Westword: “The people don’t like you or want your terrorist nonsense. Go away and never come back you disgusting hag.”

Comments like this are commonplace when scrolling through Representative Leslie Herod’s social media pages. Even posts as innocuous as “How to order Girl Scout cookies online” are met with accusations of “supporting pedophilia” and “grifting from the poor people of Denver,” with almost all of the comments coming from the same handful of accounts.

Sometimes, things go further.
“People who tend to come to our pages … they are there to cause harm,” Herod says.

The first openly gay Black woman elected to the state legislature, Herod’s posts about LGBTQ advocacy and legislation often attract comments from young transgender Coloradans. Herod says these youths have been bullied and harassed by people who see them on her social media, with some even contacting their schools and posting photos of the children on far-right websites. Herod’s friends and family have received similar treatment.

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