Meet RockAthena
Born in El Paso, Texas in 1969, into a dysfunctional family fraught with infidelity and unhappiness on both sides of a troubled marriage, life wasn’t easy from the beginning. RockAthena was originally born into a male body and named David. The result of an unintended pregnancy meant her true father, a successful attorney, was not going to be an active and guiding component in her life.
With her parents divorcing when she was 6 years old, life only got harder for her family. Hope seemed distant, as her single mother worked to take care of 4 young children.
Her mother started business after business, finally becoming a bail bondsman and bounty hunter. This led to her final career as a licensed and reputable Private Investigator of many years, before her passing in her early 50s in 2000.
RockAthena grew up without the advantage of at least one full time parent, much less two.
RockAthena attended 13 public schools before finally dropping out in the ninth grade and getting her G.E.D.
She left home at 17 on her own, eventually landing a job as a nightclub “Happy Hour” DJ 5 nights a week at 18 years old. She was recruited by a competing nightclub where she would gain more experience and earn slightly better wages. She also landed a part-time job as an “On-Air Personality” and DJ’d overnights and weekends.
At 19, her work ethic and skillset led to an offer from a local music store to create a professional Mobile DJ Service, entitling her to 50% ownership where she would be making all the decisions.
By 21 years of age, she had met her future wife and bought out her business partner and went on to expand the company to 4 DJ units. She and her wife employed multiple employees over 13 years in business together.
They opened their first nightclub when RockAthena was 23 years old, while continuing to operate the Mobile DJ Service. They would go on to own and operate many different types of nightclubs over an 18-year career in that industry. Their clubs ranged from edgy and innovative dance clubs, upscale lounges, to live rock n roll, adult nightclubs and even included a large country music venue.
They moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2002 and have lived here ever since.
In 2010 she sued Clark County, Nevada for a violation of 14th Amendment rights. Her civil right to equal protection was denied to her in licensing and opening a business for consenting adult, “Swingers”. With her federal lawsuit immediately dismissed, she persevered all the way to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In late 2013, she prevailed and won back her right to have the dismissal overturned. Clark County did not appeal to the Supreme Court. It was obvious to all that Clark County had licensed identical businesses for many years prior, even to this very day.
(9th Circuit Court of Appeals Oral Arguments Audio Link Click Here)
Prior to transitioning, she was unable to escape living as a male, yet continued to forge ahead. She has appeared in several Reality TV shows featuring her unusual life with her wife and her girlfriend.
Eventually, she returned to her earliest inspiration, music. It was where she found joy and strength. She wrote and recorded her own music during this period, eventually releasing her most revealing composition. It is about the pain and lifelong suffering of living with Gender Dysphoria and feeling trapped in the wrong body. It was becoming more difficult living in a body so different than the soul inside. She would experience this until coming out publicly in January of 2020 when she was finally able to feel true joy and inner peace.
The Pandemic would arrive two months later in March and prove more devastating than anyone could have imagined. Eventually divorced from her wife, her girlfriend has stayed by her side for 20 years now. They are stronger than ever.
In the summer preceding the pandemic, they were in the process of opening a new 14,000 square foot live music venue for original bands and artists. It would feature a recording studio and restaurant on site. They were in the process of renovating the building when the pandemic struck. During the process of trying to maintain all that was at stake, they were sadly unable to retain their investment in their unopened business. This was further compounded by losing their home as well.
Having been raised in a constant cycle of renting, never experiencing home ownership seemed normal. This would prove fateful with a family of four, including their two children, up against the pandemic, rising rental costs and more stringent credit requirements than before. The family was forced to consider other options for survival. They lived in hotels and motels for the next three years.
This was one of the most challenging times in their lives, but they remained grateful and determined for their survival. They were more fortunate than many others who have experienced being without a home with no real options. Learning to survive being Unhoused, or “Homeless”, teaches life lessons rarely learned otherwise. They finally have a home today and are rebuilding their lives.
RockAthena’s lived experience has demanded she look deep within the meaning of her own life and become a better human being. It awakened an inner voice compelling her to do all she can to have compassion and empathy to help others. This is the reason why she’s a candidate to become a legislator.
She knows activism is an important part of the political process, but also understands the need for true representation on a federal level when so many horrifying Anti-LGBTQIA+ bills are introduced into our State Houses across the country. Some have been signed into law.
She is well aware of the totalitarian evils contained in PROJECT 2025. She knows precisely how it will affect all Americans, and she is committed to stop them from becoming reality. RockAthena has already made history, becoming the first Transgender Candidate for the United States House of Representatives for Nevada. She believes in redemption through compassion, sacrifice, and change.
RockAthena is aware that time is short and firmly believes that the people of the United States cannot allow an Authoritarian tyrant to seize control. The time to stop it is now and RockAthena is the person to do it.
