For a Lutheran Pastor, Sarah Trone Garriott seems remarkably intent on dismantling the foundational beliefs of the very community she claims to represent. While she often presents herself as a moderate voice for families, an investigation into her legislative record and public statements reveals an agenda that is not only out of step with the voters she’s seeking to represent.

According to Pew Research, a clear majority of Protestant Americans support limits on gender ideology. In fact, 68% favor requiring athletes to compete based on biological sex, and 53% believe public facilities should match one’s sex assigned at birth. Yet, an investigation by IFR shows Trone Garriott has spent her career in the statehouse working to ensure those mainstream views never become Iowa law.

Targeting the Classroom: Sex Ed for Five-Year-Olds

Perhaps most concerning for Iowa parents is Trone Garriott’s vision for the classroom. While most families believe the early elementary years should focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic, STG has consistently pushed to bring sexual politics to the playground.

In one of her most extreme legislative moves, Trone Garriott cosponsored a bill to require sex education starting in Kindergarten. Not content with just introducing these topics to five-year-olds, she also voted against banning instruction on gender identity theory in K-6 classrooms.

In her world, a child who is still learning to tie their shoes should simultaneously be navigating the complexities of gender theory. This position puts her directly at odds with the vast majority of Iowa parents who want to protect the innocence of early childhood.

A Legislative Record of Radicalism

When it comes to the physical safety and development of Iowa’s youth, the record is equally startling. While states like Illinois and Massachusetts continue to embrace a “no-limits” approach to gender ideology, Iowa legislators have worked to establish common-sense safeguards. Trone Garriott, however, has consistently voted against those safeguards:

• Gender Procedures for Minors: She voted against legislation prohibiting life-altering gender transition procedures for minors, including the use of puberty blockers and surgical procedures on children.

• Biological Reality in Sports: She voted against preventing biological men from competing in girls’ sports.

• Privacy and Safety: She voted against requiring students to use school bathrooms that correspond with their biological sex.

From the Pulpit to the Extreme

The disconnect began to sharpen in 2023 during a speech at Ames First United Methodist Church. There, Trone Garriott didn’t just advocate for inclusivity; she praised the GLBTQ movement as a deliberate “challenge to the status quo of who’s a man and who’s a woman.”

She didn’t stop there. In a bizarre rhetorical turn, she claimed that protecting women’s sports was less about fairness and more about “white men” feeling “responsible” to protect “fragile, feminine, and weak” women. It is a dismissive take on female athletes that would look more at home in a radical academic seminar in California than a community gathering in Iowa.

The Disconnect

The contrast couldn’t be clearer. While Iowans are looking for stability and the protection of their children, Sarah Trone Garriott is busy cosponsoring sex ed for kindergartners and defending surgical procedures for minors.