Dear WeHo:
I never imagined I would have to bear witness to such a gutless act of self-immolation. Let us speak of West Hollywood City Council member John Erickson, a man who has decided to bury the very essence of who he is in a shallow grave. All for a seat in the 24th District State Senate race.
With the chilling precision of a political assassin, he has executed his “gay appearance.” In a single breath, the flamboyant platinum hair, the defiant pearls, and the vibrant, painted fingernails have been scrubbed from existence.
A Costume of Earth Tones. Where there was once a kaleidoscope of courage, there is now only the drab, muted camouflage of “electability.” He has traded his truth for:
- A palette of muted browns to appease the ghosts of the far right.
- The erasure of his style to court the votes of those who would never accept his true self.
- A “closeted” aesthetic designed specifically to lure Republicans and conservatives into a trap of false familiarity for his State Senate run.
He follows in the footsteps of the great deceivers.
He is merely a disciple of the Lindsey Horvath school of reinvention, the woman who rewrote her own biography and hid her rainbow flags to court the votes of those who would never accept her true self. John, I expected more than a cheap magic trick. I expected a leader, not a chameleon.
Do you feel the cold, John? Do you miss the weight of the pearls? Do you ache for the purple polish? You can dye your hair and burn your “circus clothes,” but there is one thing you can never scrub: your voice. It remains what the image consultants no doubt called the ‘gay giveaway’ you so desperately wish to silence.
But the transformation goes deeper than the skin. Since your re-election, you haven’t just changed your clothes — you have changed your heart. You have become a petty, vindictive mirror of Trump himself. You have turned your back on the residents you swore to protect, silencing the voices of the desperate who come to the City Council seeking hope.
Mark my words: the propaganda machines are already turning. His team will scour the archives, airbrushing history and Photoshopping the platinum from his past. They will paint his legacy a “muted brown” so he can blend into the shadows of the State Senate, a hollowed-out version of the man we once knew.
You didn’t just change your hair, John. You sold your reflection.
Editor’s note: Dear WeHo views expressed are those of the author, a West Hollywood resident and are not necessarily shared by WEHOonline or its editorial staff.
Not that I am a fan, but it seems if Erickson is damned whatever he does, fashion wise. I am more concerned about his manipulation of public processes to get his way (ie: the Fountain “Re-Design) as well as his bullying and often childish behavior. As long as he doesn’t scare the horses, he can be naked for all I care.
What was described in this article about John Erickson could be said the same for the ex-mayor of West Hollywood, Sepi Shyne. Ms. Shyne attempted to run for the old congressional seat held by Adam Schiff, but did not win the office. Maybe the same thing will happen to him when he loses the state senate race and disappears into obscurity.
We can only hope. My vote is for Brian Goldsmith who has the endorsement of Pete Buttigieg, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Antonio Villaraigosa, Rick Caruso, Katie Couric and CAL FIRE Local 288. That is a diverse set of highly reputable voices. And no dark money that I can spot unlike Erickson.
It’s his job interview attire for the real world. Leave him alone!
More like a disguise to dupe the public. We’d love to leave him alone; far, far away from any sort of governing body. He has ruined WeHo. He needs to be kept away from state office.
It is VILE that he is trying to go for higher office when you consider how vindictive, self-serving, incompetent, nasty, vicious, ineffective, greedy, unprofessional, bumbling, arrogant, fake, tone-deaf, and toxic he has been to this city. No one should be voting for him for anything, EVER.
A grifter is always a grifter, whatever the costume.
His old persona needs to die–was totally obnoxious. Hopefully he will be defeated in anything he ever attempts.
No republican or conservative would EVER vote for this clown (nor should any liberal or progressive)…no matter the hair color or costume jewelry (or lack there of). He’s a joke in whatever hair color or accessory is the flavor of the month.
However, his endorsement list looks like the LA County phone book. Most voters look at that and rarely do any real fact checking about his actual record. His is pathologically dishonest. Which of the other CA Senate candidate will expose him?
Erickson FINALLY appears like someone I’d actually listen to. I would never vote for him, but I’d listen to him.
Apparently, Mr. Erickson doesn’t know how to tell the truth. He lied when he ran for reelection for West Hollywood city council saying he would serve the entire four year term, and six weeks later he announced that he was running for state Senate.
But…If he doesn’t have the courage to be his true self, he doesn’t deserve to hold a higher place of privilege and responsibility to others. Sounds like Mr. Erickson isn’t very proud of who he is. I for one, will not vote for a phony!
He wouldn’t know the truth if it bit him in the ass.
I don’t judge a person’s character by what they wear. I judge them by their voting history and what they stand for. Unfortunately this is an example of someone who wants to fit a mold that someone has told them to do if they want to win more votes. Many voters will not take the time to see how he treats people and what agendas he pushes through that facilitate his backers and supporters. I would love to say this is nothing more than something John just wanted to wear or update his style but I feel that it is… Read more »
And all those endorsing his CA Senate run are complicit in this charade. He has betrayed the City of WeHo at every turn.
If I’m understanding the author, it’s o.k. to dress like a circus freak in West Hollywood, but when you want to run for a higher State office, you have to sell your soul and appeal to the homophobes, conform and dress the way they want you to dress. Did I get that right, John Erickson?
He has a lot of work to do to scrub history of his histrionic buffoonery, sophomoric snark, and total disrespect for diversity of thought and his disqualifying intolerance for those who express opinions that challenge his ideological intransigence. It’s good to see people mature and develop, but like Horvath before him, Erickson’s transformation is superficial and inauthentic.