GOP candidate who called drag queens “pedophiles” caught partying with drag queens

As the clock ticked down to the New Year’s Eve ball drop and 2022 became 2023, dozens of LGBTQ+ people and allies gathered at a black-tie event in New York City’s Hudson Yards Mall. With paid tickets required for entry, fancy-clothed guests stepped into a room with sweeping westward views of the Hudson River.

Heavy bass reverberated from towering speakers as Aquaria, the winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 10 and the night’s headline act, took the stage at 11 p.m. The famous drag queen-turned-DJ donned a dark wig and a sequined two-piece outfit. She spun music for the crowd into the early hours of the new year.

Related:

MAGA candidate burns LGBTQ+ books with flamethrower in unhinged campaign video

Valentina Gomez claims on her website that she is a “woman of intellect.”

And Valentina Gomez danced along.

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Video obtained by LGBTQ Nation shows Gomez, who used homophobic slurs and anti-queer rhetoric in her failed Missouri GOP secretary of state primary run, dancing to Aquaria’s music set alongside several queer attendees. Partygoing sources said Gomez appeared to enjoy herself at the Voss Events-hosted gathering.

A campaign expert told LGBTQ Nation the video exemplifies the growing hypocrisy of politicians using queer hate speech. Multiple Republicans have participated in queer cultural events, dressed in drag, or had intimate same-sex relations in their personal capacity, all while publicly advocating for bans on books, outlawing drag queen events, and spreading anti-trans propaganda.

In a statement, Gomez confirmed the veracity of the videos. She also questioned how the video of her dancing at a club would be released before videos of Sean “Diddy” Combs and Jeffrey Epstein – both of whom prosecutors allege engaged in sex acts with minors – are released to the public. 

She then implied that gay people, instead, are somehow sexualizing children. She also used a slur in her statement to one of the most visible LGBTQ+ publications, saying that it’s “impossible to walk around New York City without running into a mentally ill fa***t.”

“You guys call me homophobic and an enemy of the pronoun community, but I was waiting for this video to surface so that I can show your hypocrisy because clearly I was having a great time, and I get along with everybody,” Gomez said in a written statement. “I don’t care how you identify, shaking your genitals in front of children should land you in prison. Make pedophiles afraid again.” 

Aquaria’s representatives didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.

During her campaign, Gomez, who called herself an “America First-MAGA” Republican, made national headlines with vitriolic statements, labeling gay people as “groomers” and “fa***ts.” In a viral moment from February 2024, she used a flamethrower to burn LGBTQ+-inclusive books — just over a year and a month after attending the queer-themed party.

She also specifically attacked drag queens. Bianca del Rio and Kandy Muse, both Drag Race alums like Aquaria, called her out for using slurs on social media. Billboard ran an article on the online altercation, and Gomez responded to that article by saying that she had “pissed off a bunch of fa***ts and pedophiles in Hollywood.”

“I have stood up to pedophiles, groomers, and corrupt politicians,” she said at the time. “But this hasn’t come without a price. They have tried to kill my father, poison my dogs, and destroy me.”

She did not explain her statement.

Brian Derrick, the co-founder of Oath.vote, an organization that has directed $30 million to high-impact and democracy-focused campaigns, said Gomez’s political stunts are just another example of Republican candidates attempting to mobilize hate against a minority group.

But he said that movement is nakedly disingenuous.

“She wants to use hatred for her own political agenda,” Derrick said. “That’s probably the most disgusting type of behavior you can expect from anybody in politics.”

Gomez’s case isn’t unique. Numerous Republican candidates and policymakers have centered campaigns and policy frameworks around anti-queer messaging while engaging in behavior that starkly contradicts their rhetoric.

Mark Robinson, the Republican North Carolina gubernatorial hopeful, posted comments expressing his enjoyment of transgender adult videos, according to CNN. Robinson repeatedly called queer people “filth” and said transgender people should be forced to “find a corner outside somewhere” instead of using public restrooms. 

Donald Trump’s VP pick, J.D. Vance, participated in drag in college a few years before calling gay people “groomers” in response to anti-drag laws. 

Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Zeigler had a bisexual threesome after supporting Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. 

School choice activist Corey DeAngelis participated in a GayHoopla adult film called “Super Star Compilation! How Many Strokes Til You Cum?!” before writing his book, The Parent Revolution: Rescuing Your Kids from the Radicals Ruining Our Schools. DeAngilis previously told Fox News schools were “focusing more on the ‘LGBTs’ than the ‘ABCs.’”

Republican candidates are capitalizing on the salience of homophobia in the U.S., Derrick said. “There is a sizable portion of the electorate that actively hates our community,” he said.

He pointed to a broader cultural backlash after the queer civil rights advancements. Landmark rulings, like the Supreme Court’s Bostock and Obergefell decisions, have codified the civil rights of gay and trans individuals.

This backlash has translated into growing online support, where figures like Gomez thrive despite their electoral failures. While Gomez’s campaign didn’t amount to political success, she has more than 275,000 followers on her X (formerly known as Twitter) account. 

Gomez’s continued use of the word “fa***t” is a clear violation of hate speech policy on several social media sites. Recently, her Instagram account was disabled due to hate speech violations. X de-monetized her account but reversed its decision in mid-September. Gomez celebrated her re-monetization, praising X owner Elon Musk for not being “weak and gay.”

“We prohibit targeting others with repeated slurs, tropes, or other content that intends to degrade or reinforce negative or harmful stereotypes about a protected category,” X’s terms and conditions read.

Meanwhile, lawmakers who win their races and enact the policy ideas espoused by Gomez have had a devastatingly violent impact on queer youth. According to a report from The Trevor Project, between 2018 to 2022, anti-transgender laws led to a 72% rise in suicide attempts among transgender and nonbinary youth.

But as Gomez continues to spew online hate, videos showing Gomez dancing at a paid event hosted by a famous drag queen’s party can create cracks within her anti-queer leadership, according to Derrick.

“It shows the base that she’s trying to appeal to that she’s insincere and trying to manipulate them,” Derrick said. “It cuts her argument off at the knees. Who is this person [advocating] for other than themselves? The answer is really no one.” 

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