Andrew Ashiofu in the Media

"Ashiofu said he likes to think of himself as a fighter because he’s had to fight for so much–including a roof over his head. In 2010, his family kicked him out of the house after he told them he was gay. He couldn’t find work, he couldn’t pay rent, and he became homeless. He relied on internet access at the public library to apply for jobs and to find resources to get him back on his feet. But that experience taught him that the real solution to homelessness isn’t just an internet connection–it's a housing-first approach."

“I knocked on some doors and some people were crying because they lost family members to the AIDS crisis,” Ashiofu said, who is HIV+. “Even after the campaign, people came up to me and were like… ‘I’m HIV positive and you inspired me.’ I run a campaign bringing a different perspective to what it means to run for campaign to what it means to run for office.”

“I have had the privilege of living abroad and also traveling to nearly all the continents except Antarctica,” Ashiofu said. “And I have experienced and have seen the impacts of social housing and how that has helped create housing. My three ‘A’s’ around housing are affordability, accessibility, and availability.”

"I ask my siblings in the LGBTQ+ community to join me in advocating for those with similar intersections of identity that are often overlooked by our institutions. Talk with your friends and family. Demand that your local policymakers include culturally sensitive HIV information, and that neighborhood clinics prioritize HIV/AIDS treatment... My goal is that in my lifetime, not one more person will have to experience what I went through to get support and treatment. We are a community that looks after each other; let's continue to stand with each other, especially when confronting stigma, so that more can stand with pride." 

Listen in full to my conversation with Dubai Denis Maronga and my experiences living and running for office in Seattle as a Nigerian immigrant and community organizer.

Tune in to my conversation with A.V. Eichenbaum and Lindsey Anderson on my policies and experiences!