There’s a lot to keep track of right now in literally every possible aspect of life and the world, so when it comes to who to know in feminist and queer politics, we broke it down for you. Check out these five women who are fighting tooth and nail for a restoration of humanity in America.
Francesca Hong
A self-made executive chef who started from the depths of the dish pit and worked her way up, daughter of perseverant Korean-American immigrant parents, a single working mother, “wild card” Francesca Hong has emerged as another Democratic contender for the title of Wisconsin governor. Hong’s whole brand is being relatable; she appeals to community members such as service workers, struggling parents, students, small biz owners, the self-employed, underpaid care providers, and anyone else who knows what it feels like to work their ass off and still be broke. She plans to change that trajectory with policies focused on community building and redistribution of federal funding to relieve some capitalistic weight on Wisconsin’s shoulders.
“Wisconsinites, they f-ing hustle, and they deserve a governor who is going to be working as hard as they are.” – Francesca Hong
Wisconsinites pride themselves on being resilient, hard-working, community-centered folk, which Hong can confirm from her personal experience of watching her immigrant parents create a rich life for their family. In the ‘80s, her father’s pursuit of a doctorate in Sociology led them to UW-Madison, where her mother would later earn a degree in Education while being a stay-at-home mom. The example her parents set for her is the driving force behind everything Hong fights for.
Her policy platforms center on the idea of financial relief across all spectrums. A few of her ideas include the introduction of a public state bank with low-interest loans, universal healthcare plans, free childcare across the state, greater support for mental health and special needs students in schools, and universal access to paid leave.
In 2021, Francesca Hong made history as the first Asian-American state legislator appointed in Wisconsin. If she wins the 2026 governor’s race, she will not only be the first Asian-American but also the first female governor in the state’s history. The election is set to take place on November 3rd, so expect to see a lot more from the cooking wizard, supermom, hustle-grinding Democratic socialist icon over the next few weeks.
Sarah McBride
Delaware-native Sarah McBride has been involved in social justice advocacy and liberal politics since childhood. She’s created a rich career centered on fighting for accessible healthcare and securing paid family and medical leave for every worker, regardless of their job title. She has worn many hats: national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign (the largest national LGBTQ+ organization for equal rights), and as student body president at American University, where she graduated with a BA in 2013.
In 2012, Sarah interned at the White House, making her the first openly transgender woman to be employed there. She led the lobbying efforts for transgender Delawareans to be protected against discrimination in employment, housing, insurance…you know, basic life necessities. The legislation was signed into law in 2013. Securing equal rights for everyone in your state makes for a pretty dope college grad celebration.
Over the next decade, McBride spent a lot of time touring the country, speaking at universities and equal rights events, delivering a TED Talk, publishing a book, and making queer history again by being the first (openly) transgender person to speak at a national party convention. By 2020, she was a state senator and successfully pushed through a 12-week paid leave program for Delaware families. After winning 58% of the 2024 United States House of Representatives election, she was sworn in as a member of Congress, another first for the transgender community.
Unfortunately, people suck a lot right now, and she’s been the target of blatantly transphobic middle-school-bully behavior from those pals across the aisle. Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina threw the first spitball when she introduced a bill to ban transgender women from using the women’s public bathroom on Capitol Hill. Her chum buddy, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, enacted the ban.
Since this hate-fueled, obviously baiting child’s play is not what she climbed the hill for, McBride agreed to comply and move on to other issues she would rather discuss. This response garnered mixed reactions from the queer community, with some people wishing McBride hadn’t given in to the discriminatory move from the right side, and others appreciated the fact that this was a baiting attempt that didn’t deserve her energy. Needless to say, she’s someone to keep up with.
Becca Balint
Meet Becca Balint: a mother, wife, teacher, and the first woman and openly queer person to represent the state of Vermont. Born at an Army base Hospital in Germany and then raised in New York, she may not be a native of Vermont, but she represents the state with the passion of a true Vermonter.
Her father is a Hungarian-Jewish immigrant whose own father was murdered in a death march at the Mauthausen concentration camp during the Holocaust. This tragic family history and the bullying she endured in her school days as a queer person would be the driving force behind Balint’s political social justice efforts.
After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in history and women’s studies from Smith College, Balint moved to Vermont in the mid-90s to teach middle school and pursue a Master of Education degree from Harvard. During this time, she also wrote a column in the Brattleboro Reformer, taught at the community college, and worked as a summer camp rock-climbing instructor. She would then go on to earn a Master of Arts degree in history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, so basically, she’s a hell of a well-rounded lady.
Balint won a seat in the Vermont Senate in 2014 and was reelected in 2016, 2018, and 2020. History was made again when Balint was appointed President Pro Tempore in 2021, another first for both women and the LGBTQ+ community. In 2022, she published her book The Girl in the Yellow Pantsuit, a collection of essays on politics and culture.
Currently serving as a representative of Vermont, Balint’s main focuses are ending the genocide against Gaza, condemning the ICE raids and their horrifying effects on families, and pushing for gun control so parents can sleep at night. In a powerful response to a statement regarding children who feel responsible for their undocumented or immigrant parents being detained by ICE, she references her own aunt, who felt the guilt of her parents’ lives after being asked in school if she had Jewish parents at home. While there aren’t any rumors of her switching her spot up soon, Becca Balint is a name to keep in mind.
Jasmine Crockett
Jasmine Crockett, as former Vice President Kamala Harris says, is a congressional leader who “speaks with moral clarity,” and her efforts’ results reflect that. The congresswoman filed more bills than any other freshman and was the youngest and only Black lawmaker in Texas during the 87th Legislative Session. She’s here to fight for lower and middle-class families, those wrongly accused in our justice system, LGBTQ+ Texans, and women whose reproductive rights are being stripped away. Oh, and to wipe the floor with Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Her spark came from the lawyer brought into her college campus in response to the hate crimes being committed against Crockett and her friends by fellow students. She cites meeting this badass courtroom babe as her “aha” moment for who she wanted to be: a guide and beacon for those navigating complicated situations. Crockett graduated in 2003 with a Bachelor of Arts in biz administration, and three years later returned to school in Texas to pursue a law degree. In Bowie County, Texas, she formed a law firm and began her fight against a broken system with actions like taking on Black Lives Matter activists’ cases pro bono.
Crockett secured her place in the Texas House of Representatives, repping District 100, in 2021, where she worked tirelessly to protect voting rights. In 2023, she served as the U.S. Representative for Texas’s 30th Congressional District and currently holds this position. Her quiet tactfulness and quick wit have her annihilating conservative hypocrites through the power of undeniable, deeply researched, combed-the-hell-through evidence served on a piping hot plate of flawless verbal sparring.
America is yet again fighting for its life. This administration requires strong backbones and thick skin from our liberal representatives; it requires a commitment to the truth. Crockett has “kicked down the door for everything she’s ever gotten,” but now she’s reaching back to pull us through with her.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
New York’s 14th Congressional District Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or AOC, obviously must be on this list. It’s no secret that Ocasio-Cortez has been vocal about her disapproval of our government literally crumbling to tiny pieces under the weight of Trump’s solid gold shoe, paid for by the American people. Gen Z and liberal voters love her for her passionate and finger-snap-worthy clap backs regarding social justice issues.
AOC was born in the Bronx, grew up in Yorktown Heights, and moved back after college to support her mom by working as a waitress and bartending at local restaurants. She later launched a publishing firm that published books showing the bright side of the Bronx. She graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and international relations. In January of 2019, she was sworn in as both the youngest woman and the youngest Latina to serve in Congress.
During her first term she would see three amendments be signed into law: one that provided over $1 billion in relief funding for family members lost to COVID-19 to cover funeral expenses, another that distributed $10 million to clean up hazardous materials in Puerto Rico (her mama’s birth country) caused by the Navy’s weapon training, and shifted $5 million from the fruitless war on drugs to successful opioid addiction treatment programs.
“In my opinion, if women and gender-expanding people want to run for office, we can’t knock on anybody’s doors. We have to build our own house.” – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
AOC has become a powerful voice in the fight against social injustice because she refuses to let her opinions be silenced, talked over, spoken for, or diluted. Ocasio-Cortez represents a new era of American voters: pissed off young people who are sick of making deals with convicted criminals as if that’s just totally normal and fine. Rumor has it the congresswoman may have her eye on the Oval Office for 2028; catch us crossing our fingers.
