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Local LBGTQ+ advocate responds to Rep. Eric Burlison's retweet of anti-LBGTQ+ content

Screenshot of Rep. Eric Burlison's retweet of Matt Walsh's post about the LGBTQ+ pride flag. Screenshotted on April 8 at 10:25 a.m. by Gregory Holman/KSMU.
Screenshot of Rep. Eric Burlison's retweet of Matt Walsh's post about the LGBTQ+ pride flag. Screenshotted on April 8 at 10:25 a.m. by Gregory Holman/KSMU.

Rep. Eric Burlison (R) retweeted and later deleted a post from extreme right-wing blogger Matt Walsh displaying anti-LGBTQ+ content.

US Congressman Eric Burlison of Missouri retweeted a controversial tweet by an extreme right-wing blogger Easter weekend.

The tweet by Matt Walsh, who regularly posts anti-LGBTQ+ content, showed the PRIDE flag with the question “What does this flag mean to you?” Walsh’s answer on Twitter: “The collapse of western civilization.”

Aaron Schekorra is the president of PFLAG Springfield/SWMO, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group.

“Representatives who are elected to represent all of us, amplify those messages. That is harmful-- not only harmful to the community they are targeting, but that’s harmful to our entire society. That’s the thing that is a threat to our civilization," said Schekorra.

KSMU reporter Gregory Holman screenshotted the retweet on Saturday morning. He did not respond to a request for an interview by deadline.

Correction: A previous version of this story stated the retweet had been deleted. It is still on Eric Burlison's Twitter page. And Aaron Schekorra is the president of PFLAG Springfield/SWMO.

Meghan McKinney is an undergraduate journalism student at Missouri State University. She works as a news reporter and announcer for KSMU. Her passions, other than journalism, are psychology, music, sign languages and dancing. She also runs a local music page on Facebook called "SGF Playlist."