Lesbian couple targeted with anonymous letter for supporting LGBT candidate
Openly LGBT+ candidate Sharice Davids is running for Congress in Kansas (Sharice Davids/Twitter)
A lesbian couple living in Kansas have received an anonymous letter questioning their support for Democratic Party candidate Sharice Davids, who could become the state’s first openly LGBT+ and Native American representative in Congress.
One of the women who received the message, Kate Guimbellot, replied to the letter in a public post on Facebook and Kansas State House Representative candidate Angela Justus Schweller published a picture of the letter in a post on her Facebook page on Friday (November 2), expressing solidarity to the couple.
“Fear and ignorance are a dangerous combination. And that mixture showed itself in our life today. We received a mailed envelope with no return address. Within was a letter filled with ignorance, bigotry, fear, small mindedness, and attempted intimidation,” Guimbellot wrote on Facebook commenting on the letter.
A portion of the letter the lesbian couple received. (Angela Justus Schweller/Facebook)
The letter’s opening line read: “Question: Are you and your ‘partner’ voting for Sharice Davids simply because she is gay, like you and your ‘partner’?”
The message then proceeded to list the reasons why Davids is a “radically liberal nominee,” including her support for abortions rights. The anonymous sender wrote that if the couple supports her positions, they should “put a sign” in their yard as to “let you [sic] neighbors know who you really are” and should “feel free to move to Venezuela” if they “truly believe far left Socialism/Communism” is the answer.
Recent polls have placed Davids, an attorney and a former mixed martial arts fighter, comfortably ahead of her rival Kevin Yoder. Perhaps frustrated with her lead, in October local Republican precinct committeeman Michael Kalny branded Davids a “radical socialist kickboxing lesbian Indian” that would “be sent back packing to the reservation” in a Facebook message addressed to Anne Pritchett, president of the Johnson County Democratic Women’s north chapter.
Kansas Congressional candidate Sharice Davids is leading the polls. (Sharice Davids/Facebook)
In her response to the letter, Guimbellot denounced the anonymous write’s attempt to diminish her relationship to her wife—”Sorry to disappoint. We are very much married and happily raising an amazing kid,” she wrote—and expressed defiance at the intimidatory attempt.
She then added: “Let me tell you what we believe, since you spent so much time writing about what you THINK we believe in. We believe in your right to love who you wish. We believe you are divine. We believe you should be able to cast your vote without fear. We believe you should be able to worship as you see fit. We believe you deserve love and acceptance.”
In her message, Guimbellot said she notified the authorities about the letter: “The officer from the Olathe Police Department agrees your letter is “not ok” and says that no one should receive something like this. So he and his crew will be visiting our home and neighborhood often in the next several months. And he has everything documented.”
She also invited the anonymous sender to come forward, so they can be invited to the couple’s next Pride celebrations. “I will rise above and invite you to come join us for the next gay pride. I’ve decided we need a huge rainbow flag so our guests can find our house for the First Annual Drag Queen and Everyone Else Welcome tea party. I’d send an invite but you were too weak to sign your name to your letter. Let me know your info and I’ll send you all the deets,” she wrote.
