Brianne Pfannenstiel

bpfannenst@dmreg.com

A bill introduced in the Iowa House of Representatives would require schools to get written parental consent before students could attend a state conference for gay and lesbian youth.

Republicans on the House Government Oversight Committee have made it a priority to investigate complaints that arose out of last year’s Iowa Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth, which is intended to address bullying and promote education on other issues important to the gay and lesbian community.

Some have accused speakers at the event of using vulgar language and making sexually graphic presentations to students.

Committee chairman Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, said the bill is a simple step to help ensure parents are kept in the loop and approve of the content their children are exposed to before they attend future conferences.

But Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines, a Democrat from Des Moines and ranking member on the committee, called the bill “totally unnecessary,” because individual schools already get permission slips from students ahead of the conference, eventhough they aren't required to.

She said the bill is specifically intended to single out the LGBTQ community.

That accusation was echoed by Nathan Monson, executive director of Iowa Safe Schools, which organizes the conference. He said allegations of inappropriate content are not true.

“The bill is designed, frankly, to make sure that LGBTQ kids continue to be isolated, alone, discriminated against and afraid to be themselves,” he said. “It’s meant to ensure some of these kids can’t make it to the conference.”

The event is privately run, but Kaufmann said the Legislature has the authority to weigh in because some tax dollars are indirectly used to support it.

“We don’t have the authority to regulate the content (of the conference),” he said. “We have the authority to make sure that parents can sign off on their kids being there. I’m irritated whenever I hear the word ‘private.’ Because it’s not Monopoly money that they use to bus the kids there, to pay for the registration, teacher salaries for the day, lack of time in the classroom. Those are tax dollars.”

Last year the conference attracted more than 1,000 people to Des Moines.

Among speakers who drew concern was Sam Killerman, a social justice comedian, who one teacher said gave advice to students about how to browse the Internet to find orgies and pornography.

She said the closing presenter was Coco Peru, the drag persona of American actor and comedian Clinton Leupp, who sang about how bullies should be poisoned.

Monson said this year the conference will continue to feature speakers about sexual health, as well as sessions focused on transgender hate crimes, LGBTQ Syrian refugees, and discussions about creating and sustaining Gay Straight Alliance clubs at Iowa schools.

"We haven’t changed any part of our formula here," he said. "We’re excited and we’re moving forward."