So I’ve watched Iowa House Republicans shrug at bulldozing a topsoil rule over the objections of hundreds of Iowans and yawn at the governor sidestepping the Legislature to deliver a big business tax cut. Nothing to see here.
But “wildly inappropriate” sex talk at the Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth? That deserves an investigation by the House Government Oversight Committee.
Its chairman, Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, says his panel will hold a hearing on Nov. 18 to explore how much taxpayer money is tied to the April conference, where he says there was “X-rated” talk during various sessions about “orgies,” “bondage” and more. Kaufmann said “dozens” of parents, teachers, administrators and others complained. Organizers dispute those claims.
It’s all sort of sketchy. Some of the harshest criticism since the conference has been coming from the usual suspects, led by the Family Leader and its chief Bob Vander Plaats. These are the same folks who predicted marriage equality would drive Iowa to hellfire, desolation and ruin. So credibility is an issue.
“Most of the complaints I’ve heard are from people who weren’t there,” said Nate Monson, executive director of Iowa Safe Schools, which puts on the conference.
Critics have been gunning for the conference for years. When Gov. Terry Branstad was re-elected in 2010, they demanded he remove his title from the event. Branstad admirably refused. When the event was held at Des Moines Area Community College, a group of lawmakers threatened to pull its state funding.
Now, it’s the sex talk, and some stupid joke by a comedian in drag, Miss Coco Peru, about slashing the tires of marriage equality opponents. Another oversight committee member, Rep. Greg Heartsill, R-Chariton, used the conference this spring as a pretext for shelving anti-bullying legislation in the House. Yet, during debate, it wasn’t clear Heartsill knew what LGBTQ means.
Kaufmann insists his intent is not to close down the conference. “I believe this is an opportunity to clean up the conference,” he said. He sounds sincere.
Trouble is, he’s giving a stage and a microphone to people who do want to shut it down, and score cheap political points. Maybe some GOP presidential hopefuls can come and hold news conferences.
And if there are issues with conference content, they should be addressed by school officials, parents and organizers, not legislators. The “taxpayer funding” ploy seems thin. Some kids who attended came with parents. Some of the roughly 40 districts with kids attending did provide transportation and staff. In many cases, however, local student clubs raised money to cover fees.
But for our family leaders, that’s not really what it’s about. It’s about the oldest play in their tired, worn-out playbook.
Simply erase the humanity of gays, lesbians and transgender people by reducing their entire identity to a sex act. Because once you dehumanize them, it’s so much easier to ostracize, stigmatize and marginalize your fellow Americans. Take what’s supposed to be a safe place for these kids to ask questions and get honest, sometimes blunt, answers, and twist it into another culture war circus.
Thankfully, their tattered tent is getting smaller by the day. Eventually, there will be nothing to see here.
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/o...an/gop-finds-an-issue-to-investigate-20151029
But “wildly inappropriate” sex talk at the Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth? That deserves an investigation by the House Government Oversight Committee.
Its chairman, Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, says his panel will hold a hearing on Nov. 18 to explore how much taxpayer money is tied to the April conference, where he says there was “X-rated” talk during various sessions about “orgies,” “bondage” and more. Kaufmann said “dozens” of parents, teachers, administrators and others complained. Organizers dispute those claims.
It’s all sort of sketchy. Some of the harshest criticism since the conference has been coming from the usual suspects, led by the Family Leader and its chief Bob Vander Plaats. These are the same folks who predicted marriage equality would drive Iowa to hellfire, desolation and ruin. So credibility is an issue.
“Most of the complaints I’ve heard are from people who weren’t there,” said Nate Monson, executive director of Iowa Safe Schools, which puts on the conference.
Critics have been gunning for the conference for years. When Gov. Terry Branstad was re-elected in 2010, they demanded he remove his title from the event. Branstad admirably refused. When the event was held at Des Moines Area Community College, a group of lawmakers threatened to pull its state funding.
Now, it’s the sex talk, and some stupid joke by a comedian in drag, Miss Coco Peru, about slashing the tires of marriage equality opponents. Another oversight committee member, Rep. Greg Heartsill, R-Chariton, used the conference this spring as a pretext for shelving anti-bullying legislation in the House. Yet, during debate, it wasn’t clear Heartsill knew what LGBTQ means.
Kaufmann insists his intent is not to close down the conference. “I believe this is an opportunity to clean up the conference,” he said. He sounds sincere.
Trouble is, he’s giving a stage and a microphone to people who do want to shut it down, and score cheap political points. Maybe some GOP presidential hopefuls can come and hold news conferences.
And if there are issues with conference content, they should be addressed by school officials, parents and organizers, not legislators. The “taxpayer funding” ploy seems thin. Some kids who attended came with parents. Some of the roughly 40 districts with kids attending did provide transportation and staff. In many cases, however, local student clubs raised money to cover fees.
But for our family leaders, that’s not really what it’s about. It’s about the oldest play in their tired, worn-out playbook.
Simply erase the humanity of gays, lesbians and transgender people by reducing their entire identity to a sex act. Because once you dehumanize them, it’s so much easier to ostracize, stigmatize and marginalize your fellow Americans. Take what’s supposed to be a safe place for these kids to ask questions and get honest, sometimes blunt, answers, and twist it into another culture war circus.
Thankfully, their tattered tent is getting smaller by the day. Eventually, there will be nothing to see here.
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/o...an/gop-finds-an-issue-to-investigate-20151029
