Lauren Boebert

Lauren Opal Boebert (1986–) is a high-school dropout who only just got her GED (high school equivalency degree) in May 2020 (after she began running for office),[2] QAnon nut,[3] and Representative for Colorado's third district, which comprises much of the Western Slope.File:Wikipedia's W.svg If Marjorie Taylor Greene is your crazy conspiratorial aunt, then Boebert is your crazy gun nut aunt (which one is crazier is up for debate), and the election of these two in 2020 sadly means QAnoners are better represented in the House of Representatives than openly nonreligious people, of which there is only one.File:Wikipedia's W.svg

A guide to
U.S. Politics
Hail to the Chief?
Persons of interest
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“”Objecting to the counting of certain electoral votes is NOT “overthrowing” the results of the election if those votes were won through fraud. Winning an election through fraud is what I would consider “overthrowing” the results. That is exactly why we’re fighting for POTUS![note 1]
—a tweet from Lauren Boebert[1]

Before Congress

Rap sheet

Despite being supposedly a pro-"law and order" candidate who opposes Black Lives Matter,[4] she has quite a long list of crimes. She has been arrested and court summoned at least four times, one for alleged harassment, another for an altercation with police, a third for missing a court deadline, and a fourth for reckless driving.[5] She has also been fined for a number of speeding incidents, failures to use seat belts or child restraints, and more petty things like expired plates and improper proof of insurance.[6] Her husband was also arrested for indecent exposure to a minor in 2004, and days later would be arrested for domestic violence;[7] she would marry him a year and a half later.

Militia connections
See the main article on this topic: Militia movement

If her criminal history isn't enough, she also has close ties to extremist right wing militia groups. She has hired the Three Percenters, a far-right anti-government militia operating in the U.S. and Canada that has been labelled as Canada's "most dangerous extremist group" by anti-terrorism experts,[8] as security for her campaign events.[9] She also appeared with a group of Three Percenters and Proud Boys in a protest against red flag laws.[10] She was additionally following multiple QAnon accounts (despite her claiming not to "follow" QAnon), which led to her deleting her channel.[11] and continued to make multiple references to QAnon on the campaign trail.[12]

COVID denialism

She has a history of downplaying the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic. She kept her restaurant open despite a cease-and-desist letter from the sheriff's office and a later suspension of her restaurant license.[13] She largely campaigned off of opposing the government's COVID restrictions, advocating an approach similar to South Dakota, where they didn't shut down the state, didn't require masks, and allowed large gatherings at special events.[14] This strategy led South Dakota to have the highest COVID death rate in the nation, despite its rural nature, meaning that it shouldn't have been hit as hard as more urban areas such as California.[15] Her campaign rallies were largely maskless super spreader events.

In Congress

Capitol riot

She was a huge supporter of Donald Trump's false claims that he was the real winner of the 2020 U.S. presidential election and that it was "stolen" from him.[16] She was an invited speaker in the March for Trump/Save America rally, which directly preceded the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.[17] During the riot, she tweeted the location of Nancy Pelosi, which resulted in widespread calls for her to resign.[18] The fallout from the insurrection led to the resignation of her communications director.[19] Worse still, she voted to overturn the results of the election in the immediate wake of the riot.[20]

Transphobia
See the main article on this topic: Transphobia

She opposed the Equality Act for transphobic reasons, saying, "Where is the equality in this legislation for the young girls across America who will have to look behind their backs as they change in school locker rooms just to make sure there isn’t a confused man trying to catch a peek?", reinforcing the myth that trans women would rape young girls en masse if they were allowed in locker rooms and women's bathrooms.[21] This ignores the reality that trans women tend to get assaulted vastly more in men's spaces.[22] These remarks earned her the condemnation of not only many Colorado lawmakers but also the LGBTQ caucus.[23] She has said that she is raising her boys "to be men" and is "proud of that" regarding her opposition to puberty blockers, while also espousing homophobic stereotypes and spouting bogus claims that puberty blockers can cause cancer, brain damage, and sterilization when they're totally reversible.[24][25]

Notes
  1. This claim about election fraud is disputed
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References
  1. https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1343330664473616385
  2. Just How Unqualified Is Lauren Boebert, Really? (18 Sep. 2020) Colorado Pols 18 Sep. 2020 (archived from November 25, 2020).
  3. Alex Kaplan,Here are the QAnon supporters running for Congress in 2020, MediaMatters.org 7 Jan. 2021
  4. Madeleine Schmidt, Congressional Candidate Boebert Claims BLM Protesters Were “Paid and Bussed In” at Rally in Rifle, Colorado Times Recorder 16 Jul. 2020
  5. Justin Wingerter, Congressional candidate Lauren Boebert has a history of minor arrests, court no-shows, Denver Times 27 Aug. 2020
  6. Lauren Boebert Full Rapsheet, Rural Colorado United
  7. Benjamin Leo, GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert and husband racked up arrests in home district, Times News Express 16 Jan. 2021
  8. Kristy Hunter, Three Percenters are Canada's 'most dangerous' extremist group, say some experts, CBC 10 Mar. 2018
  9. Erik Maulbetsch, Boebert's Campaign Embraces Far-Right Militia Movement, Colorado Times Recorder 27 Jul. 2020
  10. Erik Maulbetsch, Colorado Legislators Joined Extremist Groups for a “We Will Not Comply” Rally Against Red Flag Law Colorado Times Recorder 9 Dec. 2019
  11. Jason Salzman, YouTube Bans QAnon Accounts Once Followed by Boebert, Colorado Times Recorder 16 Oct. 2020
  12. Erik Maulbetsch, Boebert Poses With Sign Linking Her to QAnon, Colorado Times Recorder 22 Sep. 2020
  13. Michael Roberts, COVID-19: Lauren Boebert on Challenging Grill Closure Order, Westword 14 May 2020
  14. Jennifer Oldham, The Gun-Toting, Millennial Restaurant Owner Trying to Ride the Covid Backlash to Congress, Politico 13 Sep. 2020
  15. Don Jorgensen, South Dakota’s COVID-19 death rate highest in the nation according to health professionals, Keloland 21 Dec. 2020
  16. Madeleine Schmidt, A history of Boebert’s ties to right-wing extremist groups, deadly conspiracies, Real Vail 12 Jan. 2021
  17. President Trump Wants You in DC January 6 Wild Protest
  18. Shannon Larson, A Colorado Republican tweeted about Pelosi’s location during the Capitol siege. She’s now facing calls to resign, Boston Globe 12 Jan. 2021
  19. Alex Woodward, Aide to Lauren Boebert resigns following Capitol riots, The Independent 16 Jan. 2021
  20. Li Zhou, 147 Republican lawmakers still objected to the election results after the Capitol attack, Vox 7 Jan. 2021
  21. Carly Compesi, Colorado Politicians Speak Against Rep. Boebert's Transphobic Remarks, Out Front Magazine 1 Mar. 2021
  22. Targets for Abuse: Transgender Inmates and Prisoner Rape, Just Detention International Mar. 2013
  23. LGBTQ Caucus Condemns Boebert's Transphobic Floor Remarks, senatedems.co 25 Feb. 2021
  24. Bil Browning, GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert uses anti-gay stereotypes to explain vote against LGBTQ rights bill, LGBTQ Nation 25 Feb. 2021
  25. Pubertal blockers for transgender and gender diverse youth, Mayo Clinic
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