Missouri MAGA candidate films herself taking flamethrower to LGBTQ books

A pro-Trump candidate in Missouri posted a video of herself to X on Tuesday, using a flamethrower to torch books with LGBTQ themes.

"This is what I will do to the grooming books when I am Secretary of State," Valentina Gomez said in the video, before lighting up the flamethrower and burning two books to cinders, while rap music played in the background.

"These books come from a Missouri public library," she added. "When I'm in office, they will burn."

Republicans across the country have pushed for new laws to allow citizen challenges to books that have racial or LGBTQ themes in school libraries. However, sometimes these crusades have extended to public libraries, and on one occasion, even a lawsuit filed against the private bookseller Barnes & Noble to restrict the books from being sold.

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Often, right-wing activists behind these challenges have accused schools of attempting to "groom" children — a callback to slurs and conspiracy theories used by reactionaries seeking to ban the open expression of LGBTQ identity in public spaces.

In some cases, these laws have spurred backlash. In Florida, which was a testing ground for many of these laws, Republican legislators are considering new limits on how extensively books can be removed from schools.

Watch the video below or at the link here.

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