- A GOP congresswoman wept as she spoke out against the bipartisan Respect for Marriage Act on Thursday.
- Her nephew, who is gay, responded to the viral moment in a TikTok video.
After a GOP congresswoman tearfully begged her colleagues to vote against the bipartisan bill aimed at protecting same-sex marriage, the Respect for Marriage Act, her gay nephew blasted her in a TikTok video.
Andrew Hartzler, the nephew of GOP Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, said in a video: "Today, a United States congresswoman started crying because gay people, like me, can get married."
The 24-year-old continued: "So despite coming out to my aunt this past February, I guess she's just still as much of a homophobe."
@andrewhartzler my aunt cried today #vickyhartzler #lgbtq #respectformarriage #religousexemption #congress #gay #missouri ♬ original sound - andrew hartzler
On Thursday, the GOP congresswoman referred to the bill as "misguided" and "dangerous" and claimed it would be used to "drive people of faith out of the public square and silence anyone who dissents."
The Respect for Marriage Act requires states to recognize any marriage made in another state and repeals the federal "Defense of Marriage Act" which previously defined marriage as between a man and a woman.
In the TikTok response, which has over 800,000 views at the time of reporting, her nephew challenged the contents of his aunt's speech on the House floor.
He said: "Institutions of faith like religious universities are not being silenced, they're being empowered by the US government to discriminate against tens of thousands of LGBTQ students because of religious exemptions, but they still receive federal funding."
The nephew continued: "It's more like you want the power to force your religious beliefs onto everyone else and because you don't have that power, you feel like you're being silenced. You're just going to have to learn to coexist with all of us, and I'm sure it's not that hard."
Hartzler told NBC News he had been close with his aunt as a child, and they would enjoy bike rides and picnics together, but when he came out to her, she was dismissive.
"I was met with the same type of, 'I love you, but I don't accept you because you're gay,'" he said. "I'm in the mindset where if you're not for me, you're against me, and if you don't 100% accept me, you reject me."
Insider reported that Hartzler, who has been in Congress since 2011, has previously fought against the expansion of marriage protections. Per the Kansas City Star, prior to her congressional career, she campaigned for an amendment to be added to Missouri's constitution that would have defined marriage as being between a man and a woman.
Hartzler, who will not return to Congress in 2023 after losing her campaign for an open Senate seat, also opposed the Equality Act in 2019, per NBC News. The bill would amend the Civil Rights Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, education, federal programs and credit.