And Joanna Whaley. And, uh, you would be making a big mistake if you cast a vote for anybody other than somebody with such heart and, and, and honesty. Um, I hope that everybody will share this, this, uh, podcast out. Um, Melvin Dale and El Ellen Park in Lincoln Park in Southgate. We're gonna put you on the map today because you have a superstar, uh, running for office to, to be your voice. And not a lot of people can say that, um, I would trust Joanna to vote the right way. Every single. Time. So, uh, I wanna thank everybody for sticking around and meeting Joanna. Um, spread the word, right. Um, there's a lot of people out there that don't know. The primaries are coming up in August, and the primaries are so incredibly important. Talk to everybody, you know, make sure everybody is, uh, registered to vote and get out there and do your civic duty and vote. And if you live in Joanna's State House District two, how lucky you are to get to vote for somebody. So amazing. Everybody go off and have a fantastic weekend. Remember, I do this for free. Uh, so any donations, uh, that you might want to give, um, at the end of this, I will, uh, show you some QR codes. You can scan or you can go to the link tree in any of my bios and you will find, uh, my cash app and PayPal, I'm sorry, my cash app and Venmo. So any donations are appreciated. Um, remember if you'd like to donate to Joanna Whaleys campaign. Her, uh, link is also in my link tree in my bio. Um, and make sure we got, we have to give to the people who are going to be doing the work for us if we want truth and honesty and politics and to get money out of politics. Uh, Joanna does not take corporate PAC money and she does not take utility money. So winter all around what? I mean, you would be a dummy to vote for anybody else. All right, everybody go off and have a good weekend.

lets talk about the primaries a bit. Lets talk about how it’s ok to vote for the person not endorsed by the DNC. We keep telling republicans not to vote against their own interest, lets not do it too.

Please remember friends, this podcast remains free because it is so important to stay connected and voice your opposition. IT IS THE PATRIOTICT THING TO DO. However, donations are greatly appreciated as I do this work for free.

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