KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Ryan Utterback, a man who wanted LGBTQ books banned from the North Kansas City School District, was booked into the Clay County Detention Center on child molestation and domestic assault charges on Dec. 14, 2021. He’s also been charged with furnishing pornographic material to a minor.
On Oct. 26, 2021, Utterback was with James Richmond, the President of the Northland Parent Association, at the North Kansas City school board meeting. Richmond was speaking about the book “Fun Home,” which is a memoir that reportedly contains sex acts between women.
“I am shocked and absolutely aggravated at what is in our school systems, what’s in our school libraries and what is available to these students,” Richmond said. “This book here called ‘Fun Home,’ is a graphic novel. Not only when you think of a graphic novel, you think of a comic book, but that is not the case here. This graphic novel actually has this material in it.”
The man holding up the signs for Richmond that night was Utterback. The books they wanted banned are now back on school shelves.
“When I heard about that, the irony was just really there. Haha,” Gladstone resident Parker Christian said.
Christian started a Facebook group called “Ryan Utterback Case Discussion.” He also started a petition to get Utterback’s $25,000 bond revoked. The petition had more than 660 signatures Monday afternoon.
Christian’s request has been denied, according to a clerk from the Clay County Courthouse.
“At the end of the day, if I can bring this to light, then maybe I can keep them safe in the future,” Christian said.
We reached out to Richmond Monday morning.
“Ryan was an attendee at the board meeting,” he said. “I needed help holding a presentation, and he helped. I can’t comment on the alleged charges against him, because I have no knowledge about them and they have nothing to do with me or the Northland Parent Association.”
We reached out to Utterback’s attorney David Bell, who would not comment on the case. Utterback’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 10 at the Clay County Courthouse.
