A transgender woman on Saturday declared victory in her race for the Colorado House of Representatives.
Media reports indicate Brianna Titone has nearly 400 more votes than her Republican opponent, Vicki Pyne, in the race to represent the state's House District 27, which includes the Denver suburb of Arvada.
"I want to thank everyone that supported me through this challenging campaign," said Titone on Twitter. "Thank you so much to my constituents for believing in me to be your elected leader. I'm honored to be and looking forward to serving and making Colorado a better place for all."
Titone will be Colorado's first openly trans lawmaker.
Two openly trans women — Gerri Cannon and Lisa Bunker — were elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives on Nov. 6. Virginia state Del. Danica Roem in January became the first openly trans person to be seated in any state legislature in the country.
Roem traveled to Colorado to campaign in support of Titone.
"I was thinking about running but I didn't know if I could do it," Titone told the Denver Post. "When Danica Roem won her election, it kind of gave me the courage to say, 'Someone else has done this, and now I have a chance to do this, too.'"
I want to thank everyone that supported me through this challenging campaign. Thank you so much to my constituents for believing in me to be your elected leader. I'm honored to be and looking forward to serving and making Colorado a better place for all.
— Rep-elect Brianna Titone – COHD27 (@BriannaForHD27) November 10, 2018
This article originally appeared in the Washington Blade and is made available in partnership with the National Gay Media Association.
