The 45-year-old special education teacher had a crack at the same seat in the Des Moines suburb in the fall, when he placed fourth in a race for three open seats. This time, the election would be a clear choice between Gutmann – an openly gay elementary school teacher, a member of the teacher’s union, a Democrat, and an outspoken progressive – and his Republican opponent – a social conservative backed by “parental rights” advocates. Gutmann knew he’d be a magnet for controversy in a state where Donald Trump won by 10 points.

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Gutmann said his strategy was to reach voters by emphasizing his commitment to issues he felt people agreed on: children should be safe in schools, public money should support schools that are open to everyone, and library materials shouldn’t be censored. That caught the attention of Moms for Liberty, the far-right group that claims to advocate for parents’ rights in schools while freaking out about students “encouraging bisexuality” in schools and LGBTQ suicide hotlines working to prevent suicide.
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Voters in the school district, asserted Gutmann, “are ready to really move on and find agreement and consensus.”
It turned out that the school teacher was right. Gutmann won his special election in July by 12 points.


https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/08/gay-teacher-ran-school-board-seat-targeted-moms-liberty-overcame-won/