Thank you so much for being a part of our community! We really appreciate all the support you have given us and look forward to continuing to connect with you in the future.
Belinda Drake
Former Candidate for Indiana State Senate
Email: [email protected]
Recently, Belinda Drake sat down for an interview with the DeJuan Marrero Podcast about her life growing up in Gary, IN, and the challenges she faces as a young, African-American, LGBTQ+ female candidate running for State Representative of IN House District 89.
Listen to the full podcast here:
Below are some excerpts from the interview.
“You take everything you’ve experienced in life. Poverty, lack of healthcare, etc. You take those things and you try to help somebody else with it…I wouldn’t say I ‘got into politics’, I’ve just been a public servant my entire adult life.”
“I believe that my purpose is to serve. What better way to do that than to run for office? To influence those policies that have impacted my immediate community. That have impacted the next generation to come.”
“I’m a millennial, but there’s a new generation after me that’s looking up to me. I have nieces and nephews who are looking to me to pave the way, so they don’t have to experience the same things that I experienced in life. That they have access to equitable education. Access to adequate healthcare. So that they don’t have to be part of a broken criminal justice system.”
“It’s about doing purposeful work. Being out in the community. Hearing all the issues. Hearing all the challenges. And trying to take everything that I’ve learned and influence policy. To create a better space that we can all thrive in.”
“There is no blueprint for people like us. They didn’t teach us how to run for office. They didn’t teach us how to take everything we’ve been through and use it to help somebody else. So I have to try.”
“We created the hashtag #BelieveINBelinda to say that if you believe in me, it’s because I believe in you. Because I believe in the people. I believe in the community. I do believe we are our greatest asset.”
“I just got back from the Trans Visibility March in Washington, D.C. We went out to Washington, D.C. and we had a march for our trans community. I am honored and thrilled to have been part of history. That was the first visibility march for the trans community, which is part of our LGBT+ community.
With everything that’s going on in the world, all the hate, no matter which community it’s brought upon, it’s just something I cannot sit on. Too often, I continue to hear that someone of the trans community has been killed and we continue to sweep it under the rug. So I said ‘I’m going to go out and support them.’ Just like I stand for every other community that I belong to.
There were thousands of people marching in the streets of D.C. To be transparent, I was scared. I was scared, excited, overwhelmed – but at the same time, honored to be there.
The fact that I’m living in purpose and being an advocate and an activist, and actually putting what I believe in into action on a consistent basis – that’s a blessing. Not everybody gets to do that.
At the end of the day, history was made.”
“I hope that we can continue to be allies – and what that means is that you may not specifically belong to every community that I belong to, but I know that you care about people. We have to continue to win with love, to act kindly and be nice to each other. At the end of the day, we’re all human beings, regardless of how we love.”
One of the challenges of running for State Representative in the state on Indiana is that I’m an African-American open lesbian. I’m black and I love women. Indiana is still conservative. So I have to question sometimes, ‘Do I wear this?’ ‘Do I say that?’ ‘How do I wear my hair this time?’
Just being my authentic self can be a challenge and getting my own communities to embrace me. Meaning, for my African-American community to love me as I am black, regardless of how I love. To get my non-LGBTQ+ communities to love me as a female, as I am. To get my LGBTQ+ community to love me and embrace me, even though I might dress differently.”
“It’s scary. You have to be brave, living in Indiana. But that’s a part of who I am. That’s not only who I am though. My whole story is who I am.”
“When I put together my campaign team, I didn’t take your typical political people. Prior to making the final decision to run for state rep, I started to notice different people in the community. I believe we are our greatest asset.”
“I just took what was already out there, people from the community, and we put together a team of about 6 people. That part is overwhelming sometimes. It’s like ‘How did I come into contact with all these great people who I believe in?’
We can’t do it ourselves. It’s organic.
When we’re walking in purpose, we never know who we’re going to make contact with along this journey that we’re taking in life. Try to be a beacon of light and positive energy wherever you go, and you’ll attract the same type of spirits. Nothing is coincidence.”
“I have nothing but gratitude and respect for my mother. She raised us as a single mom, myself and my younger brother and sister. And she raised us in Gary, IN – not the current Gary, IN that’s coming along. The Gary, IN during the murder capital time.
She was a single, teenage mom when she had me. I’m so glad that she chose me. Being a mom at a young age, you have to face a lot of challenges. So every day I tell her that I love her and that I’m grateful that she chose me.“
“To anyone in life that’s faced with adversity, stay focused, keep grinding, be consistent, and most importantly, believe in yourself.”
Donate to the campaign or sign up to be a volunteer today, and don’t forget to follow the campaign page on Facebook for news and event updates!
Our campaign is kicking into gear and it’s time to call in backup! Join us Saturday, November 23rd, at Coal Yard Coffee for our first Campaign Coffee Event. Campaign Coffee is aimed at bringing out local volunteers that Believe In Belinda!
We will be discussing our upcoming official campaign launch event, engagement activities, and setting our first volunteer goal. There are so many ways to help with an energized campaign like ours! From the tried and true canvassing and phone banking to innovative ideas from experienced professionals, there IS a place for YOU!
Do you have 1 hour or more of time to donate per week? Then you need to be at Coal Yard Coffee, Saturday, November 23rd, at 11 a.m. If you are unable to attend, please sign up with this form. If you have any questions about the event, email [email protected].
Next weekend, Belinda will be going to Detroit, Michigan, to participate in the Progressive Change Campaign Committee’s Candidate Training, ran by Bold Progressives. To be invited, a candidate must be nominated by a fellow progressive and then pass a series of interviews.
Bold Progressives Candidate Trainings, for local, state and federal candidates, have been held in 9 different states already this year! Their last stop is in Michigan and we are thrilled to have gotten the nod. Knowing that young change makers have resources such as these, gives hope to those with a heart to serve.
Bold Progressives is a grassroots organization that has supported candidates like AOC and issues like
Campaigns are constantly moving and evolving and to succeed as a new kid on the block, supports like these are invaluable. Hard work, along with volunteers, generous donors, and a supportive social media circle, are going to push Belinda’s LIFE? platform all the way to the Statehouse!
The Indy Star checked out Studs Who Lead, City recognizes effort with official proclamation.
“At the end of the day, today is about having that conversation, breaking up barriers for masculine-presenting females within the LGBT community.”
Belinda Drake’s opening statement.
During Saturday’s two-hour panel discussion “StudsWhoLead,” panelists Kristen London, Belinda Drake, Teresa Morcho (who does not identify as a stud) and Channie Williams (also known as Hoopz) tackled what masculine-presenting women face in the world. That means everything from their personal journeys to harassment to ensuring the community is represented moving forward.
And as an added bonus, Indianapolis City-County Council member Zach Adamson presented a proclamation at the event, recognizing the StudsWhoLead campaign, its dedication to the LGBTQ community and hope for the campaign’s success.
Read the full article on Indy Star.
As Drake puts it, “Real things happen to real people.” She’s running to be a state representative for them, not herself.
Drake’s history is composed of moments of poverty, imprisonment, and mental health crises all within her family. All of which are things that have affected her campaign and the person she is today.
“I’m an advocate for a lot of things,” Drake said. “It’s my life. Which is why I’m very, I would say, guarded with my story. A lot of people ask me now, ‘What’s your why, what’s your why?’ and I’m like, ‘Which part of it?’”