Rep. Vicky Hartzler's Gay Nephew to His Aunt: You Have to Coexist
Andrew Hartzler, nephew of anti-LGBTQ+ U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri — she is married to his father’s brother — recorded his thoughts in a video on TikTok, saying, “Today, a United States congresswoman, my Aunt Vicky, started crying because gay people like me can get married.”He then included a clip from her speech Thursday before the House of Representatives voted on the Respect for Marriage Act, which will write marriage equality into federal law. “I hope and pray that my colleagues find the courage to join me in opposing this misguided and this dangerous bill,” Vicky Hartzler said.
Andrew Hartzler then continued, “So despite coming out to my aunt this past February, I guess she’s still just as much as a homophobe.” After cutting to his aunt saying, “Obergefell [the Supreme Court's marriage equality ruling] is not in danger, but people and institutions of faith are,” Andrew Hartzler came back to counter.“Aunt Vicky, that’s not right,” he said. “Institutions of faith like religious universities are not being silenced.
They’re being empowered by the U.S. government to discriminate against tens of thousands of LGBTQ students because of religious exemptions, but they still receive federal funding.”And he has direct knowledge and experience of this.
Andrew Hartzler is part of a lawsuit that seeks to end an exemption to Title IX policies, one that allows schools to receive federal funds while still discriminating against students based on sexual orientation.
