CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Iowa lawmakers blocked the nomination of an openly gay lawyer to the state school board on Tuesday, ending two days of heated debate in which some Republicans expressed fear that he would promote a "gay agenda." One Democratic senator denounced the vote as "clearly discriminatory." "We have the most qualified candidate that we have ever had," said Sen. Matt McCoy. "Yet he is being taken apart by rumor, innuendo, hatred, and bigotry, and a sense that he's not good enough to serve Iowa because he has a different sexual orientation." Jonathan Wilson was appointed by Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, to serve on the board. Wilson served on the school board in Des Moines for 12 years but lost reelection in 1995 after publicly announcing earlier in the year that he is gay. GOP senator Nancy Boettger said she received several letters from voters opposing Wilson's appointment. Other Republicans questioned his qualifications and whether he could move Iowa's educational system forward. "I have heard from more people than I have ever heard from about a confirmation," said Boettger, chairman of the senate education committee. "They don't want any hint of pushing the gay lifestyle through our school system." Wilson needed two thirds of the vote, or 34 votes, to be confirmed. He received 22. "It's a sad day for the state of Iowa," Wilson said. "It sends the wrong message to gay and lesbian citizens." Republican senator Neal Schuerer said Wilson's views on education were the issue, not his sexual orientation. "It's time now that we look to leaders who will make a difference. We don't need someone who's spent time traveling over the country promoting an education agenda that hasn't worked for Iowa," Schuerer said.
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Record 1.2 million people show out for Cologne’s Pride parade
July 23 2024 10:51 AM
Here's how far-right activist Leonard Leo helped fund Bud Light boycott
July 23 2024 10:27 AM
Elon Musk’s comments about his trans daughter prove why she doesn’t speak to him
July 23 2024 9:16 AM
Nancy Pelosi endorses Kamala Harris for president
July 22 2024 4:07 PM
Charli XCX declares Kamala Harris IS brat & our next President's campaign agrees
July 22 2024 3:08 PM
Pete Buttigieg roasts JD Vance and his gay tech bro billionaire
July 22 2024 1:42 PM
The AIDs pandemic can be ended by 2030, but governments must act: report
July 22 2024 1:01 PM
Conservatives' first attack on Kamala Harris: Pronouns and accessibility?
July 22 2024 12:45 PM
Advancing equality during Disability Pride Month
July 22 2024 11:30 AM