Wichita GOP in chaos over transgender proclamation; Tuttle avoids censure, Wu flails | Opinion
Well, we’re apparently nowhere near the end of the saga of the proclamation that will not die.
Without a vote, the Sedgwick County Republican Party on Thursday tabled an effort to censure Wichita City Council member Becky Tuttle for breaking from party orthodoxy and voting in favor of a council proclamation honoring the Transgender Day of Visibility.
But the meeting ended in chaotic shouting by both sides and a censure vote still apparently looms as a possibility.
Meanwhile, Mayor Lily Wu is rapidly turning the ongoing controversy into the biggest political blunder by a mayor since her predecessor Brandon Whipple’s mattress-disposal gaffe, which haunted his reelection bid.
More on Wu in a minute, but first, let’s talk Tuttle.
A significant fraction of the party’s county committee left disgruntled after party Chairman John Whitmer announced there would be no censure vote Thursday night, because Tuttle and whoever had crafted the censure resolution had agreed to meet and try to work out their differences.
Some of the precinct committee members said they weren’t satisfied and still wanted to talk about it, and it was then that the meeting dissolved into a shouting match between censure opponents and censure supporters.
Anti-censure forces appeared to be the majority of the 100 Republicans at the meeting. But it was unclear who was a precinct committee person and who wasn’t. Only committee members can vote.
After Whitmer’s announcement, political consultant and precinct committeeman Joseph “Tex” Dozier tried to keep the discussion going — over vocal objections from Tuttle supporters. He said he has extensive experience with censure votes in other areas and had helped remove city council members and others he called “really questionable Republicans.”
Whitmer sought to tamp things down and the meeting officially ended when former Sedgwick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn shouted a motion to adjourn from the audience, that was hastily seconded and passed on a voice vote decided by Whitmer.
Dozier continued to speak after adjournment, until a large man shouted from the audience “You’re out of line. Hush it! It’s been shelved. Take it outside if you still want to talk about it.”
“Who are you?” a couple of others demanded to know.
“I’m Michael Sampson, precinct committee person.”
“So are we,” retorted several others.
It finally broke up after Whitmer snatched the microphone from Dozier and party Treasurer Bryan Frye stepped in and urged everybody to clear out — which they did, but not without murmurs of “So much for transparency.”
The controversy within the party stems from Tuttle’s vote in favor of the Transgender Day proclamation on March 18.
After that, anonymous members of the Republican precinct committee floated a proposed censure resolution accusing her of violating the “traditional values” of the party and raising “concerns about her commitment to representing the party’s core constituency.”
I’m sure whoever proposed this expected it would pass overwhelmingly among the GOP precinct captains. Prejudice against LGBT people, especially the “Ts,” has been a staple of the Republican brand for years — from book bans in local school districts to executive orders from the White House to limit their participation in society.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the latest exercise in casual bigotry. A lot of people stepped up and told the anti-trans mob in no uncertain terms: We like Becky Tuttle. Better than we like you.
One of the first prominent Republicans to back Tuttle’s right to freedom of thought was Frye, himself a former Wichita City Council member and conservative.
“I’m speaking for myself as one of the members of the Sedgwick County Republican Party leadership team. I do not agree with this censure action,” Frye commented on Facebook under a piece I ran Tuesday morning on the topic.
Later, at Tuesday’s council meeting, three members said they stand with Tuttle.
Somewhat ironically, it was the three registered Democrats, Mike Hoheisel, Brandon Johnson and Maggie Ballard (the council is legally nonpartisan, but in practice is as partisan as a Trump rally).
None of the council Republicans stood up for Tuttle.
Council member Dalton Glasscock referred to Tuttle, who is unarguably female, as “Councilman Tuttle.” Freudian slip perhaps?
Then he added the stunning insight that council members are “accountable to their constituencies.”
Council member J.V. Johnston didn’t say anything.
Wu proceeded to make it about herself, quoting a nasty email that she got from an unnamed person that said:
“(Racial slur for Asian people). . . transphobic racist b----, you’re done go back to Guatemala where you f------ belong don’t you ever run for mayor again, because you may be deported hey, here comes ice ice baby Love, peace, hope and happiness.”
She later posted that full email online, along with another one from a person identifying themself as gay, also unnamed, which read in part:
“To the (City Council) members who chose to support the unneeded proclamation, naming a day for transgender appreciation day. Gay community members would benefit most if elected leaders would focus on important issues . . . We see this for what it is and we want no part of this meddling in our lives. This brings unwanted, and unhealthy attention to me and other gay people in Wichita.”
If the message is actually from a gay person, I have zero sympathy.
This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this take. And I would say to anyone who says this that millions of Americans — gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and straight — fought for decades for your right to live authentically as who you are. So if you’ve achieved a level of acceptance and comfort in society, it’s selfish and unprincipled for you to deny the same rights of human dignity to others who are being discriminated against.
The message Wu read from the council bench is racist and it’s ugly. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of that going around this year.
One might think that the attack on herself might sensitize the mayor to the fact that transgender individuals face that same kind of abusive vilification every day of their lives.
If you don’t believe me, here are some of the Facebook comments in response to my Tuesday column:
▪ “There should be NO TRANSGENDER PROCLAMATION PERIOD!! All you’re doing is saying it’s ok to be a perv!!”
▪ “btw: who’s the dude w/ the (vulgar slang for breasts) ??”
This comment was in reference to a photo of Abi Boatman, a transgender woman and Air Force veteran who accepted the proclamation on behalf of the city’s transgender community.
▪ “the LGBT (Letting Go of Biblical/Biological Truth) is deviant and dysfunctional. Mental illness should be treated, not celebrated!”
That one’s from a Christian pastor.
So to the mayor, I would advise thusly: If you want good people to stand up for you when you’re being attacked, you might try standing up for them when they are.
The enemy is hate.
This story was originally published April 18, 2025 at 5:20 AM.
