Owatonna LGBTQ group calls for mayor's resignation over 'homophobic' actions

An Owatonna LGBTQ+ group is calling for the city's mayor to resign over "distressing and disappointing" actions they say were homophobic and discriminatory.

In an open letter to Mayor Tom Kuntz and the Owatonna City Council published Tuesday, Rainbowatonna organizer Nathan Black said Kuntz used his elected position to harass and intimidate people involved in Owatonna's Pride celebration on July 8.

The celebration included a service at Associated Church in the morning, festivities at Morehouse Park Pavilion in the afternoon and a drag show after party at the Owatonna Arts Center. Organizers initially booked Torey's Restaurant and Bar to host the drag show, but switched venues after Torey's management grew concerned about safety issues stemming from complaints they received.

In the letter, Black said Kuntz spoke to pastors at Associated Church about two weeks before the service, where he acted upset and asked several "bizarre" questions, including whether there would be stripper poles in the sanctuary.

Kuntz later spoke with the manager of Torey's restaurant, which Black found out about after the drag show took place.

While the events went well, Black said he wasn't concerned about the mayor's behavior until earlier this week, when he found a photo Kuntz posted last month on social media of a prayer he wrote.

In the prayer, Kuntz asked for wisdom in the face of upcoming public events "where sin and brokenness will be celebrated and where sexually explicit acts will be normalized." Kuntz doesn't mention a specific event but does call for prayer over the next few weeks "until July 8."

Kuntz captioned the photo, "a good prayer."

"The only satisfactory response from Mayor Kuntz is his immediate resignation," Black wrote. "There is no place for homophobic bigotry in city government."

Kuntz, who has been mayor since 2004, declined an interview but said he has reached out to Black and offered to sit down and talk through the issue. But earlier this week he confirmed some parts of Black's letter to the Owatonna People's Press.

"A couple people asked if there was going to be pole dancing, so I asked that," he said to the People's Press.

Kuntz also told the People's Press he felt God would not approve of drag shows and homosexuality.

The mayor's actions come around the same time as a public message he issued condemning racist and anti-Semitic fliers that were passed around during Owatonna's Juneteenth celebration. Kuntz said in the statement there was no place for hate in the city.

"I hope you will join me in standing up for equal rights for all who call Owatonna 'home.'" Kuntz wrote. "All are welcome here."

Black said Friday Kunst's actions were inappropriate as an elected official and could stir up prejudice against gay and transgender people in the area. Black said LGBTQ friends and neighbors have had Pride flags ripped down or their homes egged, and he's concerned Kuntz's behavior will lead to more incidents in the future.

"Every interaction he had he was introducing himself as the mayor," Black said. "There are real consequences to his actions when they're so public."

Black said he and the Rainbowatonna board plan to invite Kuntz to a public sit-down next week. Black said he hopes to come to an agreement that addresses the board's concerns. He stressed he and others are trying to hold Kuntz accountable as a public official, rather than attack his personal views.

"The hope is that there's change and reconciliation and we can actually have confidence in our local government to treat everyone equitably and fairly," Black said.