The iconic G.O.D.D.E.S.S. who coined the phrase ‘your drag queen’s favorite drag queen,’ Sasha Colby, is teaming up with Lyft this voting season to provide discounted rides to the polls, encouraging everyone to make their voices heard!
We had the opportunity to delve deeper into Colby’s initiative with Lyft in our conversation with The Knockturnal, aimed at encouraging voters to head to the polls. You can view the discussion below, which included:
Discounted Rides
Lyft is offering a 50% discount on rides to polling locations. This includes traditional car rides and options for bikes and scooters, making it easier for individuals to access their voting rights.
Focus on Marginalized Communities
The initiative particularly targets marginalized communities that often face barriers to polling places. By providing affordable transportation options, Lyft is working to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to vote.
Election Day Support
The partnership is especially active on Election Day, encouraging voters to utilize the discounted rides to ensure they can make it to the polls.
Code for Rides
Voters can use a specific code, often like “VOTE24,” to access the discount on Lyft rides during the voting period.
Colby expressed in the interview that this initiative and campaign aims to help especially marginalized communities that find it harder to access polls, saying that all of them deserve to have their voices heard – rightfully so!
In our conversation with Colby, she discussed how this initiative will help the younger generation navigate getting to the polls.
The conversations below have been edited for clarity.
The Knockturnal: What challenges do you think that like we have and face when it comes to voting and how can initiatives like this help to overcome those, you know, challenges?
Colby: Especially like this voting season, it’s a lot more challenging. You know, there’s a lot of voting restrictions that have been going o – a lot of polls have been closed or closing up. So there’s not the amount of access that we had maybe two election seasons ago.
I think it’s a big deal for like the Gen-Z years. It’s their first time voting and they are our future and also like a reflection of what we have been doing. I feel like Gen-Z is just so ahead, and really thinking ahead and it’s going to be a really good thing to see them using their voices now.
Colby reflected on the power of a single voice, especially considering the impact of her iconic phrase, ‘your drag queen’s favorite drag queen.’ With this in mind, she added a message for her fans.
Colby: I mean, it’s so wild, like just having a little phrase just become a part of like pop culture – like the lexicon now. I’ve just seen it on Saturday Night Live, like in a parody. It’s kind of wild to see how much a random thing that I just thought of in my head can make a difference.
So, that’s my message for my fans is that voting is their voice. It’s the most powerful tool we have so it can help us create and change a lot of things that we want, you know, our voices matter. So it’s time to use it, especially if you’re like brand new to voting if you’re younger and hopefully you’ve been watching and deciphering with your mind and being able to like maybe even converse with your family setting that it’s, it’s safe to talk about politics.
I think that watching the new generation is watching their parents and people they look up to especially celebrities, people with a platform like mine, it definitely helps a lot like the cool factor I guess of winning or being elected, the winner of Drag Race, the power of voting gave me a platform to be an advocate.
I think like as a trans woman, as a drag queen, it’s always advocacy just comes hand in hand with that. Unfortunately, fighting for our rights is not anything that’s new to me. So voting just goes hand in hand with that.
So it’s really a great way for us to exercise our voice.
We later acknowledged Colby’s role as the host of the 20th Equality Awards and her Drag Race win, recognizing her as a leading voice for this generation on important issues, and we posed the question: Is that ever overwhelming, or have you grown accustomed to it?
Colby: I didn’t expect how much of a, how much power I would have in the back of my own personal voice. I think that’s something that even now just being kind of new to public – public notoriety.
It’s been interesting because a lot of people think you want a show or you want a competition show and you kind of have the answers for everything. And I want to be the first to say I have, I have no answers. Like, I don’t have the answers for everything, but I will provide space for us to figure it out.
I think that’s the biggest thing especially with like the queer community for me as a native Hawaiian, community is so important. So I think for my voice to be heard to be speaking for many different, like intersectionality of, being trans, being a POC, being a drag queen, you know, being able to reach and have people connect to me.
Acknowledging the empowerment of her community, Colby expressed how uplifting it is to see young people and their parents asking questions and showing her love, whether at airports or even during rides in a Lyft!
In closing our conversation, Colby shared some personal upcoming events, including a well-deserved break after two years of nonstop activity in November.
After her break, she will kick off her Christmas Drag show touring with several other Drag Race queens to spread holiday cheer across North America!
In closing, Lyft is providing a 50% discount on rides to polling locations, including cars, bikes, and scooters, to enhance accessibility for voters, – the initiative is active on Election Day, with voters able to use codes like “VOTE24” to access the discount.
Be your “voters favorite voter” and hit those polls with Lyft!
