Lady Lydia isn’t an enemy to Northeast Pennsylvania and should not be used in a political attack ad, the drag performer says.
A likeness of Lydia, portrayed by Frank Carey, appears in a commercial for U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan’s re-election campaign.
The commercial claims the Republican’s challenger, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti, is trying to "force grown men in girls' bathrooms and women’s sports."
A GoFundMe page on behalf of Carey seeks to raise legal funds to have the ad for the hotly contested 8th Congressional District taken down. The page had raised more than $2,100 as of Monday afternoon.
The ad "singles out images of Frank’s Lady Lydia as if she were some enemy of him or his constituents," says the GoFundMe, titled "NOT a Political Prop: Stand with Lady Lydia."
"It paints her and her pride activism as something to be ashamed of, and a reason to vote against his opponent. This isn’t about silencing the voice of any political party, it’s about Lady Lydia’s right to privacy, and the unauthorized use of her likeness," the GoFundMe adds.
Democrat Cognetti, the commercial contends, backs people such as Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris, “over us.” The end of the commercial shows the three politicians, plus Lady Lydia.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) paid for the ad, which was authorized by Rob for PA and approved by Bresnahan.
The Cognetti campaign declined to comment. The Bresnahan campaign did not respond on Monday. The NRCC defended the ad.
Photo from Pride event
Cognetti and Lady Lydia posed for a photo during the 2025 Pride flag raising, held yearly at the end of May in front of Scranton City Hall. The photo was posted on the city’s Instagram page.
Reilly Richardson, spokesman for the NRCC, pointed out on Monday that photos from Instagram show children attended the event, and that “Lady Lydia” also goes by the name “Chlamydia Berns.”
“Paige Cognetti is sending her left-wing buddies out to do her dirty work and try to prevent Republicans from telling the truth about her in Northeast Pennsylvania,” Richardson said in a statement. “Cognetti owes voters answers for her voluntary association with activist groups who are pushing sex change surgeries for kids and why she chose to appear with someone who refers to themselves as ‘Chlamydia Berns’ at an event with small children present.”
A desire to 'fight back'
“This was certainly never a situation I expected to find myself in, and asking for help isn’t always easy. But sometimes you have to stand up and say enough is enough,” Carey posted on Facebook.
"Thank you for reminding me over these past few days just how much love and support surrounds this Queen. And trust me … this Queen isn’t going quietly,” Carey said.
