Gay Iowa Candidate’s Home Vandalized With Homophobic Slurs

An openly gay Democratic nominee for supervisor in Black Hawk County, Iowa woke up Thursday to find his home vandalized with anti-gay slurs.

The vandal or vandals used black spray paint to write “fag” on Chris Schwartz’s campaign sign and “Lev 20:13” on his front door. Other campaign signs promoting Democratic candidates had black lines crossing out their names.Leviticus 20:13 reads:

“If a man lies with a male as with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination; they shall surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.”

“It struck some fear into me. Especially the word ‘fag.’ It’s such a hateful word, and something I experienced all throughout my childhood,” he told the Des Moines Register.  Schwartz shares the home with his boyfriend and campaign manager, Logun Buckley. “The Leviticus reference outside my front door, that’s a death threat to us.”

Schwartz said the Waterloo Police Department came early Thursday to take a report. He has requested the case be forwarded to the FBI as a hate crime investigation.

“Under Iowa code it is classified as a hate crime,” said Capt. Dave Mohlis with the Waterloo Police Department. “The whole incident is under investigation. If at some point it feels like it qualifies as something for the federal government to look into, we will be sure to get them involved.”

Though officials haven’t taken any suspects into custody, many are pointing fingers at local Christian group Cedar Valley Patriots for Christ, who have repeatedly lambasted Schwartz on social media and called the vandalism a “hoax…right out of the leftist playbook.”

Schwartz, however, is not running scared.

“We’re going to in the meantime keep our campaign going, which has been a campaign of love and tolerance. We want to let people know we’re not going to tolerate this kind of hate. And we’re not going to be intimidated by it either.”