So, bath scenes. Amirite?
The Witcher fandom is quite blessed. Over the course one season, the showrunners decided to gift us with not one but two scenes of Henry Cavill, naked in a bathtub, two episodes in a ro-
Wait a minute.
Two back-to-back episodes featuring drawn out bath scenes that go on for 2-3 minutes each. That's a lot of time to dedicate to fanservice when you only have 8 episodes to get your point across. Unless, of course… No. They wouldn't. Or would they?
I re-watched these scenes more times than I care to admit. For science. They’re interesting for numerous of reasons (Henry Cavills’ pecs being only two of them). But you know what’s even more interesting? Some sexy, sexy cinematic and narrative parallels and contrasts.
(Obligatory linebreak for your protection. You thought I went overboard analysing Her Sweet Kiss? This is worse. If you’re on mobile – I apologise. Now’s the time to scroll fast. It’ll take longer than you’re expecting, trust me. I’m sorry.)
Bath in “Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials”
Bath in “Bottled Appetites”
Please excuse the terrible of the second clip. It’s the only one I could find that had the whole scene in it.
First things first,
the setting
The scene in “Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials” takes place in an inn. The room is dark. Throughout the scene you can hear chatter from the bar. Candles are the only visible light source, although, at the beginning of the scene you can see more light coming in through what’s presumably a window outside the shot. Due to the lighting, the majority of the room has a noticeably blue tint, except for the cabinets on each side of the room where most of the candles are placed. Apart from the cabinets, the bathtub Geralt is sitting in is the only area that’s properly illuminated.
The room itself seems big enough, although we only get to see the bathing area which is separated from the rest of the room by blue curtains, but due the way the scene is shot – frequent close ups of the actors, wider shots frequently partially blocked by the curtains – it appears smaller than it actually is.
Geralt stands out against the background due to his skin appearing orange in the candle light; in wider shots he usually appears centred.
In contrast, Jaskier moves from one side of the room to the other a lot and doesn’t remain in either light source for long. Unlike Geralt’s skin, the colour of his clothes matches the background. This is somewhat unusual because in many of his scenes Jaskier and his colourful outfits tend to stick out like a sore thumb – the red outfit in “Rare Species” probably the most visually distracting out of the bunch – but in this scene, the exact opposite happens. Whenever Jaskier’s not the focus of the shot he frequently fades into the background or even gets obstructed by the curtains.
(While I’d love to add visual references for every single point I touch upon, honestly, the amount of editing that’d require is astronomical. Jokes on me though, because it already is. Watching the scenes should give you a better idea of what I’m talking about, though. Also, full disclosure, screenshots and gifs had their brightness an colours altered slightly for better visibility.)
Now, on the other hand, we have the room inside the mayor’s house, which – while also dimly lit by candlelight – appears open and spacious. Due to the candles, the room appears tinged only in colours on the orange/yellow spectrum. No curtains to obstruct parts of the shot, and unlike the inn, this room has got visible windows one of which sits behind Geralt. That window in particular lets in a stream of blue light that, in wider shots, often appears to frame either Geralt alone or both, Geralt and Yennefer. However, the blue light remains behind the characters, neither Geralt nor Yennefer are ever directly illuminated by it.
Why is she going on and on about the lighting you might ask? It’s because there’s basically a whole science to colour theory, colour grading, and the ways they’re used in visual media. It’s one of the reasons why, for example, Guillermo del Toro movies are always such goddamn feasts for the eyes. TV Tropes also has a page dedicated to it, if you wanna get a rough idea of what’s going on here.
Both bath scenes in the Witcher (2019) are gorgeous examples of colour grading and set design. You can tell that a whole lot of thought went into it. “Bottled Appetites” even takes it a step further, carrying the orange/blue colour scheme over into the next scene and directly contrasting the bed frame that’s bathed in amber light with the blue windows it’s framed by.
Fun fact, while colour grading can be used to give colours that certain “pop”, you can also achieve the exact opposite effect. See how washed out and grey Jaskier and his blue clothes appear on the orange bedding in this shot? It becomes even more apparent later on in the scene.
He might as well be one of the pillows for the way his clothes make your eyes just kinda slip over him. Honestly, I wanna marry whoever was in charge of doing colour correction on the Witcher. That person is a fucking artist. I’ll get back to the matter of colours and backgrounds in a minute. For now, let’s talk about
body positioning
Or in other words, yet another reason I’d sell my immortal soul to directors Alex Garcia Lopez and Charlotte Brändström.
One thing the scenes have in common (apart from the copious amounts of eye candy) is that Geralt remains mostly stationary at the centre throughout the scene. Jaskier moves around a lot. He dries his hands behind Geralt, moves in front of him to fiddle with the bath salts, sits down next to Geralt, sets Geralt’s mug down on the cabinet behind him and only stops his continuous back and forth motion when the conversation takes a turn for the serious and he settles down in front of Geralt.
Yennefer, on the other hand, starts off at Geralt’s right hand side, slightly to the back of him. She briefly lies down, stands up, and moves to Geralt’s left while taking off her gown. Same as the other scene, Yennefer settles down as the conversation is about to grow more serious. However, unlike Jaskier, Yennefer is far less restless, once she’s moved to Geralt’s left she settled down and doesn’t get up again.
What’s really interesting about this scene is that throughout the entirety of their interaction, Yennefer and Geralt never look at each other at the same time. They both alternate between staring off into the distance with varying degrees of wistfulness and/or melancholia and turning to look at the other. But their eyes never quite meet, not even when Geralt turns around in surprise after Yennefer says she won’t be taking any payment. The conversation ends with Geralt abruptly getting up and out of the tub and Yennefer turning around to watch him leave (dry up? get dressed? who knows what he’s getting up to in that moment). Notably, when the shot focuses on Yennefer alone in the tub, a significant portion of the room that previously appeared mostly orange suddenly is tinted almost all blue.
However, where eye contact is conspicuously absent in the scene in “Bottled Appetites”, it’s a vital component of the scene in “Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials”. Eye contact is a significant part of Geralt and Jaskiers communication. Mainly because Geralt spends a significant amount time sending glares Jaskier’s way with Jaskier paying him varying amounts of mind, even poking fun at his “scary face” when the opportunity presents itself. Jaskier is all over the place in every sense of the word. His attention is divided between Geralt, the bath, the banquet, etc. before it eventually turns back to Geralt and the whole cycle begins anew. The shift in conversation, from the banquet to Geralt, coincides with a shift in Jaskier’s behaviour. He stops moving around the room and his attention settles on Geralt. He then kneels down and holds Geralt’s gaze until Geralt abruptly switches the subject.
Look at the screencaps above. See how, even in a screencap, the lighting is capable of creating an entire visual narrative all by itself? Yennefer and Geralt are sitting in the water together with their backs to each other in a room full of orange light but their immediate surroundings are tinted blue. Jaskier and Geralt are facing each other directly but despite the orange light surrounding him Jaskier appears shadowed as he kneels in front of the tub while Geralt who is sitting inside the tub glows orange against a blue background.
There’s a metaphor hiding somewhere in that juxtaposition but I can’t quite put my finger on it yet.
edit 12/01/20: I actually got a submission from odense who elaborated on the blocking of the scenes from a theatrical perspective. Go read it for even more meta on the bath scenes.
Anyway, moving on. Next on my list is
the matter of service
What, no more Film Studies for Fandom 101, I hear you ask? Well. Originally, I wanted this part to be about the conversation as a whole but that would’ve gone on for too long (ha! too long, she says like that means anything) so I divided it.
Both scenes deal with the performance of service in one way or another. Jaskier is trying to convince Geralt to act as his bodyguard for a night, while Geralt asked Yennefer to break the djinn’s curse and they’re still settling the matter of payment.
In a way, you could look at both scenes as very, very unusual forms of negotiation. Jaskier may spend a lot of time talking about himself but his actions are almost all focused on Geralt. He douses him with water, “rubbed chamomile onto his lovely bottom” at some point (decide for yourself what you wanna make of that statement), prepares the bath salts for Geralt’s bath, and – also at some point – arranged for Geralt’s clothes to be washed. All throughout the scene, he’s performing a variety of services. He’s taking care of Geralt, whether Geralt likes it or not, and does so like it’s the most natural thing in the world, to the point where it just kinda comes across like more of Jaskier’s usual antics and theatrics.
Geralt may claim he needs no one and doesn’t want anyone needing him but there is some form of reciprocity in their relationship – big things like the shared adventures and the ballads about which made both of them famous in their own right, but then there are the little things like drawing your friend a bath, or watching his back at a banquet so he doesn’t get stabbed by a jealous husband, which Geralt eventually agrees to do despite all of his grumbling and glaring protests.
Which is one of the reasons “And yet... here we are.” is such a brilliant line. Just from this context, you could read it in a number of ways. Jaskier could be calling Geralt out on his bullshit like, e.g. “You might not like it, but yeah, you do need me and I need you.” or he could be asking him to make a decision, e.g. “I know you don’t like it but I really do need your help. What will you do?” or it could be an affirmation, e.g. “I know you didn’t want it but somehow we still ended up here.” etc., etc. And you might have guessed, there’s still more to come regarding this line. Later.
So while Jaskier’s scene is about getting Geralt to perform a service, Yennefer’s scene is about figuring out the cost of the service Geralt asked of her in the previous scenes. Where the first bath scene was about persuasion, this one is about payment. The initial negotiation has already happened, the service been rendered, what’s left to do is figure out the price. And Geralt already offered to pay whatever the price.
Since Geralt seems intent on honouring his promise, that creates a bit of a power imbalance between Yennefer and Geralt at the start of the scene because Yennefer could ask for whatever she wanted, Geralt even brings up that he’s worried about “having agreed to indentured servitude”. (That being said, he does not seem too bothered by current the situation or Yennefer’s company. Quite the opposite, he actually seems quite comfortable talking to her.)
Aside from the payment they haven’t agreed on yet, Geralt’s also got a second promise to make good on since he initially offered Yennefer to “indulge her curiosities” (take that however you will). It’s quite apparent that Geralt is a lot more forthcoming with his thoughts and emotions (actually, his words in general) with Yennefer than he is with Jaskier. In Yennefer’s scene, she and Geralt talk about equal amounts whereas in the other scene Jaskier mostly carries the conversation by himself while Geralt reacts.
However, Jaskier also reaches out where Yennefer keeps to herself. She occasionally teasingly bumps her back against Geralt’s as she’s washing herself but other than that she makes an effort to keep out of sight, even magically turning away a mirror to hide herself, whereas Jaskier touches, quite literally gets all up in Geralt’s “scary face” and just generally repeatedly puts himself in Geralt’s line of sight going so far as to kneel down until they’re at eye level.
Despite the matter of coin coming up repeatedly (mostly in the form of harmless teasing about brothels and prostitution, but also on a more serious way when Geralt accuses her of making a profit off the townspeople), Yennefer eventually decides not to ask Geralt for anything in return for saving Jaskier’s life, determining his “company and conversation payment enough”.
Interestingly, in the scene preceding the bath in “Of Banquets, Bastards and Burials” Jaskier also broaches the topic of coin as he’s setting up to ask Geralt for help. In a sense, Jaskier initially attempts to use that thing about reciprocity I brought up earlier to convince Geralt to do him a favour. He lectures Geralt on his role in making him famous and that he should be making money off their arrangement in an attempt to make the favour he’s about to ask off Geralt seem irrelevant in comparison, like “Look at everything I’ve done for you. Please do this tiny little thing for me.” Obviously, that approach doesn’t work. The (un)holy trinity of “food, women and wine, Geralt”, on the other hand, seems to do the trick. Or maybe it’s the bath and a heart-to-heart. Kind of like Geralt’s company and conversation were payment enough for Yennefer?
While we’re still on the matter of conversation, let’s talk about one of the components that make up part of the emotional core of the scenes. Let’s talk about
the matter of past and future
Geralt has lived a long, long life and its history is written on his body in a web of scars. What struck me is how differently the bath scenes deal with those scars.
With Yennefer, the scars are on full display. She notices and scrutinises them as someone seeing Geralt naked for the first time can be expected to. The scars on his shoulders and back are placed front and centre of the shot several times.
In contrast, with Jaskier, you, as a viewer, barely notice the scars. Most of the time they’re simply not visible to the camera. They’re never in the foreground of the shot and you never even get to see Geralt’s back. The scar on Geralt’s shoulder that Yennefer noticed could easily be mistaken for remnants of dead selkiemore. There’s only one moment that draws attention to the scarred shoulder and that’s when Jaskier pats it as he’s getting up to put away Geralt’s mug of ale.
Again, I feel like there’s a metaphor hiding somewhere in there but what do I know?
Back to the point. While Geralt and Yennefer are talking in the bathtub it immediately becomes obvious that they have a connection. They’ve both had unhappy childhoods, lived long lives and as Yennefer points out Geralt was “created by magic. Our magic.” They have an understanding that quickly let’s you forget that they’re virtual strangers at this point in the Witcher canon.
In the other scene, Jaskier and Geralt have known each other for quite a while already, yet the conversation seems to be restricted to superficial topics at first, mainly Jaskier’s prowess as bard and lover. However, Jaskier unwittingly steers the conversation in a more serious direction when he asks Geralt about retirement, what he wants to do when “all this... monster hunting nonsense” is over and done with.
So far, there’s a pattern in the show that when Jaskier talks to Geralt about serious matters, he starts making plans for the future. After the incident with the elves in Posada he promises to work hard to change Geralt’s reputation. In the infamous scene in “Rare Species” he’s trying to figure out what to do with his own future and offers Geralt to go to the coast with him. Here, in this scene, he’s trying to work out what Geralt wants from his future. Even if Geralt claims to want nothing.
At that point, Jaskier’s already made good on his promise to change the public tune about Geralt. The people in the beginning of the episode are talking about the White Wolf, not the Butcher of Blaviken, which makes for such an interesting parallel when paired with Yennefer’s comment about “Our magic”.
Yennefer’s magic created the Witcher; Jaskier’s song created the White Wolf.
Which, in all frankness, would be a good point to end this post but what’s the point of doing anything if you’re not gonna overdo it? I said the matter of past and future makes up part of the emotional core of the bath scenes. So there must be other parts of that supposed emotional core, right? Of course, there’s still
the matter of want and need
While discussing Geralt’s lack of retirement plan, Jaskier and Geralt keep tossing the word “want” back and forth. Jaskier tries to find out what Geralt wants; Geralt rebuffs him, he wants nothing; Jaskier turns it around on him by saying, well, maybe someone will want you. You could, of course, read that as your run-of-the-mill “just wait, the right person will come along (and that person might just so happen to be me – if you’re wearing shipping goggles)” shtick but the thing is, that’s the kind of reply you usually offer someone who’s bemoaning the fact that they’re single, the exact opposite of what Geralt is doing, and Jaskier strikes me as someone who’s emotionally intelligent enough to know that wouldn’t work on Geralt. I think Jaskier might be very literal when he’s saying “Maybe someone out there will want you.” As in, “even if you want nothing, maybe someone who wants you will come along (and that person might just so happen to be me – again, if you’re wearing shipping goggle).” But Geralt changes strategies and rebuffs him again, he needs no one. And the last thing he wants is someone needing him.
What’s interesting about this bit is the body language. I mentioned Jaskier and Geralt communicating a lot via eye contact. And Geralt is looking at Jaskier quite intently right up until Jaskier kneels down in front of him as he’s saying “Maybe someone out there will want you.” The camera cuts to Geralt and he’s looking off to the side while he says “I want no one.” Then, a pronounced pause follows before he turns to look Jaskier directly in the eye as he finishes, “And the last thing I want is someone needing me.” (I really want to say that this looks so much like he’s warning Jaskier to reconsider whatever he’s building up to say. But alas, that’s just fantasy.) The camera cuts away again and we see that Jaskier’s now looking down behind his clasped hands before looking up and answering “And yet... here we are.” Geralt acknowledges his answer with one of his famed “Hm”s. Then, he immediately changes the subject to the whereabouts of his clothes which Jaskier sent away to be washed.
In the other scene, Geralt and Yennefer breach the topic of “want” and “need” while talking about coin. Geralt claims she’s profiting off the political situation, whereas Yennefer claims she’s working in the interest of the people, “filling a need. Ever heard of it?” Which, yes, Geralt has, literally one episode ago, and he pulls a face that’s simply beyond words. (btw, kudos to Henry Cavill for cramming like five different emotions into one expression.)
Geralt and Jaskier had an entire conversation about how Geralt wants nothing and needs nobody. Jaskier even references that conversation when he yells at Geralt while they’re arguing over the djinn. “You always say you want nothing from life, so how was I supposed to know you wanted three wishes all to yourself!” he screams.
(Also, upon rewatching that scene, I literally just realised that Jaskier was drinking at the beginning of the scene. Combine that with the fact that he repeatedly brings up the Countess de Stael, and flat out states he’s currently heartbroken, and yeah, that explains a lot about his comparatively sour mood and short temper; also, why his speech comes across as much more chaotic than usual. Seriously, compare it to the way he speaks to Geralt after he’s gutted the selkiemore. He talks a lot in both – ok, Jaskier always does – but in the selkiemore scene, or basically any scene that isn’t the djinn scene, his diction is eloquent, artistic, florid; in the djinn scene, it’s all over the place, repetitive, and often bordering on the nonsensical. Frankly, you could probably make a whole post about that scene by itself. I’ll get back to that some other day.)
(Also, am I implying that Jaskier seems bitter over the fact that Geralt apparently keeps telling him he wants nothin from life? ...Yesn’t. Hard to pretend I’m not wearing shipping goggles when I’m literally almost 4000 words deep into a meta post. But remember, nothing but speculation!)
Anyway, and now there’s Yennefer broaching the subject, asking him if he’s ever heard of “filling a need”.
The conversation carries on until Geralt is blindsided by Yennefer telling him that his company and conversation are payment enough. He whirls around but Yennefer isn’t looking at him so he hurriedly gets out of the bath. In the next scene, he emerges with a new set of clothes he doesn’t like, which his companion from the previous scene procured for him. Now why does that feel familiar?
In conclusion...
honestly, I don’t even know where I was going with this originally. This started off as a joke but then things inevitably escalated and now I’m really tired and I wanna go to sleep. (Also, the whole djinn thing is giving me feels now which kinda puts a dampener on the humour in the episode. Jaskier’d already been having a bad day and things just. Keep. Getting. Worse. Ugh, my heart.) But I feel like this post needs a proper conclusion.
I feel like, in the context of these scenes Jaskier and Yennefer could be seen as foils to each other? They’re two of the few people Geralt lets close, very close, actually, since getting naked in front of someone is frequently equated with showing vulnerability to someone. In a lot of ways, Jaskier and Yennefer’s roles work in ways that are the exact opposite of that of the other. Jaskier tries to be seen where Yennefer wants to remain hidden, yet Jaskier gets obscured by the environment while Yennefer is exposed. Jaskier is asking Geralt for a favour, Yennefer did Geralt a favour; Jaskier insists on taking care of Geralt where Yennefer gives him space. Yennefer sees Geralt’s past, Jaskier his future. Jaskier touches the scar but doesn’t look, Yennefer looks but doesn’t touch. But both find a way to scratch at the emotional walls that Geralt’s put up and both times Geralt reacts by immediately trying to escape the situation. Both times, he ends up wearing clothes he doesn’t like in the following scene.
Speaking about nudity and emotional vulnerability, maybe that’s kind of part of the conclusion as well? Sorta? Especially, since Geralt seems to start looking for his clothes or for a way out of the tub the moment someone gets too close. Furthermore, afterwards, he never seems comfortable in the clothes he’s been given, which you could read as a metaphor of sorts, I guess? Like something inside Geralt getting knocked loose in the conversation with his companion and Geralt consequently having to arrange himself with an uncomfortable truth in the aftermath? Does that make sense? Have we finally reached the point where I’m getting too cerebral? Or did we sail past that point like 4000 words ago? God, my brain hurts.
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540 Local Elected Officials From All 50 States Urge Prez Trump to Import More Refugees to U.S.
Joe Biden has promised to make this happen, including taking in foreigners from terrorist hotspots around the world. In fact, Joe Biden was one of the original architects of the fraud-ridden refugee program that has destroyed neighborhoods across the U.S.
by Ann Corcoran
I told you here that the refugee industry was working on a letter to the President urging him to get the refugee flow into America moving again.
Yesterday they sent the letter with 540 signatories.
Says Amnesty International:
By signing this letter, these elected officials have joined together to voice their commitment to welcoming refugees in their communities and reviving the United States’ legacy as a leader in refugee resettlement.
I notice something missing from the letter. It avoids giving the President a number, but the industry has made it very clear!
They want 95,000 refugees to begin arriving on October first.
The President could make a decision this month on how many refugees might be invited to live in the US in FY2021. He could also legally set the ceiling at zero.
All of my posts on the topic are tagged FY2021.
Here are the signatories from yesterday. The list is handy for identifying those local elected officials who are changing America by changing the people.
I don’t know why the organizers think that these open borders advocates will hold any sway with the President, but they sure make it handy for you to identify the other side where you live. Target them for retirement when they come up for re-election!
(For a little additional fun, see last year’s list here.)
They say the list is bipartisan, but there is no indication of party affiliation. You will need to look through those listed in your state to see if Republicans are among those looking to import more poverty to your city.
[Find your state in the list below the fold]
Alabama
Gary Palmer, State Representative, Birmingham
Neil Rafferty, State Representative, Birmingham
Alaska
Elvi Gray-Jackson, State Senator, Anchorage
Andrew Josephson, State Representative, Juneau
Arizona
Ylenia Aguilar, School Board Member, Phoenix
Lela Alston, State Senator, Phoenix
Richard Andrade, State Representative, Phoenix
Andres Cano, State Representative, Tucson
Steven Chapman, Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Cesar Chavez, State Representative, Phoenix
Paul Cunningham, Vice Mayor, Tucson
Andrea Dalessandro, State Senator, Green Valley
Devin Del Palacio, School Board Member, Tolleson
Elora Diaz, School Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Paul Durham, Councilmember, Tucson
Diego Espinoza, State Representative, Avondale
Charlene Fernandez, State Representative, Phoenix
Kristel Ann Foster, School Board President, Tucson
Randall Friese, State Representative, Tucson
Rosanna Gabaldon, State Representative, Sahuarita
Kate Gallego, Mayor, Phoenix
Carlos Garcia, Councilmember, Phoenix
Betty Guardado, Vice Mayor, Phoenix
Daniel Hernandez, State Representative, Tucson
Berdetta Hodge, Tempe Union Governing Board President, Tempe
Steve Kozachik, Councilmember, Tucson
Lauren Kuby, Councilmember, Tempe
Pedro Lopez, Governing Board Member, Phoenix
Adam Lopez-Falk, School Board Member, Phoenix
Lindsay Love, Chandler Unified School District Governing Board Member, Chandler
Juan Mendez, State Senator, Tempe
Patrick Morales, Vice President of the Tempe School Elementary Board and Governing Board Member, Tempe
The Honorable Channel Powe, Governing Board President, Phoenix
Stanford Prescott, Governing Board Member, Phoenix Union High School District, Phoenix
Martín Quezada, State Senator, Phoenix
Rebecca Rios, State Senator, Phoenix
Diego Rodriguez, State Representative, Laveen
Regina Romero, Mayor, Tucson
Athena Salman, State Representative, Tempe
Lane Santa Cruz, Councilmember, Tucson
Raquel Teran, State Representative, Phoenix
Monica Trejo, School Board Member, Tempe
Corey D. Woods, Mayor, Tempe
Arkansas
Andrew Collins, State Representative, Little Rock
Megan Godfrey, State Representative, Springdale
Sonia Gutierrez, Councilmember, Fayetteville
Lioneld Jordan, Mayor, Fayetteville
Matthew Petty, Councilmember, Fayetteville
Joy Springer, State Representative, Little Rock
California
Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, Assemblymember, Sacramento
John J. Bauters, Councilmember, Emeryville
Bob Blumenfield, Councilmember, Los Angeles
Maya Esparza, Councilmember, San Jose
Kevin Faulconer, Mayor, San Diego
Eric Garcetti, Mayor, Los Angeles
Sam Hindi, Councilmember, Foster City
Johnny Khamis, Councilmember, San Jose
Paul Koretz, Councilmember, Los Angeles
Sheila Kuehl, County Supervisor, Los Angeles
Gordon Mar, City and County Supervisor, San Francisco
Peggy McQuaid, Vice Mayor, Albany
Lisa Middleton, Councilmember, Palm Springs
Hillary Ronen, Supervisor, San Francisco
Philip Y. Ting, Assemblymember, San Francisco
Norman Yee, President, Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco
Colorado
KC Becker, State Representative, Boulder
Yadira Caraveo, State Representative, Thornton
Lisa Cutter, State Representative, Littleton
Stephen Fenberg, State Senate Majority Leader, Boulder
Stacie Gilmore, Councilmember, Denver
Julie Gonzales, State Senator, Denver
Michael Hancock, Mayor, Denver
Eva Henry, County Commissioner, Thornton
John Kefalas, County Commissioner, Fort Collins
Chris Kennedy, State Representative, Lakewood
Cathy Kipp, State Representative, Fort Collins
Robin Kniech, Councilwoman At-Large, Denver
Jacob LaBure, Councilman, Lakewood
Pete Lee, State Senator, Colorado Springs
Susan Lontine, State Representative, Denver
Dominick Moreno, State Senator, Commerce City
Crystal Murillo, Councilmember, Aurora
Deborah Ortega, Councilmember At-Large, Denver
Dylan Roberts, State Representative, Avon
Amanda P. Sandoval, Councilwoman, Denver
Lauren Simpson, Councilmember, Arvada
Sam Weaver, Mayor, Boulder
Steven Woodrow, State Representative, Denver
Connecticut
Roland Lemar, State Representative, New Haven
Matthew Lesser, State Senator, Middletown
Edwin Vargas, State Representative, Hartford
Delaware
Bruce C. Ennis, State Senator, Dover
District of Columbia
Brianne K. Nadeau, Councilmember
Brooke Pinto, Councilmember
Elissa Silverman, Councilmember
Florida
Trish Becker, Special District County Commissioner, St. Augustine
Christopher Benjamin, State Representative, Miami Gardens
Lori Berman, State Senator, Delray Beach
Mack Bernard, County Commissioner, West Palm Beach
Marlon Bolton, Mayor, Tamarac
Emma Collum, Supervisor, Fort Lauderdale
Fentrice Driskell, State Representative, Tampa
Bobby DuBose, State Representative, Fort Lauderdale
Nicholas Duran, State Representative, Miami
Buddy Dyer, Mayor, Orlando
Anna Eskamani, State Representative, Orlando
Jelani Harvey, Supervisor, Plantation
Sabrina Javellana, Vice Mayor, Hallandale Beach
Evan Jenne, State Representative, Hollywood
Shevrin Jones, State Representative, West Park
Dotie Joseph, State Representative, Miami
Vanessa Joseph, City Clerk, North Miami
Sarah Leonardi, Broward School Board Member-Elect, Pompano Beach
Amy Mercado, State Representative, Orlando
Cindy Polo, State Representative, Hialeah
Tina Polsky, State Representative, Boca Raton
Harold Pryor, Broward County State Attorney-Elect, Broward County
Chelsea Reed, Councilmember, Palm Beach Gardens
Alissa Schafer, Supervisor, Soil & Water Conservation District, Pembroke Pines
Joshua Simmons, Commissioner, Coral Springs
Nick Sortal, Councilmember, Plantation
Carlos Guillermo Smith, State Representative, Orlando
Linda Stewart, State Senator, Orlando
Annette Taddeo, State Senator, Miami
Victor Torres, State Senator, Orlando/Kissimmee
Georgia
Becky Evans, State Representative, Atlanta
Anthony Ford, Mayor, Stockbridge
Steve Henson, State Senator, Stone Mountain
Zulms Lopez, State Representative-Elect, Atlanta
Pedro Marin, State Representative, Duluth
Hawaii
Stanley Chang, State Representative, Honolulu
Roy Takumi, State Representative, Honolulu
Tina Wildberger, State Representative, Kihei
Idaho
Shawn Barigar, Councilmember ember, Twin Falls
Jimmy Hallyburton, Councilmember, Boise
Kendra Kenyon, County Commissioner, Boise
Diana Lachiondo, County Commissioner, Boise
Lauren McLean, Mayor, Boise
Lauren Necochea, State Representative, Boise
Melissa Wintrow, State Representative, Boise
Illinois
Alma Anaya, County Commissioner, Chicago
Scott Britton, County Commissioner, Glenview
James Cappleman, Alderman, Chicago
Melissa Conyears-Ervin, City Treasurer, Chicago
Daniel Didech, State Representative, Buffalo Grove
Laura Fine, State Senator, Glenview
Robyn Gabel, State Representative, Evanston
Edgar Gonzalez, Jr., State Representative, Chicago
Will Guzzardi, State Representative, Chicago
Lindsey LaPointe, State Representative, Chicago
Daniel La Spata, Alderman, Chicago
Lori E. Lightfoot, Mayor, Chicago
Raymond Lopez, Alderman, Chicago
Matthew Martin, Alderman, Chicago
Kevin Morrison, County Commissioner, Schaumburg
Jonathan “Yoni” Pizer, State Representative, Chicago
Ann Rainey, Alderman, Evanston
George Van Dusen, Mayor, Skokie
Andre Vasquez, Alderman, Chicago
Indiana
Zach Adamson, City Councilor, Indianapolis
John Hamilton, Mayor, Bloomington
Blake Johnson, State Representative, Indianapolis
Iowa
Marti Anderson, State Representative, Des Moines
Tracy Ehlert, State Representative, Cedar Rapids
Lindsay James, State Representative, Dubuque
Mary Mascher, State Representative, Iowa City
Andy McKean, State Representative, Anamosa
Brent Oleson, County Commissioner, Marion
Art Staed, State Representative, Cedar Rapids
Zacharia Wahls, State Senator, Coralville
Stacey Walker, County Supervisor, Cedar Rapids
Kansas
Lacey Cruse, County Commissioner, Wichita
Joyce Warshaw, Mayor, Dodge City
Rui Xu, State Representative, Westwood
Kentucky
Nima Kulkarni, State Representative, Louisville
Susan Westrom, State Representative, Lexington
Louisiana
Cyndi Nguyen, Councilmember, New Orleans
Maine
Pious Ali, City Councilor At-Large, Portland
Brownie Carson, State Senator, Harpswell
Kristen S. Cloutier, State Representative, Lewiston
Jim Handy, State Representative, Lewiston
Thom Harnett, State Representative, Gardiner
Deane Rykerson State Representative, Kittery Point
Denise Tepler, State Representative, Topsham
Maryland
Malcolm Augustine, State Senator, Annapolis
Colin Byrd, Mayor, Greenbelt
Julie Palakovich Carr, Delegate, District 17
Kathleen Dumais, State Representative, Annapolis
Cindy Dyballa, Councilmember, Takoma Park
Brian Feldman, State Senator, Annapolis
Jessica Feldmark, Delegate, Columbia
David Fraser-Hidalgo, Delegate, Annapolis
Dannielle Glaros, County Councilmember, Upper Marlboro
Evan Glass, County Councilmember, Montgomery County
Edouard Haba, Councilmember, Hyattsville
Tom Hucker, Montgomery County Councilmember, Silver Spring
Julian Ivey, Delegate, Cheverly
Anne Kaiser, Delegate, Silver Spring
Kacy Kostiuk, Councilmember, Takoma Park
Clarence Lam, State Senator, Columbia
Susan Lee, State Senator, Annapolis
Mary Lehman, State Representative, Laurel
Sara Love, Delegate, Annapolis
David Moon, Delegate, Takoma Park
Joseline Peña-Melnyk, Delegate, Annapolis
Paul Pinsky, State Senator, Hyattsville
Sheila Ruth, Delegate, Baltimore
Emily Shetty, Delegate, Kensington
Jeffrey Zane Slavin, Mayor, Somerset
Kate Stewart, Mayor, Takoma Park
Deni Taveras, County Councilmember, Adelphi
Jeff Waldstreicher, State Senator, Kensington
Jheanelle Wilkins, Delegate, Silver Spring
Patrick Wojahn, Mayor, College Park
Massachusetts
Kenzie Bok, Councilor, Boston
Candy Mero Carlson, City Councilor, Worcester
Harriette Chandler, State Senator, Worcester
Jo Comerford, State Senator, Florence
Natalie Higgins, State Representative, Leominster
Adam Hinds, State Senator, Pittsfield
Kay Khan, State Representative, Newton
Daniel Koh, Selectboard Member, Andover
Jack Patrick Lewis, State Representative, Framingham
Michael Moore, State Senator, Worcester
David J. Narkewicz, Mayor, Northampton
Tram Nguyen, State Representative, Andover
William Reichelt, Mayor , West Springfield
Lindsay Sabadosa, State Representative, Northampton
Jeffrey Thielman, Arlington School Committee Member, Arlington
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor, Boston
Michigan
Rosalynn Bliss, Mayor, Grand Rapids
Brandon Haskell, County Commissioner, Lansing
Steve Maas, Mayor, City of Grandville
Gwen Markham, County Commissioner, Novi
William Miller, County Commissioner, Pontiac
Kurt Reppart, City Commissioner, Grand Rapids
Monica Sparks, County Commissioner, Kentwood
Robert Wittenberg, State Representative, Huntington Woods
Milinda Ysasi, City Commissioner, Grand Rapids
Doug Zylstra, County Commissioner, Holland
Minnesota
Peter Fischer, State Representative, Maplewood
Jacob Frey, Mayor, Minneapolis
Cam Gordon, Councilmember, Minneapolis
Alice Hausman, State Representative, Saint Paul
Kaohly Her, State Representative, Saint Paul
Melissa Hortman, State Representative, Brooklyn Park
Mitra Jalali, Councilmember, Saint Paul
Frank Jewell, County Commissioner, Duluth
Andrew Johnson, Councilmember, Minneapolis
Sydney Jordan, State Representative, Minneapolis
Fue Lee, State Representative, Saint Paul
Jamie Long, State Representative, Minneapolis
John Marty, State Senator, Roseville
Rena Moran, State Representative, Saint Paul
Beth Olson, County Commissioner, Duluth
Rafael E. Ortega, County Commissioner, Saint Paul
Sandy Pappas, State Senator, Saint Paul
Dave Pinto, State Representative, Saint Paul
Victoria Reinhardt, County Commissioner, White Bear Lake
Cory Springhorn, Councilmember, Shoreview
Jay Xiong, State Representative, Saint Paul
Mississippi
Christopher Bell, State Representative, Jackson
Chokwe Antar Lumumba, Mayor, Jackson
Missouri
LaDonna Appelbaum, State Representative, St. Louis
Shane Cohn, Alderman, St. Louis
Marlene Davis, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Christine Ingrassia, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Kip Kendrick, State Representative, Columbia
Lyda Krewson, Mayor, St. Louis
Heather Navarro, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Lewis Reed, President, Board of Aldermen, St. Louis
Annie Rice, Alderwoman, St. Louis
Montana
Dick Barrett, State Senator, Missoula
Mary Ann Dunwell, State Representative, Helena
John Engen, Mayor, Missoula
Moffie Funk, State Representative, Helena
Katharin Kelker, State Representative, Billings
Marilyn Marler, State Representative, Missoula
Penny Ronning, Councilwoman, Billings
David Strohmaier, County Commissioner, Missoula
Juanita Vero, County Commissioner, Missoula
Tom Winter, State Representative, Missoula
Nebraska
Leirion Gaylor Baird, Mayor, Lincoln
Sue Crawford, State Senator, Bellevue
Machaela Cavanaugh, State Senator, Lincoln
Nevada
Yvanna Cancela, State Senator, Las Vegas
Howard Watts, Assemblymember, Las Vegas
New Hampshire
Amanda Bouldin, State Representative, Manchester
Andrew Bouldin, State Representative, Manchester
Lisa Bunker, State Representative, Exeter
Joyce Craig, Mayor, Manchester
David Doherty, State Representative, Pembroke
Nicole Klein Knight, State Representative, Manchester
Patrick Long, State Representative & Alderman, Manchester
Dr. Peter Somssich, State Representative, Portsmouth
George Sykes, State Representative, Lebanon
Suzanne Vail, State Representative, Nashua
Mary Beth Walz, State Representative, Bow
Safiya Wazir, State Representative, Concord
Matthew B. Wilhelm, State Representative, Manchester
New Jersey
Jim Boyes, Councilman, Westfield
David Cohen, Council President, Princeton
Leticia Fraga, Councilwoman, Princeton
Roy Freiman, Assemblymember, Hillsborough
Sadaf Jaffer, Mayor, Montgomery Township
Devra Keenan, Committee Member, Montgomery Township, New Jersey
Michelle Pirone Lambros, Councilwoman, Princeton
Liz Lempert, Mayor, Princeton
Gayle Brill Mittler, Mayor, Highland Park
Eve Niedergang, Councilmember, Princeton
Mia Sacks, Councilmember, Princeton
Dwaine Williamson, Councilman, Princeton
New Mexico
Karen Bash, State Representative, Albuquerque
Timothy Keller, Mayor, Albuquerque
Gerald Ortiz y Pino, State Senator, Albuquerque
Bill Tallman, State Senator, Albuquerque
Renee Villarreal, Councilwoman, Santa Fe
New York
Alessandra Biaggi, State Senator, Bronx
Karla Boyce, County Legislator, Honeoye Falls
Noam Bramson, Mayor, New Rochelle
Byron W. Brown, Mayor, Buffalo
David Buchwald, Assemblymember, Mount Kisco
Bill de Blasio, Mayor, New York City
Margaret Chin, Councilmember, New York City
Patricia Fahy, Assemblymember, Albany
Vincent Felder, Minority Leader of the Monroe County Legislature, Rochester
Andrew Gounardes, State Senator, New York City
Brad Hoylman, State Senator, New York City
Timothy Kennedy, State Senator, Buffalo
Liz Krueger, State Senator, New York City
Charles Lavine, Assemblymember, Glen Cove
Donna Lupardo, Assemblymember, Binghamton
Rachel May, State Senator, Syracuse
Félix W. Ortiz, Assemblymember, Brooklyn
Amy Paulin, Assemblymember, Scarsdale
Karines Reyes, Assemblymember, Bronx
Carlina Rivera, Councilmember, New York City
Linda B. Rosenthal, Assemblymember, New York City
Nily Rozic, Assemblymember, Queens
Sean Ryan, Assemblymember, Buffalo
Kathy Sheehan, Mayor, Albany
MaryJane Shimsky, County Legislator, White Plains
Jo Anne Simon, Assemblymember, Brooklyn
Colin D. Smith, Westchester County Legislator, Peekskill
Fred Thiele, Assemblymember, Sag Harbor
Daniel Torres, Deputy Supervisor, New Paltz
Lovely Warren, Mayor, Rochester
Steven Weinberg, Mayor, Village of Thomaston
David Weprin, Assemblymember, Fresh Meadows
Gregory Young, County Supervisor, Gloversville
North Carolina
Vickie Adamson, County Commissioner, Raleigh
John Autry, State Representative, Raleigh
Mary Belk, State Representative, Charlotte
Natalie Beyer, School Board Member, Durham
Javiera Caballero, Councilmember, Durham
Heidi Carter, County Commissioner, Durham
Susan Fisher, State Representative, Asheville
Pam Hemminger, Mayor, Chapel Hill
Wendy Jacobs, County Commissioner Chair, Durham
Jillian Johnson, Mayor Pro Tempore, Durham
Lydia Lavelle, Mayor, Carrboro
Esther Manheimer, Mayor, Asheville
Graig Meyer, State Representative, Raleigh
Robert Reives, State Representative, Raleigh
Susan Rodriguez-McDowell, County Commissioner, Charlotte
Steve Schewel, Mayor, Durham
Damon Seils, Councilmember, Carrboro
Kandie Smith, State Representative, Greenville
Terry Van Duyn, State Senator, Asheville
Braxton Winston, Councilmember, Charlotte
North Dakota
Tim Mathern, State Senator, Fargo
Ohio
Elizabeth Brown, Council President Pro Tempore, Columbus
Phyllis Cleveland, Councilmember, Cleveland
Valerie Cumming, Vice Mayor, Westerville
David Donofrio, Board of Education Member, Southwestern City School District, Columbus
Rob Dorans, Councilmember, Columbus
Basheer Jones, Councilman, Cleveland
Wade Kapszukiewicz, Mayor, Toledo
Brian Kazy, Councilman, Cleveland
Leeman Kessler, Mayor, Gambier
David Leland, State Representative, Columbus
Dale Miller, County Councilperson, Cleveland
Bhuwan Pyakurel, Councilmember, Reynoldsburg
Emmanuel Remy, Councilmember, Columbus
Matt Zone, Councilmember, Cleveland
Oklahoma
Carrie Blumert, County Commissioner, Oklahoma City
James Cooper, Councilperson, Oklahoma City
Carri Hicks, State Senator, Oklahoma City
Oregon
Chloe Eudaly, Commissioner, Portland
Kathryn Harrington, Washington County Commission Chair, Hillsboro
Susheela Jayapal, County Commissioner, Portland
Alissa Keny-Guyer, State Representative, Portland
Teresa Alonso Leon, State Representative, Salem
Eddy Morales, Gresham City Councilor, Gresham
Sharon Meieran, County Commissioner, Portland
Jessica Vega Pederson, County Commissioner, Portland
Carla C. Piluso, State Representative, Gresham
Carmen Rubio, County Commissioner, Portland
Jeff Reardon, State Representative, Portland
Ricki Ruiz, Reynolds School Board Member, Gresham
Deian Salazar, Precinct Committee Person, Portland
Marc San Soucie, City Councilor, Beaverton
Lori Stegmann, County Commissioner, Portland
Stephanie Stephens, School Board Member, David Douglas School District, Portland
Andrea Valderrama, Chair, David Douglas School Board, Portland
Marty Wilde, State Representative, Eugene
Pennsylvania
Janet Diaz, Councilmember, Lancaster
Ronald Filippelli, Mayor, State College
Jordan Harris, State Representative (Democratic Whip), Philadelphia
Timothy Kearney, State Senator, Springfield
James F. Kenney, Mayor, Philadelphia
Kevin Madden, County Commissioner, Media
Joanna McClinton, State Representative, Philadelphia
William Peduto, Mayor, Pittsburgh
Joseph Schember, Mayor, Erie
Michael Schlossberg, State Representative, Allentown
Judith Schwank, State Senator, Reading
Brian Sims, State Representative, Philadelphia
Jared Solomon, State Representative, Philadelphia
Danene Sorace, Mayor, Lancaster
Erika Strassburger, Councilmember, Pittsburgh
Rhode Island
Jorge Elorza, Mayor, Providence
Raymond Hull, State Representative, Providence
South Carolina
Carol Jackson, Councilmember, Charleston
South Dakota
Shawn Bordeaux, State Representative, Mission
Linda Duba, State Representative, Sioux Falls
Reynold Nesiba, State Senator, Sioux Falls
Ray Ring, State Representative, Vermillion
Tennessee
John Ray Clemmons, State Representative, Nashville
Indya Kincannon, Mayor, Knoxville
Seema Singh, Councilwoman, Knoxville
Tangi Smith, County Commissioner, Clarksville
Texas
Nicole Collier, State Representative, Fort Worth
Vikki Goodwin, State Representative, Austin
Donna Howard, State Representative, Austin
Celia Israel, State Representative, Austin
Clay Jenkins, County Judge, Dallas
Ina Minjarez, State Representative, San Antonio
Christin Morales, State Representative, Houston
Ron Nirenberg, Mayor, San Antonio
Letitia Plummer, Councilmember, Houston
Edward Pollard, Councilmember, Houston
Carl Sherman, State Representative, Lancaster
Sylvester Turner, Mayor , Houston
Utah
Patrice Arent, State Representative, Millcreek
Joel Briscoe, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Luz Escamilla, State Senator, Salt Lake City
Ann Granato, Salt Lake County Council, Millcreek
Stephen Handy, State Representative, Layton
Suzanne Harrison, State Representative, Draper
Timothy Hawkes, State Representative, Centerville
Sandra Hollins, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Jani Iwamoto, State Senator-Assistant Minority Whip, Salt Lake City
Dan Johnson, State Representative, Logan
Brian S. King, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Erin Mendenhall, Mayor, Salt Lake City
Carol Spackman Moss, State Representative, Holladay
Angela Romero, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Jeff Silvestrini, Mayor, Millcreek
Steve Waldrip, State Representative, Eden
Raymond Ward, State Representative, Bountiful
Elizabeth Weight, State Representative, West Valley City
Mark Wheatley, State Representative, Salt Lake City
Jenny Wilson, Mayor, Salt Lake County
Mike Winder, State Representative, West Valley
Vermont
Thomas Chittenden, City Councilor, South Burlington
Brian Cina, State Representative, Burlington
Mari Cordes, State Representative, Lincoln
Ali Dieng, City Councilor, Burlington
Sarah Copeland Hanzas, State Representative, Bradford
Kristine Lott, Mayor, Winooski
Jim McCullough, State Representative, Williston
Ann Pugh, State Representative, South Burlington
Marybeth Redmond, State Representative, Essex
Robin Scheu, State Representative, Middlebury
Joan Shannon, Councilor, Burlington
Maida F. Townsend, State Representative, South Burlington
Theresa Wood, State Representative, Waterbury
Michael Yantachka, State Representative, Charlotte
Virginia
Richard Baugh, Councilmember, Harrisonburg
Elizabeth Bennett-Parker, Vice Mayor, Alexandria
Patrick Hope, Delegate, Arlington
Mark Keam, Delegate, Vienna
McKinley Price, Mayor, Newport News
Sam Rasoul, Delegate, Roanoke
Sal Romero, Vice Mayor, Harrisonburg
Ibraheem Samirah, Delegate, Herndon
Shelly Anne Simonds, Delegate, Newport News
Kathy Tran, Delegate, Springfield
James Walkinshaw, Supervisor, Fairfax County
Justin Wilson, Mayor, Alexandria
Washington
Claudia Balducci, County Council Chair, Seattle
Reuven Carlyle, State Senator, Seattle
Jeannie Darneille, State Senator, Tacoma
Mona Das, State Senator, Olympia
Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor, Seattle
Joe Fitzgibbon, State Representative, West Seattle
Jessica Forsythe, Councilmember, Redmond
M. Lorena González, City Council President, Seattle
Roger Goodman, State Representative, Kirkland
Mia Gregerson, State Representative, SeaTac
Lisa Herbold, Councilmember, Seattle
Sam Hunt, State Senator, Olympia
Jay Inslee, Governor, Olympia
Karen Keiser, State Senator, Des Moines
Jeanne Kohl-Welles, King County Councilmember, Seattle
Connie Ladenburg, County Councilmember, Tacoma
Liz Lovelett, State Senator, Anacortes
Jamie Pedersen, State Senator, Seattle
Gerry Pollet, State Representative, Seattle
Chris Roberts, Councilmember, Shoreline
Cindy Ryu, State Representative, Shoreline
Rebecca Saldana, State Senator, Seattle
Sharon Tomiko Santos, State Representative, Olympia
Tana Senn, State Representative, Mercer Island
Derek Stanford, State Senator, Bothell
My-Linh Thai, State Representative, Newcastle
Dave Upthegrove, Councilmember, Des Moines
Javier Valdez, State Representative, Seattle
Derek Young, County Councilmember, Tacoma
West Virginia
Rosemary Ketchum, Councilwoman, Wheeling
Wisconsin
Samba Baldeh, Alder, Madison
Shiva Bidar, Councilmember, Madison
David Bowen, State Representative, Milwaukee
Jonathan Brostoff, State Representative, Milwaukee
Ryan Clancy, County Supervisor, Milwaukee
Michele Doolan, Dane County Supervisor, Cross Plains
Julie Gordon, County Board Supervisor, Oshkosh
Michael Norton, County Commissioner, Oshkosh
Shawn Rolland, County Board Supervisor, Wauwatosa
Sequanna Taylor, County Supervisor, Milwaukee
Michael Tierney, Alder, Madison
Michael Verveer, Alderperson, Madison
Wyoming
Charles Pelkey, State Representative, Laramie
Mike Yin, State Representative, Jackson
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