Kentucky Democrat Gov. Andy Beshear on Monday named award-winning author Silas House as the state's poet laureate, but House has espoused many incendiary views against former President Donald Trump, evangelical Christians, and residents of the state's Appalachia region.
House is author of such best-selling novels as "Clay's Quilt," "A Parchment of Leaves," and "The Coal Tattoo." Beshear said at Monday's ceremony honoring House in Frankfort, Kentucky: "We are so proud of Silas, who grew up in Kentucky, was educated in Kentucky and now represents our state with such pride."
House has often taken to Twitter to espouse political and religious views that run counter to the majority of Kentucky residents, who voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2016 and 2020, and Republicans own veto-proof majorities in the General Assembly. Beshear, up for reelection this year, won his race in 2019 by about 5,000 votes.
In a May 2019 tweet, House wrote: "If you support Trump you're a bigot. Just claim it," linking to a Daily Beast story about a Trump policy that would end birthright citizenship for the children of illegal immigrants who are born on American soil.
In a June 2019 tweet, House, who is gay, wrote: "Unfortunately, Appalachia IS part of the reason Trump is in office. Unfortunately, the region as a majority IS homophobic. We can deny it all we want, but it's true. The issue is that we get ALL the blame, as this writer points out in the conclusion to this well-written piece."
In a June 2020 tweet, reacting to the Supreme Court ruling federal civil rights laws protect gay, lesbian and transgender workers, a case in which Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Brett Kavanaugh were the dissenting justices, House wrote: "I usually try to be a bit more elegant in public but this seems like a good day to tell Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh, Trump administration and all Trump fans/defenders: you can kiss my gay country a**."
House also wrote an essay in Time magazine in November in which he began: "I was raised in a church of terrorists." He also wrote: "Today, members of Congress and rising Republican stars are the ones who terrorize LGBTQ children and anyone who does not follow their doctrines."
Newsmax reached out to Beshear and House for comment.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.