Valentina Gomez, who campaigned for Missouri Secretary of State with a platform centered around her anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric, placed sixth out of eight candidates in the GOP primary. Gomez’s campaign garnered national media attention for its controversial stances and provocative tactics. Her campaign slogan, “Don’t be weak and gay,” and frequent use of derogatory language against LGBTQ+ individuals drew widespread condemnation. But she did not stop. Her campaign was marked by extreme measures, including a video where she used a flamethrower to destroy LGBTQ+ books. There are instances of using anti-LGBTQ+ slurs on social media. In one video, she infamously said, “In America, you can be anything you want. So don’t be weak and gay. Stay f**king hard.” As the primary approached, Gomez's rhetoric became even more inflammatory, including derogatory comments about Vice President Kamala Harris and Democrats. She called Harris, “an Indian hoe” and said Democrats are “gay, vaccinated, and cannot reproduce.” But, these tactics did not translate into primary votes. In addition to her poor primary performance, Gomez’s campaign negatively impacted her personal life, including the loss of her job at Purina dog food and her brother’s job with the Democratic mayor of Jersey City due to his campaign donation. Since the election, Gomez has not made any further public statements. #Queer Up Politics