"I've got all kinds of slurs": Gay Republican allegedly sends hate-filled message to trans lawmakerhttps://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/10/ive-got-all-kinds-of-slurs-gay-republican-allegedly-sends-hate-filled-message-to-trans-lawmaker/ 🔗Faefyx Collington (26 Oct 2026)
Out trans Colorado state Rep. Brianna Titone (D) received an email claiming to be from gay Republican Rich Guggenheim, a major force behind the state's anti-trans ballot initiative that Titone had spoken out against. In the email, Guggenheim called Titone anti-trans slurs, deadnamed her, and misgendered her.
"What the email clearly shows is the animus toward the trans community behind these initiatives," Titone told Westword. "I can passionately disagree with someone without using slurs, but the choice was made to go there. Again and again, we see animus and vitriol used against the trans community, which they have realized they can profit from. It's truly telling what their motivations are from this email."
Colorado's Proposition 134, the "Sex Requirement for School and College Sports Initiative," would ban trans people from accessing school sports based on their gender, instead requiring children to participate in sports based on their "biological reproductive systems."
The policy for how that would be enforced would be left up to schools' governing bodies, but would likely require children to undergo genital examinations. Guggenheim was a main proponent of Initiative 70, which was later adapted into Initiative 109 and then became Proposition 134.
Guggenheim has a rich history of anti-trans rhetoric. From 2023 to 2025, he served as the legislative director for Gays Against Groomers (GAG), the anti-trans organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center says "amplifies dehumanizing anti-trans rhetoric" and "perpetuates anti-LGBTQ+ stereotypes." Guggenheim is still a member of the GAG Colorado Chapter.------------------------
@Sarah B
