If you ever come across an offensive headline, it’s almost a sure thing that Missouri Secretary of State candidate Valentina Gomez was somewhat involved. Whether she’s rapping about Donald Trump’s criminal conviction or sprinting across the US reminding people not to be “weak and gay,” the 25-year-old loves to be controversial. And most recently, Gomez has set her sights on basketball player Brittney Griner.

For those who might not recall, Griner was imprisoned in Russia for 10 months in 2022 after authorities discovered that her luggage contained vape cartridges containing cannabis oil, as reported by The Guardian.

After pleading guilty to the charge, the basketball player was sentenced to nine years in prison. In an interview with ABC, Griner described the horrific conditions she was in during her time in Russia. Sadly, as a gay woman, she experienced both psychological and physical torment.

Griner’s arrest occurred just as Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine was commencing, which placed the 33-year-old at the centre of the escalating tensions of a heatedl conflict. Ultimately, the athlete was freed, and exchanged for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, known as the “Merchant of Death.”

Fast forward to June 2024, and shortly after it was announced that Griner would be heading to the Paris Summer Olympics to represent Team USA, Gomez decided to take to social media to share her disdain:

https://twitter.com/ValentinaForSOS/status/1800007791442333710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1800153098901708873%7Ctwgr%5E02885a355ba31e467fe845aedf2496376c9570e2%7Ctwcon%5Es2_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thepinknews.com%2F2024%2F06%2F12%2Fbrittney-griner-anti-american-valentina-gomez%2F

In the 20-second clip posted on Monday 10 June, Gomez stated: “Brittney Griner should be rotting in a Russian prison, not going to the Olympics.” The candidate also referred to Griner as an “unpatriotic lesbian.”

The politician also captioned the post “The Olympics are about meritocracy, not DEI [diversity, equality, and inclusion].”

While I would’ve hoped to see some users in the comments section telling Gomez exactly where to go, it seems like her content is well and truly being heralded by conservatives as truth in action. One netizen wrote: “I love the opposition to AOC. We need one of you in every county and state,” while another exclaimed: “I don’t know who you are, but you are f*cking awesome! Love your patriotism!!” Let’s just say, it’s a scary scary time to be on social media.