Trixie Starr (aka Rich Volo) represents the fourth ward of the city of Hudson. Starr's a drag queen of sorts, also the founder of Hudson Pride, owner of a successful cookie business, and a huge supporter of Bernie Sanders.
Jamie Larson captures Starr's essence best : “Her wig might not always be on perfectly straight and her five-o-clock shadow might poke through her makeup from time to time but Trixie Starr might just be the most industrious drag queen you'll ever meet, and man does she love Hudson.”
The post industrial Hudson Valley city, was considered moribund by the 1970s, when virtually all the manufacturing jobs that had made this stop on the Hudson River between New York City and Albany a prosperous middle class city.
Yet by the mid 2000s Hudson went from a sleepy hollow to a a new queer Mecca and Starr played a significant role in the city's rebirth. It also was a bastion of progressive politics in upstate New York whose citizens virtually wholly embraced Sanders in 2016 who defeated Hillary Clinton by 8 points in the district.
The Bernie Cookies proved so popular that Starr couldn't keep up with the orders. And her selling point is resonating with the Alexandria Ocasio-Ortiz generation of voters. As Starr explained in a Facebook post:”Bernie Cookies start again tomorrow! Three years ago, I baked and sold enough Bernie cookies, at $2/each, to donate the max – $2,700 to the Bernie Sanders campaign. I'm doing it again. Why?
– Medicare for all
– Green New Deal
– Free public college tuition
– Restructure of our tax system so that major corporations and wealthy pay their fair share
Starr who moved from New York City to Hudson about a decade ago is hugely popular and has many local fans.
Watch What Inspires Trixie Starr below.
