Former state Rep. says LGBT opposition "marginalized"

A former state representative and judicial hopeful has again publicly criticized the actions of Nixa High School's Gay-Straight Alliance.

Kevin Elmer, who served two terms in the Missouri House of Representatives, said during a Friday radio interview with Nick Reed on KSGF that those who try to offer perspectives other than those commonly voiced by gay rights advocates are the ones who are marginalized, and afraid to speak out.

Reed asked Elmer to recount an incident from October 2013 when Elmer tweeted a picture of a Nixa student wearing a Nixa High School Gay-Straight Alliance shirt. He wrote along with the photo, "Nixa Schools failure. HS students working elementary school book fair in gay t-shirts."

Elmer, an attorney who recently sought appointment to a judicial post in Christian County, said he was widely criticized on social media, and told Reed there was "no tolerance of any other position" from LGBT supporters.

On Monday, the Gay-Straight Alliance is bringing LGBT activist Zach Wahls to speak at Nixa High School, in part to speak against bullying gay students. Reed and Elmer were critical of what they saw as the marginalizing of opposition to LGBT rights, arguing that those who oppose gay rights are subjected to a sort of bullying, too.

Reed brought up Heather Barwick, a woman who was raised by two lesbian women, but later in life came out against same-sex marriage, and began speaking about the importance of having both a male and female parent involved in the raising of a child.

"I wonder why is it that the school systems don't have somebody like her come," Reed said. "Why is it that the Nixa school districts don't have somebody — particularly with a different perspective, instead of the same old, same old sort of perspective."

"And I have no idea," Elmer responded. Reed then said it was because she was a "traitor" and her opinion didn't "fall in line."

"That's kind of the stories that I heard from parents and children in the schools," Elmer said. "They're kind of like 'we can't even say anything,' and it's because those that are in control don't want that voice heard."

When contacted by the News-Leader, Elmer declined to comment on any aspect of the interview.

Nixa Public Schools Superintendent Stephen Kleinsmith said in an interview with the News-Leader Friday that Wahls' visit was purely a matter of what's legal and what's not. There's no reason that someone like Barwick couldn't come speak, he said.

"The answer is simple," Kleinsmith said. "No one has asked. Mr. Elmer is an attorney, and he knows the law better than most."

Wahls said in an interview with the News-Leader Friday that the message of his speech is that "LGBT people and their children aren't alone, they're okay and it gets better."

When asked to respond to Elmer's comments from the radio interview, Wahls declined, saying he was "not particularly interested in engaging him."

He did say, however, he hoped Elmer would be in attendance at the speech on Monday.

"I think he would appreciate my message."