Wyoming Democratic Party Chair: Hutchings Must Resign
The Chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party says Wyoming Senator Lynn Hutchings [R-Laramie County] should resign over comments she allegedly made to a group of high school students earlier this month.
The party released this statement from Chairman Joe Barbuto on the Wyoming Democratic Party Facebook Page: “Sen. Hutchings’s comments are indefensible, insensitive, and repugnant. Her remarks were not appropriate for any audience, but that she said this to children is especially revolting. It shows a clear lack of good judgment. Senate District 5 deserves a Senator who they can trust to behave and speak in a manner that upholds the dignity of the office and reflects an understanding that every person deserves to be treated with respect. Lynn Hutchings is now incapable of providing that level of representation. She must resign immediately.”
The LGBTQ advocacy group Wyoming Equality claims Hutchings made the following comments to members of the Cheyenne Central High School Gay-Straight Alliance on Feb. 1:“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?” Wyoming Equality filed an informal complaint with the leadership of the Wyoming Senate over the alleged comments.
The Republican leaders of the Senate released a statement on Monday afternoon saying "no one should be made to feel dismissed, disrespected, or degraded." The leadership also pledged to address the matter over the coming days and to be fair to both Senator Hutchings and the students.