CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST ASHLEE MARIE PRESTON RUNS FOR CA STATE ASSEMBLY

Civil rights activist and journalist Ashlee Marie Preston has decided to run for the California state assembly seat in District 54 with the resignation of Sebastian Ridley-Thomas. Assemblyman Ridley-Thomas abruptly announced his resignation from the California Legislature on Wednesday, citing health reasons.

Ashlee Marie Preston came to notoriety with her activism work around civil rights for women, people of color, immigrants & the LGBTQ, community. She has served on boards for groups such as Stonewall Democratic Club, Transgender Service Provider Network, LA Pride, The Human Rights Campaign, Trans Can Work, Mirror Memoirs, and Gender Odyssey Los Angeles. She took greater interest in the political sphere as police brutality, trans discrimination, rape culture, and unjust immigration policies became prevalent in the national discussion.

Ashlee has appeared in several diversity and inclusion campaigns within the media and was named one of Root 100’s Most Influential African Americans of 2017. She was also featured as one of the Top 40 LGBTQ’s of 2017 by Logo, NewNowNext & PopSugar.

Ashlee has been quoted as saying “ …As someone directly impacted by the issues that often diminish the quality of life, I have an acute understanding of which policies must be put into play in order to move progress forward for the constituents of the 54th district and beyond. I believe in prioritizing people over politics. We are more than poll percentage points; we are real people with real stories. I fully intend to continue honoring those experiences, and advocating for those who don’t have a seat at the table.”

A special election will more then likely be held in the Spring of 2018, yet a date is still not set. Ms. Preston is excited to embark on this new venture and representing the voices of more then three hundred thousand registered voters within her district.

Vic Gerami

A noted columnist, Vic Gerami is also a journalist and media contributor who is also publisher and editor of The Blunt Post. His show, 'The Blunt Post with Vic' on Public Radio KPFK 90.7 FM, part of Pacifica Network, launched in 2018. Today reaching national international audiences, Gerami first built a foundation of knowledge and skills by learning the media industry during his years at Frontiers Magazine, followed by positions at LA Weekly and Voice Media Group. For the second time, Gerami was selected as a finalist in the Los Angeles Press Club’s National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards “Columnist of the Year” category in 2019, having first made the final round of consideration in 2017. His celebrity Q&A column, '10 Questions with Vic', is syndicated internationally. The Wall Street Journal featured Gerami as a “leading gay activist” in its landmark 2008 coverage of opposition to Proposition 8, the ballot measure that for years denied same-sex couples in California the freedom to marry. In addition to his years of volunteer work as a leading advocate for marriage equality, later Gerami went on to serve as a Planning Committee member for the historic Resist March in 2017. Vic Gerami is also a founding board member of Equality Armenia. In 2015, Gerami was referenced in the landmark Supreme Court civil rights case, Obergefell v. Hodges, in which the Court held in a 5–4 decision that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process and the Equal Protection Clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Vic Gerami is a contributor to the LGBTQ San Diego County News, Windy City Times, Montrose Star, DC Life Magazine, Out & About Nashville, Q Virginia, GNI MAG, QNotes, GoWeHo, Asbarez, California Courier, Desert Daily Guide, Armenian Weekly, GED, The Pride LA, IN Magazine, OUT Traveler, The Fight and The Advocate Magazine among others.

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