Last week, a video circulated the internet showing Representative Vicky Hartzler, a Republican from Missouri, crying as she pleaded with her fellow legislators to vote against the Respect for Marriage Act. The act would codify same sex and interracial marriage into law.
"I hope and pray that my colleagues will find the courage to join me in opposing this misguided and this dangerous bill," Hartzler said in the video.
Days later, Hartzler's nephew Andrew went viral on TikTok. Andrew, who is gay, talked about his aunt's beliefs, and how he came out to her earlier this year.
@andrewhartzler my aunt cried today #vickyhartzler #lgbtq #respectformarriage #religousexemption #congress #gay #missouri
In a KMOX exclusive, Andrew Hartzler shared his thoughts on his aunt's speech on the House floor. He said he was surprised by her speech because he noticed when Congress initially voted on the bill earlier in the year, his aunt didn't vote.
"I kind of took it as like, oh, you have a gay nephew so you aren't gonna vote. I guess that was just a misunderstanding," Andrew said. "So whenever I saw her video, her display of emotion, I was surprised. But again, she does have a long history of hurtful rhetoric towards the LGBTQ community."
Andrew said he was taken aback, and found it especially troubling in the wake of the shooting at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado.
"Words have power. So when you go on a platform, and you spread messages that demonize an entire community, then there's extremists in this world, too, who will take those things to the highest level and act out and real world violence happens," he said.
Andrew also said that his aunt was a vocal proponent of one act that directly affected him while he was in college.
"I was subjected to conversion therapy-like practices. And that was completely legal because of the policies that my aunt helped put in place," he said. "I had no protection."
Conversion therapy is a practice that is banned in at least 20 states that attempts to "convert" gay people to being straight. There is no evidence to support that it works, and it often traumatizes the people who are put through it. Born Perfect says that it increases "depression, low self-esteem, shame, addictive and compulsive behavior, loss of religious faith, self-harm, and suicidal tendencies" in its patients.
Andrew said that since graduating from Oral Roberts University where he was subject to those kinds of practices, he's entered a class action lawsuit through the Religious Exemption Accountability Project, "because ultimately, these universities — religious ones included — are receiving federal money and that federal money has been being used to discriminate and that is not okay."
Andrew said that he hasn't spoken with his aunt since his TikTok went viral, though he does believe she's seen it. Hear his full conversation with Debbie Monterrey:
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