Openly lesbian Missouri state Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford expressed suspicion that her sexual orientation may have been the cause of her rejection to an appointment on a House committee on children and families.

The House’s Democratic leadership submitted Mott Oxford’s name as one of five appointees to the committee, but House Speaker Ron Richard, a Republican, rejected her appointment and selected another Democratic lawmaker. According to the Kansas City Star, Mott Oxford says she has not been given a satisfactory reason for her rejection.

“The only reason cited to me so far as for why I am not on the committee is that ‘some members find me offensive,’” Oxford wrote in a letter last month to Richard. “I do not know if this is about my sexual orientation, my stance on Roe vs. Wade, or what.”

The Star writes:

Richard and the committee’s leaders, however, say no personal issues weighed into the decision. Richard said he passed over Oxford to appoint Rep. Michael Corcoran, a St. Louis County Democrat with whom he has a good relationship and who had expressed interest in the committee.

“Mike Corcoran wanted it and he’s one of my favorite guys,” Richard said. “He asked for it.”

Rep. Cynthia Davis, an O’Fallon Republican and the committee chairwoman, also called any talk of sexual orientation influencing Oxford’s committee assignments “gossip.”

“It’s absurd,” Davis said. “That never was an issue, and never was brought up in committee or out of committee.”

The House Journal, however, shows that Richard initially appointed Rep. Belinda Harris, a Hillsboro Democrat, to Children and Families. But Harris had been assigned to too many committees, opening the spot for Corcoran, who wanted to join a committee concerning education or children’s issues.

Corcoran said he supported Oxford’s appointment, and became interested in joining only after it was clear she had been left off and Harris couldn’t serve either.

Oxford is one of two openly gay lawmakers in the House. She has served on committees concerning children and families since entering the legislature in 2005, and has years of professional and volunteer experience in children’s and poverty issues. If appointed, she would have been the committee’s ranking Democrat.

“I don’t know what the reason is,” Oxford said in an interview. “Whatever it is, what bothers me is that I’m so eminently qualified to be on this committee and I’m being barred from it for some reason.”