GOP Candidate Tells Voters “Don’t Be Weak and Gay” in Bizarre Video

In a ridiculous, low-budget video published to social media, a Missouri Republican candidate warned voters to not be “weak and gay.”

Valentina Gomez, who is running for secretary of state in Missouri, posted the video of her jogging down an empty suburban street in an ill-fitting ballistic vest.

“In America, you can be anything you want, so don’t be weak and gay,” she said. “Stay fucking hard.”

????Don’t be weak and gay????August 6th is the day we take Missouri back from these corrupt politicians. @Cobratate @TateTheTalisman????MAGA pic.twitter.com/sKoY650Dmw

— Valentina Gomez (@ValentinaForSOS) May 13, 2024

Gomez, who is 24, previously published a video depicting herself using a flamethrower to burn books, harkening back to book burnings common in Nazi Germany against literature deemed “un-German.”

Gomez’s videos appear to be an attempt to provoke attention for her campaign, where she is facing off against seven other candidates for secretary of state. Missouri has been increasingly hostile toward LGBTQ+ youth, banning some gender-affirming care for minors in 2023. That same year, 43 anti-trans bills were introduced to the state Senate, according to Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent tool kit. Only three of the bills introduced were passed, including a ban on trans youth participating in sports based on their gender identity.

Gomez’s “weak and gay” video has so far racked up over two million views, with many commenters making fun of Gomez for the video. While Gomez is running a patently Christofascist campaign, it’s unclear whether she would make exceptions for people to be either weak or gay—or how her fixation on hating queer people relates to the job duties of secretary of state.