Wyoming State Senator to LGBT Youth: Homosexuality Equates to Bestiality and Pedophilia

Anti-gay GOP State Senator Lynn Hutchings.

In the wake of Virginia's political crisis ignited by far right GOP operatives, one recent article noted that black Virginians feel they have nowhere to turn to except to the Democrat Party.  The same can be said for LGBT Virginians and LGBT Americans in general.  Here in Virginia, GOP Speaker of the House of Delegates, Kirkland Cox, for the second year in a row killed bills that would have provided non-discrimination protections in employment and housing.  Believe it or not, that move is moderate compared to some Republicans who seem hell bent to drive even more in the LGBT community to vote a straight Democrat ticket.  A case in point is Wyoming State Senator Lynn Hutchings who compared homosexuality to bestiality and pedophilia in a meeting last week with LGBT youth at that state's capitol. Given how right wing and extreme Wyoming is, Hutchings may feel the loss of LGBT votes doesn't matter, but in other states in close elections, the LGBT vote literally can decide the winner of a very tight race. CBS News looks at the cruel batshitery directed at young teenagers.  Here are excerpts:

The civil rights group Wyoming Equality accused Wyoming Sen. Lynn Hutchings of comparing homosexuality to bestiality and pedophilia in a meeting last week with LGBTQ youth, according to an informal complaint made public by the organization.

The advocacy group posted the complaint Friday afternoon on its website. It also posted a link to the complaint on its Facebook page.

“It is our understanding that while the state legislature’s anti-harassment policy mentions no protected classes, including sexual orientation and gender identity, Senator Hutchings’ behavior was unacceptable and inexcusable,” the complaint reads. “Fourteen- and fifteen-year old high school students wishing to engage with the legislative process should not have been confronted with the comments made by Senator Hutchings.”

Hutchings did not respond to email and phone requests seeking comment Friday.

On Feb. 1, the Cheyenne-based organization hosted Gay-Straight Alliance Civics Day at the Capitol, giving members of LGBTQ activist clubs across the state an opportunity to “learn about state government and civic engagement,” according to a Wyoming Equality announcement Friday. At this year’s event, Hutchings met with 10 members of the Cheyenne Central High School Gay Straight Alliance, who had requested to speak to her about House Bill 230, known as the “Enhancing Quality Employment Law,” according to Wyoming Equality.

The students wanted Hutchings, their district representative, to support the bill, according to the complaint letter.

According to the complaint, she responded by saying: “If my sexual orientation was to have sex with all of the men in there and I had sex with all of the women in there and then they brought their children and I had sex with all of them and then brought their dogs in and I had sex with them, should I be protected for my sexual orientation?”

Cheyenne Mayor Marian Orr tweeted Friday night, "Shame on you, Sen Hutchings. We deserve better. Our youth deserve better. Bestiality is equivalent to being gay? Really?"

After Hutchings allegedly made the comments, she rebuffed the students’ attempts to clarify the meaning of the bill, . . . All other discussions with legislators that day were “civil and respectful no matter where the legislators stood on bills and issues,” the complaint states.

“This incident is not unique,” the announcement says. “We hear stories like this across Wyoming all time. The difference is this happened at the state legislature where every Wyomingite should be welcomed and given the respect and dignity we all deserve.”

Hutchings has made comments critical of homosexuality before. When the Legislature debated domestic partnership legislation in 2013, Hutchings said being gay was harmful to the mind, spirit and body and noted the number of cases of AIDS.

What I find bizarre is that Hutchings is black and Republican - sort of an oxymoron.