Hey everyone! I’m Mario. I run a website called Mario Presents and have built a social media following under the same name. The questions we ask ourselves today, is who are we, and why are we here. I’m a Hispanic son of legal immigrants and a gay man. I wear my personality on my sleeve and heels on my feet. Some would say I’m promoting a miscreant lifestyle, and others call it brave and courageous. I call it, who I am. The artist formerly know as Prince was a small man physically, but when he donned a pair of platformed shoes he was an entertainer with a passion we all respected.
Today we’re here to spread a message of unity, and acceptance for everyone in the conservative party. We’re all patriots and we wear it in the clothes we don, the hairstyles that we stress over, and in some cases, the makeup we used. The media will tell you that we’re misfits, or deplorables, but our voices are resonating. The worst thing we can do to ourselves is bicker or quibble over subtle nuances of our conservative blanket. We shouldn’t fight for more coverage because when we do, we tear holes in the united front that scares the left. Often, I find that I agree with patriots on the largest of our issues like abortion, religion, civil liberties, and gun control; a gun is safest when it’s under your control.
I represent the farthest reaches of our Republican tent and my goal is to “present” to you a voice that encourages our movement to grow. We have so many allies that many of us are not even aware of. I watched one entertainer… and that’s what I’m going to call this person, an entertainer… walk into a Trump Rally in the costume of a Trump Cheerleader, pom-poms and all with fear and doubt in their heart. She thought our patriots were going to shun her and tell her to go away because underneath the façade, was a gay man. Instead our patriots embraced this art form because he did it as a protest. A protest to the left because a lie told long enough and often enough becomes true, ‘Trump supporters hate gays and drags’. Patriots come in all fashions and it’s through these antics that we begin to break age old stereotypes.
Me standing here in front of all of you is surely going to cause naysayers to call me a fake homosexual, traitor, or Uncle Tom. I enjoy it when they call me names because it validates the fact that I’m here using my first amendment to the chagrin of a community that thinks they own my vote. My cultural blanket is made up of people from across the political, and ideological tapestry but we all agree that we’re all one thing, Americans. We elect leaders to pass laws and enforce our borders yet here in California, and locally in Simi Valley, we have leaders who are aiding and abetting criminals who broke our laws. Everyone’s had the argument with an open borders supporter and the stalemate occurs when we’re told “We all break the law, have you ever gone over the speed limit?” I’m here to remind you all that the infraction of speeding is on a sliding scale and the faster you go, the stiffer the penalty. We must come full stop on helping people break our laws. Not in my town, not in my city, and not in Simi Valley.
Ruth Luevanos and Gavin Newsom don’t feel beholden to the people who voted them in. There is no financial shortage in California because what you don’t know is that the State passed a law in 2017 called SB2 that forced almost every recorded document in every County across the State a fee of $75.00. On day one of that fee, Los Angeles County alone, made over $1 million, and March of this year the State of California announced that $123 million dollars would be available for grants to benefit underserved communities. Accounting for holidays and closed recording days, we should be near a total of $300 million in funds generated and today, days before thanksgiving, the State’s website says it will announce recipients of the grants Summer of 2019. Where’s the money Mr. Newsom? Did we use it to buy aunt Pelosi a nip? The rest of the State is dealing with rampant homelessness and a feeling citizenry while you what… hob knob with Andrew Yang, or pander for votes in Santa Clarita.
Our local municipalities are often run by conservatives, but when we sit out elections, we elect liberals. Last election cycle we watched this district turn purple for the first time, now we have “D” rated commentators vying to turn us completely blue. The other side relishes in the fact that we lost because they can spend our money, but forget that for all their utopian ideas, we pay for them. Our country is neither red or blue, because we are all people. Liberty is something we should all champion because I defend your right to tell me “No, I won’t bake your cake because of my faith” as well as you should defend my right to live in a committed relationship with the soul that I choose. I’ll be the first to tell the rainbow plantation that “No, you can’t have your gay wedding at my church because my faith doesn’t allow it (I’m Catholic, confirmed and everything). Find a church that will. Our space may be beautiful and aesthetically everything you want, but even heterosexual parishioners will not be united in holy matrimony if they don’t uphold the faith. My church is not for sale nor is my God.” Capitulating to childish demands like the ones that caused Chick Fil A to succumb to pressure, or Target to have homosexuals in their ads after they donated millions to support traditional marriage doesn’t work, ever. We have to be united in this effort and we have to be bold. We have to pay attention because the media will seek to divide us.
I was recently the target of a political sculptor who wanted to cause a rift between me and my colleagues, brothers on this journey who I know personally and have their own followings. This sculptor whispered like a serpent in my ear “If they were really your friends, they’d be tagging you and promoting you. I’ve never seen them share your stuff before.” I hit a nail on the head so hard that the entire structure shook vipers from every corner. Our voices are being silenced and some of us are completely erased digitally. We are roaring and 2020 is going to be the year that the world finally hears us.
Stand strong, and stand proud, because we’re on the right side of history in more ways than one. Conservatives come in many colors but our fabric is definitely “Made in the USA”. I’m Mario Presents, follow me on Instagram, Like me on Facebook, and bookmark MarioPresents.com thank you for your time.
