October 23, 2020

To whom it may concern,

This morning, we were sickened to learn of yet another disgusting transphobic attack on our colleague, Representative . A robocall recorded by Representative Stephen Humphrey was sent out to the voters of House District 27 warning them of a “radical sexual agenda” that could harm “your wives and daughters.” This robocall is nothing more than transphobic garbage that propagates debunked and dangerous myths and creates more hatred and animosity toward those just trying to live their authentic lives.

Let’s start by looking at Rep. Titone’s agenda. Over her two years in office, she has sponsored legislation to curb abusive practices by insurance companies, prevent price gouging during a pandemic, deprioritize test scores in college admissions, provide better behavioral health training for educators, improve the Safe2Tell program, support food banks, expand tax credits for affordable housing, limit rental application fees, encourage water conservation, and upgrade the state’s information technology systems. All of this legislation passed with bipartisan support. The only bill she’s sponsored even touching on LGBTQ issues was a bill to stop perpetrators of violence from getting away with a reduced sentence; the bill passed unanimously in the Senate and 63-1 in the House.

In contrast, Rep. Humphrey has sponsored the same bills year after year to prohibit same-sex marriage, prohibit adoption by LGBTQ couples, and allow businesses to freely discriminate against LGBTQ families. If you want to know exactly how Rep. Humphrey feels about the LGBTQ community, go listen to the audio of the House State Affairs committee meeting on February 13, 2020. In the wee hours of the morning, he presented his bill to prohibit LGBTQ marriage and adoption with an incoherent ramble of deeply ideological nonsense.

It’s pretty clear to us which of these two legislators has the “radical sexual agenda.” This shouldn’t be a partisan issue. We hope to see Republican legislators and candidates join our condemnation of these attacks, oppose anti-LGBTQ policies, and stand up as LGBTQ allies.

These kinds of attacks on the LGBTQ community are sadly unsurprising. Just a few weeks ago, House Minority Leader and his brother Joe put out a similarly disgusting attack ad on Facebook, one that is still running after only momentarily being taken down. Rep. Titone, on the other hand, is running a campaign that speaks to the issues that Arvada voters are worried about this year-- getting through this pandemic and recession, bringing down the high cost of health care, and improving educational opportunities for their kids.

Meanwhile, the future of equal rights for the LGBTQ community is uncertain at best. While we’re encouraged by the news this week that Pope Francis has broken with tradition to support civil unions for same-sex couples, we’re also worried that the rushed confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett could

Paid for by the House Majority Project mean that the US Supreme Court might revisit the Obergefell decision that guaranteed the right to marriage for same-sex couples.

We, the House Democrats, stand with Rep. Titone and every member of the LGBTQ community who feels threatened by this rhetoric and the potential violence it incites.

If you want to help, Rep. Titone asks that in lieu of a campaign contribution, you consider making a donation to PFLAG Greeley-- a Weld County organization with a mission of supporting its LGBTQ community members.

Signed,

Representatives Candidates KC Becker Judy Amabile Tracy Kraft-Tharp Jen Bacon Julie McCluskie Lindsey Daugherty Bri Buentello Barbara McLachlan Jovan Melton Karen McCormick James Coleman Jennifer Mitkowski David Ortiz Mary Parker Jonathan Singer , Sr. Tom Sullivan Serena Gonzales-Gutierrez Brianna Titone Dominique Jackson Sonya Jaquez-Lewis Chris Kennedy