This is a seat that represents parts of St. Paul and West St. Paul. It is currently held by Maria Isa Pérez-Vega, but she is running for Ramsey County Board instead, so the seat is open. On the primary ballot:

Sebastian Ellefson
Elena Mena

Sebastian Ellefson is the DFL-endorsed candidate. He’s a legal aid attorney. His endorsements include Daniel Suitor, a lawyer I know by way of Bluesky who has spent the last six months filing habeas challenges on behalf of detained immigrants. He’s a board member of the West Side Community Organization and he leads a Girl Scout troop. He sounds like a stand-up guy and a good neighbor.

Elena Mena has no website that I could find. I did find her personal Facebook, where she has a picture of a flower and “adventurous, explorer, rock climber, marine biologist, cloud connoisseur, lake babe, water protector” as her personal description. She did not reply to my e-mail asking if she wanted to tell me literally anything about herself and what she stands for.

I would vote for Sebastian Ellefson, actual candidate in this race!

This seems like a good year to fundraise for a trans nonprofit, so I’m fundraising this year for TIGERRS. I don’t have a Patreon, and a fundraiser lets me see in a tangible way that people value my work, which is really helpful as a motivator. (This project is a lot of work.)

I also have a new book! Obstetrix is about an obstetrician who gets kidnapped by a cult because they want someone on hand to deliver their babies; it’s a story about enduring, surviving, and not giving up. You can buy it anywhere fine books are sold, and Uncle Hugo’s, Moon Palace, and Dreamhaven all (probably) have signed copies. (I also signed copies at Next Chapter, and will be making my way to other bookstores as time allows!)