A Democrat aiming to retain a seat in rural Washington has a surprising history involving fetish parties, nudism, and alleged use of nitrous oxide, often referred to as “whippets.”
Before Marie Grusenkamp Perez took the helm in Washington’s Republican-leaning 3rd Congressional District, she was a budding college politician known for organizing drug-fueled nude “latex fetish balls” and even distributing LSD, as revealed by social media posts recently discovered by the Post.
Former roommates claim that Grusenkamp Perez was quite the unconventional character, reportedly dumpster diving and once bartering spoiled avocados for rent while living in a friend’s “crawling hole.” She even allegedly took part in an urban farming experiment that led her to cut off a chicken’s head.
During her time at the progressive Reed College in Portland, Oregon, she served on the student senate and headed the Finance Committee back in 2012.
At the time, she was involved in a student senate post highlighting a $4,000 budget for a latex-themed event featuring a DJ and a “dark room.”
The school’s fetish club, which organized such events, offered courses like BDSM 201, teaching students about “whipping and caning” and a “Kinky Crafts” class for making bondage gear.
Grusenkamp Perez also worked to fund the Lewd Ren Fail, an annual festival with a nude jog led by students known as the Picts, who dance painted and display their bodies in front of graduates.
This prestigious liberal arts institution, costing $74,000 a year, is notorious for a permissive culture regarding substances, even providing a user guide that discusses various drugs.
In 2012, Grusenkamp Perez’s student union promoted a “Nitrogen Day,” inviting students to partake in nitrous oxide activities.
Her early years have been described as tumultuous by previous roommates, who allege she avoided paying rent in rather extreme ways while living in less-than-ideal housing situations.
One former associate noted that Grusenkamp Perez once offered food like spoiled fruits in lieu of money for rent, stating, “She would literally never pay rent.”
Grusenkamp Perez was described as a “Portland trash diver” after an incident where she decapitated a chicken while her roommate attempted to find humane methods online.
After graduating from Reed, she reportedly sold low-quality marijuana out of her van, as noted by investigative journalist Dan Boguslow, a fellow Reed alum.
According to her alumni profile, Grusenkamp Perez graduated in 2012 and was viewed as a “thoughtful and creative student,” known for her resilience.
She subsequently joined the Washington Democratic Party Executive Committee, helping to endorse policies that included decriminalizing drugs and sex work.
Despite her progressive roots, she faced backlash from some progressives after voting for a funding package for the Department of Homeland Security that allocated $10 billion for ICE.
She justified her position by stating that the department was vital for her community and that she couldn’t in good conscience vote to shut it down.
Currently, Grusenkamp Perez is engaged in a challenging re-election campaign against Republican Senate Minority Leader John Brown.
