Drag Queens, a Transgender Pastor, Anti-Abortion Rallies: Inside a Democratic Governor's Progressive Church

Rob Sand regularly attends the Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, which has hosted drag queen concerts and invited a transgender pastor.

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In one of the nation's most heated gubernatorial races, the Democratic nominee has worked to project a moderate image — while reportedly attending a church that openly embraces some of the progressive causes that divide voters in Iowa.

According to a local journalist, Rob Sand, Iowa's state auditor and Democratic candidate for governor, has been a regular attender at the Plymouth Congregational United Christian Church in the state capital since late 2025. Over the years, Plymouth has hosted and promoted drag queen performances, invited a transgender pastor to serve as guest pastor, and openly supported abortion.

Sand has emphasized his faith on the campaign trail, frequently referring to Christianity and quoting the Bible, and at times successfully appealing to conservative Iowans. In addition to relying on his faith, Sand has repeatedly described himself as an independent, claims to have voted Republican in the past, said he sometimes prefers working with Republicans over Democrats, and calls political parties "poison."

"I'm a Christian. I'm a conservative. But I'm not a party person," one voter was quoted as saying in a Sound press release. "I like to vote for the opposite party. And I think (Shen) just seems really honest and down to earth and I enjoyed him."

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However, Sand's reported church attendance links him to a congregation whose progressive religious and political stances are at odds with the moderate image he has espoused on the campaign trail.

The Church of the Sun is open about its progressive leanings, with its "About" page showing an image of the church in a gay pride parade, noting that the church does not take the Bible literally, and stating that it has "been an open and affirming LGBTQ+ congregation for over 30 years."

An image of the church in a profile compiled by the United Church of Christ shows it raising a pride flag on the ground and notes that the church is "a progressive powerhouse in the region."

The mention of sex toys was a reference to FirmTech, a company that makes wearable sexual health devices and once counted GOP gubernatorial candidate Zach Lahn as an investor. Lan believes the product was originally developed to monitor cardiovascular health, and he gave it up before the company moved into more sexual marketing.

Sand also pointed to Lane's regular flights to Kansas, arguing that the flights show poor relations with the state he wants to govern. Meanwhile, Lahn says he lives full-time in Iowa, explaining that the flights are a product of his having to take kids from a previous trip.

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Plymouth's progressive reputation is well earned.

In May 2025, Plymouth hosted drag queen Flemmy Grant for a concert, bringing an artist whose broader catalog includes sexually explicit lyrics to the progressive Des Moines community, according to the event's publicity.

In one of her songs, "Give Me a Chance," not to be confused with the ABBA classic of the same name, Grant sings, "I'm a patient lover unless I finish my job first. And I expect you to finish me off if the roles were reversed. "I keep my sexual history a secret."

In another track, the drag queen complained about her childhood church, saying, "I guess the lesson there was God only hears a prayer if it comes from someone with a c---." The song goes on to state that "secretly most men just fear the rapture" and praises Eve for disobeying God by eating the forbidden fruit.

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Democratic candidate for governor of Iowa, Rob Sand. (Rob Sand for Iowa)

About a year later, Plymouth advertised a drag event on its Facebook page at a nearby church billed as a "Family Friendly Karaoke Fundraiser" featuring drag queen Tess Tora. Tora hosts a podcast that discusses, among other topics, unprotected gay sex.

In the same vein, Plymouth invited transgender pastor Paula Stone Williams to serve as guest pastor for one weekend in 2023, according to local media reports. At the time, Williams had recently published a book, As a Woman: What I Learned About Power, Gender, and the Patriarchy After I Transitioned.

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The Des Moines skyline is seen from the Two Rivers Park Lookout on October 9, 2025 in Des Moines, Iowa. (Cody Scanlan/The Register/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

Some of Plymouth's LGBTQ advocacy is aimed at young children.

Plymouth revealed in a 2025 job posting that it is partnering with the Rainbow Faith Coalition, a group that says "LGBTQ+ identities are God-given, respected, and celebrated" and that "living out these identities in name, pronoun, relationship, and gender expression is not a barrier to participation in religious programming and children's education in any area."

The church also offers Planning Our Lives, a sex education curriculum published by the Unitarian Universalist Church and the United Church of Christ, with classes starting in first grade that cover topics such as sex, relationships, gender identity and sexual health.

Similar to its theology, the church's politics are quite liberal.

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In February 2025, for example, Plymouth pastors joined a protest at the Iowa State Capitol to "pray and advocate for our trans and gender nonconforming friends and neighbors," in a post on the church's Facebook page. According to another church Facebook post, a few years ago, church leadership attended a pro-LGBTQ rally outside the statehouse.

"Plymouth's bold social justice presence is a hallmark of the community and is often cited as a reason for new members to join the congregation," a 2025 church job posting states. We are committed to advancing justice, equality, and compassion within and beyond our community."

In fact, when the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Condemning Wade, Plymouth mobilized to fight pro-life legislation, supporting those fighting for "reproductive health care" and calling women "all who are capable of bearing life." The church held a vigil in support of abortion in May 2022, and protested efforts to regulate abortion in July 2023 at the state capital.

After former President Joe Biden became the first president to officially recognize a Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021, Plymouth followed suit by sending Facebook messages to his followers on Transgender Day of Visibility and Transgender Days of Remembrance between 2021 and 2023.

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