US Transgender Lawmaker Brianna Titone Receives Email Containing Slurs

On October 7, 2026, Brianna Titone, a Democratic member of the House of Representatives in the US state of Colorado and an openly transgender woman, received an email containing slurs. Local outlet Westword reported on it on October 21 after reviewing the message. The named sender is Republican activist Rich Guggenheim, who is openly gay; he has neither confirmed nor denied the correspondence’s authenticity.

The message uses Titone’s former name, addresses her as a man and includes derogatory terms for transgender people. Its author promises further insults in response to her use of “cis” and accuses her of homophobia and misogyny for opposing a sports initiative he supports.

In his response to Westword, Guggenheim said he does not discuss alleged private emails. The outlet notes that his reply came from the same email address. In his comments, he called “cis” a slur and demanded an equal approach to free speech. “Cisgender” describes someone whose gender identity corresponds to the sex recorded at birth.

Titone told journalists that she saw the email as evidence of hostility toward transgender people behind the sports initiatives. She stressed that it is possible to disagree strongly with an opponent without using slurs.

The dispute concerns Proposition 134, which Colorado voters will decide on November 3. Guggenheim was an initiator of an earlier version of the proposal. According to the official voter information booklet, the measure provides for male, female and coeducational teams in school and college sports, with participation based on biological sex. Coeducational teams are open to everyone. An exception allows students classified as biologically female to play on a male team if no equivalent female team is available.

In the same booklet, supporters argue for protecting fair competition and female athletes’ safety. Opponents fear discrimination, exclusion of transgender students from school life and intrusions into privacy during sex checks. The proposal has not yet been adopted.

Uránia previously reported on parents’ complaint over a transgender athlete’s participation on a Colorado school volleyball team.