Christian Smith
ST. LOUIS (KTVI) – Valentina Gomez, a Republican candidate for Missouri secretary of state, told would-be voters not to be “weak and gay” in a provocative campaign video released on social media over the weekend.
“In America, you can be whatever you want, so don’t be weak and gay,” she says as she runs through the streets of St. Louis. described as a heavy vest. The song “The Show Goes On” by rapper Lupe Fiasco is dubbed in the video.
Gomez shared the video on Sunday, May 12, via X It is Instagram.
“To stay [expletive] difficult,” Gomez says before the video cuts to a photo of her holding a rifle and a pistol in each hand. She tagged social media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate in the post. The Tate brothers are currently under investigation in Romania for rape and human trafficking, and face additional charges in England.
Gomez’s video has more than 2 million views on X and 7,200 likes on Instagram as of early Wednesday afternoon.
“It’s scary,” a user X wrotewhile someone else called the “bizarre” video.
Some Democratic leaders also condemned Gomez’s comments.
“For all LGBTQIA Missourians, your existence should not be used as a political football,” said Missouri State House Minority Leader Crystal Quade (D), running for governor of Missouri. said in a Tuesday post in X. “You are loved and you belong in Missouri and I won’t stop until our laws reflect that.”
Gomez, a self-described real estate investor, is running to succeed Jay Ashcroft as Missouri Secretary of State this fall. Ashcroft is running to become the next governor of Missouri.
His latest video wasn’t the first to circulate nationally this year. In February, she shared a video of herself setting LGBTQ-inclusive books on fire with a flamethrower. She claimed she would burn “all books that groom, indoctrinate and sexualize our children” if elected.
It’s also not the first time she’s used comments like “Don’t be weak and gay” on social media; Her too published this sentence at X in March.
Some LGBTQ+ X users mocked the video saying they agreed with the sentiment.
“I’m not a Republican, but she kind of ate here,” he said a user term “ate” originated in black and Latino drag culture and means “doing a good job” or “that’s right.”
Another person grace: “Has she seen gay men? They’re in the gym more than anyone.”
One X user playing around theorized that “gays will literally put this on a dance track.”
Online has long been a tradition that some members of the LGBTQ+ community laugh at homophobia to lessen its effects.
Some memes that have emerged in this regard include the “Millie Bobbie Brown is homophobic” meme from 2018 and, more recently, Whitney Chewston, a dachshund owned by a gay couple. The dog gained internet fame when LGBTQ+ users posted innocent-looking photos of him with captions like “I have a homophobic slur to say” or “Pack your bags, Skittles Squad.”
Gomez reiterated her comments in a statement to Nexstar’s KTVI on Thursday, saying, “President Trump and I are leading the charge to take back our country from the weak, gay Biden administration.” However, Trump did not approve Gomez or publicly acknowledged his recent comments.
According to the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office, Gomez and 10 other people submitted documentation to campaign as the next secretary of state. The lineup so far includes seven other Republican candidates, three Democrats and one Libertarian candidate.
