A video of a Missouri Republican running for state office using a flamethrower to burn LGBTQ-related books is circulating on social media this week. Whether the books are from the Springfield-Greene County Library is up for debate.
Missouri Secretary of State candidate Valentina Gomez posted videos to Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday showing her using a flamethrower to burn at least two LGBTQ-related books outside. The News-Leader contacted Gomez’s campaign team but was unsuccessful in securing a response.
Before igniting the books, Gomez says to the camera: “This is what I will do to the grooming books when I become secretary of state.” She concludes the video by stating, “These books come from a Missouri public library. When I’m in office they will burn.”
Gomez attended an event at the Springfield-Greene County Library Center on Friday, where she was photographed holding copies of the books she burned in the video. There speculation on social media that the books came from the local district; Gomez does not specify which library they are from and the library spine labels are illegible in the video.