Iowa Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Rob Sand Attends Church that Hosts 'Family Friendly' Drag Shows and Radical Sex-Ed for Children

Iowa Democrat Gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand attends a far-left “LGBTQ+ Open and Affirming” church that hosts drag shows and indoctrinates young children with gender ideology-infused sex education. Sand is running against Republican candidate Zach Lahn, a private school founder, farmer and businessman, and is leading by an average of over 8 points, according to RealClear Polling. Sand is pitching himself as a middle-of-the-road “governor for all” and claims on the campaign trail that he is exhausted by the culture war — although reading about the church he attends gives one the impression he is the same breed as Texas gubernatorial hopeful James Talarico and propped up by the same seemingly godless social justice warrior theology. Sand — who says he often asks himself “What Would Jesus Do?” — grew up Lutheran and attends Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Des Moines, according to Iowa columnist Chuck Offenburger. The church’s website establishes it as an “LGBTQ+ Open & Affirming Congregation” and calls the Bible a “beautiful and baffling book” that they take “seriously, not literally,” eschewing the Christian position that the Bible is the inerrant word of God. In 1993, Plymouth Church became one of the first churches to adopt a policy welcoming LGBT-identifying people and call itself an “open and affirming” (ONA) congregation. The ONA Coalition notably recommends congregations make “pronoun buttons or stickers for use on Sundays and practice introducing yourselves with your pronouns as part of your introduction.” The coalition also recommends congregations openly show their acceptance of LGBTQ+ on social media, websites, Sunday bulletins, and by flying a rainbow flag or banner outside the church. Plymouth Church has participated in many “pride” festivals, pro-LGBTQ+ rallies, and protests over the years. In 2024, the church helped lead the first-ever ecumenical worship service on the main stage of the Des Moines Pride Festival, according to a recent job posting. In 2025, pastors for the church participated in a protest in the Iowa statehouse to “pray and stand up for our trans and gender nonconforming friends and neighbors.” Screenshot 2026-10-12 at 3.37.12 PM (Plymouth Church) The church also hosted a “transgender” pastor — a man pretending to be a woman — Rev. Paula Stone Williams in 2023, Offenburger wrote in his column. The church regularly celebrates “Transgender Day of Remembrance” and “Transgender Day of Visibility” on social media. Screenshot 2026-10-12 at 3.37.49 PM (Plymouth Church) Screenshot 2026-10-12 at 3.38.33 PM (Plymouth Church) Plymouth Church also promotes and hosts drag performer events. In May of 2025, the church hosted a concert by a drag performer “Flamy Grant.” The event page described the concert as a “celebration of authenticity and radical love” for “anyone seeking a night of joy, hope, and affirmation.” In February of 2026, the church promoted a “family friendly” event hosted by a drag queen. Screenshot 2026-10-12 (Plymouth Church) Most notably, the church provides “Our Whole Lives” (OWL) Programming, a kindergarten through adult sexuality education curriculum co-published by the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. OWL includes a program for 5- to 7-year-olds called “Under Your Wing,” which introduces young children to concepts like transgenderism and “gender identity.” One of the recommended books is called “Jack (Not Jackie).” “An older sister is at first sad when her younger sibling who was assigned female at birth identifies as a boy. Parents support the child’s transition and eventually the older sister realizes she loves her brother,” the program’s book synopsis reads. Other suggestions include “gender neutral” books about “bodies that have penises” and “bodies that have vulvas and vaginas,” and a video with a host using a teddy bear to “explain queer topics…in a way that’s understandable by young children.” Neither Sand nor Plymouth Church responded by time of publication to requests for comment. “This is disturbing material, but it’s right in line with Rob Sand’s liberal views,” a Lahn campaign spokesman told Breitbart News via email. “If you believe men can become women, then what’s to stop you from teaching it to schoolchildren? Values matter and Rob’s values are NOT Iowa values.” Besides pushing LGBTQ+ propaganda, the church supports Black Lives Matter, flooding the U.S. with migrants, and killing unborn babies in abortions. After Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, Plymouth Church said it supported those mobilizing to advocate for “reproductive care,” the left’s euphemism for abortion. The church used the term “all who hold the potential to bear life,” rather than saying “women.” The church held a prayer vigil in support of abortion in May of 2022 and praised its members for attending a pro-abortion rally at the Iowa Statehouse in July of 2023, according to posts on social media. Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.