Westboro Stunt Backfires: Danica Roem Raises Thousands for 13th District Campaign

Courtesy of a community member.

After Capital News Service of Virginia Commonwealth University ran an article announcing that the Westboro Baptist Church planned to protest Del. Danica Roem (D-13) in Richmond next week, Roem  turned it around, raising $16,438 in one day for her reelection campaign.

“On Friday morning, Capital News Service of Virginia Commonwealth University ran a story about members of the Westboro Baptist Church planning to protest my existence as a trans woman in state government,” said Roem.

Del. Roem, who represents Gainesville, Haymarket, Manassas, Manassas Park, is the first trans woman to serve in a state delegation, making her a likely target for the extreme anti-LGBTQ groups. But the WBC is particularly exceptional among hate groups, since it is know for, among other things, protesting the funerals of fallen soldiers.

Roem said she had known about the protest for a week but tried not to draw any attention to it. However, after CNS shared its with media outlets around the Commonwealth “all bets were off,” said Roem.

“I put out a statement with my response being in its entirety, ‘Meh.”

She also asked people upset by the Westboro Baptist Church to donate to her campaign, saying “They’ll hate that.”

Bristow Beat, which publishes Capital News Service articles, ran the original CNS article on Friday with the inclusion of Roem’s eloquent “meh," and her request for donations.

With all the media coverage, plus her own social media following, the money started to roll in. She kept up the momentum by applying the hashtag #WestboroBackfire via her Twitter page @pwcdanica.

All donation, except one, came from the internet said Roem. Many, to her delight, came from her constituents in Western Prince William County, City of Manassas and Manassas Park.

Additionally, Chris Abele, who chairs the LGBTQ Victory fund, matched the first $5,000 raised. The Milwaulkee County Executive and Democratic donor gave $115K to Roem's campaign in 2017.

"If you get the chance, tell the Westboro folks I said to thank them for reminding me to make another donation to my favorite VA delegate,” said Abele, according to Roem's email. “I might have forgotten otherwise."

“The point of sharing this with you is this is a good story about people finding a positive, nonviolent way to respond to hate by supporting someone targeted by that hate,” wrote Roem.

She reminds people that transphobia still exists and in some extreme forms as 20 trans people are routinely murdered each year in the U.S.

Fighting for LGBTQ rights is a cause she believes in, but Roem reminded her constituents she also shows up for all the bread and butter issues that they care about.

The people of the 13th District elected me to focus on their priorities of traffic, jobs, schools and health care while working to make Virginia a more inclusive commonwealth. That way, no matter what you look like, where you come from, how you worship if you do or who you love, you're welcomed, celebrated, respected and protected here because of who you are, not despite it.

Unless you're WBC.

Or neo-Nazis.

Because, I mean... do I really need an asterisks to explain why?