![]() ![]() Senator from Wisconsin (2013–present), U.S. “But 60 years later, my dreams have come true,” he said. Growing up, Moe said he couldn’t live his true self as a creative, entrepreneurial gay man. “Here we are months later and I’m fulfilling another goal,” he said of Unicorn Hunters. “I don’t know too many gay men who don’t come out of their mamma’s womb without wanting a career in show business,” he said laughing. “All I had were four bags and one page of sheet music,” he recalled. At 22 years old, as a freshly-minted University of Texas at Austin graduate, Moe had his sights on Broadway. The show isn’t his first dance with the entertainment industry. He also wanted to come out of the closet - as an entrepreneur, that is. He asked himself, “How do I leverage and parlay my global network to help others and make a living?” He was practicing law and unfulfilled he wanted more. Moe said the idea for Unicorn Hunters came about after he left Biden’s office. ![]() Having been lobbied and a lobbyist, the folks who have access to money have access to people. “We won’t have economic equality until we all have access to wealth. “As LGBTQ people we’re not going to have true equality until we address economic parity,” Moe continued. We’ve been left out,” he said, while access to capital has been reserved for white men over 50. And the LGBTQ community was at the front of his mind when he conceived of it. “It was a longtime dream to do this show,” he said. But in this show, the audience is involved, too. The show is like Shark Tank, where budding entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to funders. Now Moe is working on a project that was on his bucket list: He’s the producer of and a panelist on Unicorn Hunters, which premiered May 10. “They’re great examples of why I didn’t go in,” Moe said of the two Texas women. Biden has also nominated former two-time Congressional candidate Gina Ortiz Jones, also a lesbian and also a Texan, to be under secretary of the Air Force. Some have, including Emmy Ruiz, a lesbian and a Texas native who is now the White House director of political strategy and outreach. “The next generation of gays and Latinos need to go.” “I already did my public service,” he said. While he was tempted to make another go around at the White House when Biden was elected president, Moe chose to decline. That makes Moe the first openly gay person and the first Hispanic-American to serve twice in the White House in a senior role. He also served as director of administration for then-Vice President Joe Biden as well as senior advisor on Hispanic Affairs for Vice President Al Gore Rene Oliveira and Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson when she was a state senator. It was one of many lessons Moe learned during his stint in public service, which included working for former State Rep. What she was saying, he explained, was that “Sometimes you don’t need the endorsement but just to block opponents from getting it.” Richards smiled: “I kept my opponents from getting the endorsement.” “Shouldn’t you be at the convention?” he asked, wondering why she wasn’t seeking the union endorsement. “Moe Jr.,” she said, “how are you doing?” “I was sitting alone thinking, ‘Wow, I’m guarding the headquarters,’” he said. Vela, who was just getting his start in politics, was tasked with guarding the campaign headquarters. At the state union convention, her team was on the floor, working the crowd. When Richards was running for governor, Moe recalled, she was in a packed Democratic primary and faced tough competition. Moe has also had a storied career in public service himself. Our generation picked up the mantle, and we’re encouraging the next generation to do the same.” “We were never forced to be a lawyer or a teacher, but we were encouraged to be active. You gotta get your butt to work,” he explained. Vela family members were encouraged to operate and to carry themselves humbly and not arrogantly, Moe Vela said. Moe Vela’s cousin is retiring Congressman Filemon Vela Jr. ![]() The Vela family includes a former federal district judge and a former Cameron County judge. The Velas are a pioneering South Texas family, first setting down roots in the state in 1863. His family instilled that go-getter attitude in the gay fourth generation Texan. But judging by a recent interview, the longtime political operative, entrepreneur and one-time actor is not slowing down. JAMES RUSSELL | Contributing Vela could die happy today, knowing all he’s done with his life. Moe Vela After years in a business and public service, Vela is branching out with ‘Unicorn Hunters’ ![]()
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