Shame on You, Senator Guth (Blog)

Earlier this week, Senator Dennis Guth of Klemme took advantage of “points of personal privilege” to push a radical agenda fed to him by the national anti-gay organization Focus on the Family. On the floor of the Iowa Legislature, Senator Guth made horrific comments about the LGBT community, describing how he feels he and his family have been hurt and how civilizations have fallen by what he describes as the "homosexual lifestyle." Not only did Sen. Guth dismiss the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community as a "lifestyle," he then went on to say that it was "a lie."

In this vile rant, Senator Guth continued to spread lies and ignorance at the Iowa State Capitol Wednesday:

“There are health risks that my family incurs because of the increase of sexually transmitted infections that this lifestyle invites. For example, there are more and more medical tests required before giving blood or giving birth.”

Senator Guth later admitted that he was speaking from Focus on the Family and their “Day of Dialogue.” This only adds insult to injury. The so-called “Day of Dialogue” was fabricated in response to the LGBT and allied community’s Day of Silence recognized each year on April 19. Day of Silence is marked across the country by students who vow to take a form of silence to call attention to the silencing effect of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment in schools. This day continues to serve as a reminder that we have a long way to go in the fight for full equality for LGBT people in this country.

Yet Focus on the Family and Senator Guth used this day to disparage and insult LGBT Iowans.

In an interview with the Des Moines Register yesterday afternoon, Senator Guth defended his vitriol saying that he would “continue to deliver the truth.” By that we can only assume he means he will continue to spread dangerous lies.

Senator Guth, how dare you?  How dare you denigrate the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens of Iowa? How dare you hurt our family and friends with your public tirade? How dare you perpetrate the myths and the misinformation that have fueled the discrimination, prejudice and hostility that has impacted our community for so long?

Iowa has stood as a beacon of justice and fairness as the third state in the nation to embrace marriage equality. More than 6,000 gay and lesbian couples have been married in our state. We live here, we work here, we pay our taxes, we VOTE, we raise our families, we go to church and we contribute a great deal to our neighborhoods and communities.

And, Senator Guth,  you choose to infect the business of the legislature with your hurtful and homophobic rant. Shame on you, Senator Guth! Shame on you!

Please call or email Senator Guth today and tell him that your family is not "a lie." Demand an apology for his remarks and urge him to represent ALL of his constituents.

Senator Guth's diatribe reminds us that even though we celebrate the freedom to marry in Iowa, even though we move equality forward every day, even though the world is changing and we are winning—we must remain vigilant. We must continue to use our voices and our stories to change hearts and minds. We must never forget where we came from or where we are going. As long as there is one person in Iowa who carries such fear and ignorance, our job is not over.

We're not the only people speaking out against Senator Guth's shameful comments.

Married couple Heather Yeoman and Rachel Olson, Lake Mills residents, responded:

“It is clear that Senator Guth, our so-called ‘representative,’ does not value our family nor the love and commitment we have for one another. I am disgusted and ashamed of my Senator for spreading such ignorant and hurtful lies about our family and countless other Iowa families. Make no mistake, Senator—our marriage and our love is not a lie.”

Joy M. Newcom, District 4 resident from Forest City, responded:

"As an Iowan, a former educator and a mother, I am ashamed of my Senator and his horrific comments about the LGBT community. LGBT people are a part of my extended family. They are my friends and have been my coworkers. They are students I have taught and continue to respect for the manner in which they live their lives today. These comments, parroted from erroneous ideology from anti-gay groups, are beyond outrageous. They are dangerous lies.

Senator Guth, we, the Newcom family, are your constituents and your fellow Iowans. You claim to be our public servant, but you are hurting our community by spreading lies posed as science. You are breeding a culture of injustice for people we live with and work alongside. Please stop. You were not elected to legislate your morality or to spread falsehoods.”

So we ask you to please take action today. Even as we commemorate the Day of Silence, we ask you to speak out. Please call or email Senator Guth today and demand an apology for his remarks. You can also sign a petition from our friends at Progress Iowa demanding an apology: http://bit.ly/senguthapologize.

Iowans deserve a state Senator who doesn't attack his constituents, but rather embraces all families. Is that too much to ask?