Gay California Democrat joins Grindr to campaign against recall of LGBTQ ally Gov. Gavin Newsom – Metro Weekly
California Assemblymember Evan Low – Photo: Facebook.
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A gay California lawmaker has joined Grindr to encourage users to vote against recalling Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in the upcoming Sept. 14 election.
Last Tuesday, State Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Campbell) said he joined the popular gay dating app in an effort to urge Grindr users not to recall Newsom, a longtime LGBTQ ally who has come under criticism for his management of the state, particularly his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic — including shutdowns, mask mandates, and other restrictions intended to curb the spread of the virus and its variants.
“Hello beautiful!” Low’s profile, using the handle “VoteNoOnRecall,” reads. “I’m on here to urge you to VOTE NO on the Republican Recall! Governor Gavin Newsom has consistently stood for equality and our LGBTQ community. Now let us all be there for him.”
A recall election is a common political occurrence in California, which has seen attempts to recall each and every sitting governor since 1960, although some of those attempts failed to qualify for the ballot, according to records from the California Secretary of State’s website.
To mount a recall, opponents simply have to gather petition signatures from a number of registered voters equal to 12% of the turnout vote in the last gubernatorial election. Signatures from at least five counties must each equal 1% of the total number of votes cast in the last election for governor in the county. Opponents of Newsom submitted more than 1.7 million signatures, well in excess of the 1,495,709 required to trigger a recall election.
A recall election against sitting Gov. Gray Davis (D) over the state’s energy crisis in 2003 resulted in actor and former bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) becoming the state’s governor.
On Sept. 14, voters will be faced with two questions, the first asking if the governor should be recalled, and the second asking, if so, which of more than 40 candidates of various political affiliations, mostly Republicans, should replace him. Currently the frontrunner — who simply needs to get the most votes in the crowded field and does not have to gain a majority of the vote — is conservative talk-show host, attorney, and author Larry Elder, a Los Angeles native. Other notable recall candidates include Kevin Faulconer, the former mayor of San Diego; John Cox, a businessman and the official Republican candidate in the 2018 gubernatorial election; Ted Gains, a member of the State Board of Equalization; and Caitlyn Jenner, a transgender reality star and former Olympic athlete.
According to the most recent poll of the recall election, by the Trafalgar Group, if the election were held today, 53% of likely California voters would choose to keep Newsom in office, compared with 43% who would vote to remove him. But other polls in the past month have shown much narrower margins for Newsom, with the governor hovering at or below the 50% threshold. Additionally, the likely voter screen may not take into account that the majority of recall election voters are more likely to be opposed to Newsom, further complicating his chances of survival.
According to another poll from the Public Policy Institute of California, if Newsom were to lose the recall election, Elder would become governor with 26% of the vote.
Related: Caitlyn Jenner claims it’s easier to come out as trans than as a Republican
Low, a diehard liberal who represents a district that includes Silicon Valley, and serves as the chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus, has received criticism for attempting to use his Grindr profile as an electioneering tool, with some questioning whether his profile violates the app’s terms and services prohibiting solicitation.
One user, fromthebridge tweeted: “@Grindr, isn’t this a violation of your terms and services? This is solicitation and an abuse of your platform in an attempt to interfere in an election.”
@Grindr, isn’t this a violation of your terms and services? This is solicitation and an abuse of your platform in an attempt to interfere in an election.
— fromthebridge (@fromthebridge7) September 2, 2021
Some LGBTQ Twitters users, responding to Low’s announcement that he joined Grindr criticized the Assemblymember, arguing that the app should be used to arrange dates and sexual liaisons with other gay men, not to promote a political agenda. Other users claimed that Low’s desperation would encourage Californians to vote for the recall, allowing Elder to become governor.
“Oh yeah I do not wish to chat on grindr (sic),” wrote one user.
Oh yeah I do not wish to chat on grindr😬
— Jonathan Clay (@jclay1914) September 3, 2021
“This tweet is the reason why Larry Elder will become Governor,” tweeted another.
This tweet is the reason why Larry Elder will become Governor.
— John Willow (@JohnathonWillow) September 3, 2021
“This made me vote yes and I was undecided,” tweeted a third.
This made me vote yes and I was undecided
— BasedCrypto1136 (@crypto1136) September 2, 2021
The head of the Richmond, Virginia chapter of the LGBTQ political organization Log Cabin Republicans got in a dig at Low, tweeting: “You were definitely on Grindr before this. And this is probably the saddest Twitter post I’ve ever seen.”
You were def on Grindr before this.
And this is probably the saddest Twitter post I’ve ever seen.
— Casey Flores (@caseyjflores) September 2, 2021
Another user simply responded with a GIF from the popular show Schitt’s Creek, in which one character tells another, “You’re clearly very desperate.”
— S@M (@OcsaSam) September 3, 2021
A spokesperson for Grindr did not respond to an inquiry from Metro Weekly asking whether Low’s use of his dating profile violates the app’s terms and services, or what moderators consider the line between solicitation and free speech to be.
In the meantime, Low has continued to use the app — as well as other social media platforms — to take shots at Elder, even claiming he sends a picture of the gubernatorial hopeful to Grindr users who ask him for explicit photos.
“Since joining Grindr to talk with people about the Republican recall, some have asked me for a d*ck pic,” Low tweeted. “Here is what I send back…”
Since joining Grindr to talk with people about the Republican recall, some have asked me for a d*ck pic.
Here is what I send back …#VoteNoOnRecall pic.twitter.com/NIqsanx2gK
— Evan Low (@Evan_Low) September 4, 2021
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