Colorado state lawmaker says she’s fundraising from 43 states after attack ad misgendered her

A Colorado state representative received an influx of support, including from out-of-state, after she was misgendered in an attack ad on Facebook this month, according to NBC News.

Rep. Brianna Titone (D), who became the first transgender lawmaker in Colorado in 2018, raised nearly $11,000 for her second term from contributors in 43 out of 50 states in just 36 hours following the ad’s release, NBC News reported.

The ad run by Take Back Colorado referred to Titone by the name she used prior to her transition and also claimed that she “always supported violence,” according to NBC News.

“It’s just a nasty, transphobic ad that’s blatantly full of lies,” Titone told NBC News regarding the ad.

“I’m getting support from places all over the country now,” she added. “People recognized that there was a group of people trying to beat up someone who is doing a really good job.” 

Take Back Colorado is an independent expenditure committee registered to Joe Neville, who is the brother of Colorado Republican state House Minority Leader Patrick Neville, according to The Denver Post.

Patrick Neville denied using transphobic language in the ad, telling the Denver Post that it only included “the facts.”

Titone is running against Republican Vicki Pyne and Libertarian Cory Schaeffer in the state House race.