Queer resistance and the fight to reclaim identity, joy, and Missouri itself
Art by Teddy Rosen
“Show Me Hate” is a personally reflective series from columnist Michael McGrady Jr., exploring the widespread harm and vast cultural/political/personal pain stemming from leaders and ideologies—along with how to turn this toxic tide for the betterment of all. This is the fourth and final entry in the series.
Reflecting on your emotions can be a powerful exercise. It can directly yield personal and professional growth. People have been known to realize truths about themselves that existed long before they see them. I mention this because my experience of coming out as bisexual is very similar. As I reflect, I have to account for being raised in a very conservative community in central Colorado. My youth was filled with the teachings of Jesus Christ and a conservative interpretation of Roman Catholicism. Expression of sexuality and gender identity was frowned upon unless it met these prevailing traditionalist norms.
It wasn’t until my early twenties that I was able to come out as bisexual. Little did I expect that, when I did, the hatred and ridicule for being attracted to masculine and feminine people would quickly turn into years of ongoing pain. But through that pain, you find happiness and joy in the community. From the happiness and joy, queerness rises above such hatred, and you can finally feel seen as a person living their truth unapologetically. And I am living my truth unapologetically. In the time since the previous entry in the “Show Me Hate” series, The Pitch has so graciously allowed me to extend into a fourth and final piece (this column), I was able to witness a queer resistance rising in Missouri amid non-stop hate.
Let me set the scene more: I was working in my office at the end of the state legislative session when a ping on my phone summoned an Associated Press news update. According to the update, the Missouri Senate voted 21-11 in favor of advancing House Joint Resolution (HJR) 73, sending such a measure to the November 2026 election ballot. HJR 73, as a reminder, is the legislature-initiated ballot measure seeking to overturn Amendment 3, which a majority of Missourians voted to protect abortion access in the state constitution. Despite the body of electoral and polling evidence that shows abortion rights are a winning issue for both Democrats and Republicans, the state legislature dismissed the voices of the voters in a bid to “protect women and children.” Buried deep in HJR 73 is not just some measure to overturn Amendment 3, but to prohibit gender-affirming care for in-state minors who are transgender.
Joining the Fight
Being alone in my home office while my partner was at work, I blurted, “What the absolute fuck is this bullshit?” This is a true recollection, my dear reader. At the time, I was working on the second part of the series, which dealt with Christian and Jewish leaders in the state condemning attempts by the state lawmakers to implement Christian nationalistic policies into law, such as the Ten Commandments bill that luckily stalled and died. I was hesitant to ask some of the individuals I was speaking to for the story about how they felt about HJR 73, especially those in the various faith communities. So, I refrained. It dawned on me, though, that this sort of measure couldn’t be the will of voters in the state of Missouri.
And it isn’t, in my humble opinion. As I progressed in the series, I was invited by PROMO Missouri to join them on the streets of Springfield while they were engaging in their deep canvassing efforts to meet and speak to the residents of key legislative districts. PROMO is Missouri’s premier pro-LGBTQ+ civil rights nonprofit organization. I met with Dany Lacio, the group’s equality organizer for Southwest Missouri, to get to know them better and to help demystify the potential feeling of an imposing journalist looking to embed himself with their volunteers. Lacio met me at a popular local coffee shop, Big Momma’s, in the Commercial Street Historic District. Nervous and freshly having scarfed down a sandwich, Lacio and I shook hands, and I jumped right into my pitch. I told them about myself, what I was doing with the series, and everything in between. Convinced, they invited me to join them and a team of their volunteers in their deep canvassing efforts in one of the poorest zip codes in Springfield, around the Kansas Expressway.
On one of the hottest days in June, I arrive at The Venues in mid-morning. The Venues is one of only a few non-denominational Christian churches in Springfield that are progressive-leaning and accepting of LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and emphasize personal autonomy as it relates to issues about reproductive choice and sexual and gender identity. About eleven volunteers were present for a small training session and an introduction to PROMO’s deep canvassing strategy to engage voters living in Missouri House District (HD) 133. HD 133 is represented by Republican state Rep. Melanie Stinnett, an outspoken proponent for HJR 73, who is both vehemently anti-abortion and transphobic. Stinnett initiated much of the current effort to overturn Amendment 3 during this past legislative session. HJR 54 was her brainchild, but was set aside in favor of HJR 73, which was primarily sponsored by fellow Republican state Rep. Brian Seitz and a class of several other far-right lawmakers in the supermajority.
Rep. Stinnett’s district was a strategic selection, I came to learn during the training session. Stinnet is in the race for Senate District 30, which the incumbent state Sen. Lincoln Hough is vacating due to term limits. Stinnett is facing off against fellow Springfield lawmaker, Democratic state Rep. Betsy Fogle of neighboring HD 135. Considering that Fogle won her reelection to the state House of Representatives with relative ease during the 2024 election, interest in Stinnett’s constituents is necessary to understand how primary and general election voters in 2026 consider efforts to overturn Amendment 3’s passage.
Not Listening to Voters
It is also worth remembering that nearly 52 percent of all Missouri voters chose to adopt constitutional protections for abortion access. Throughout Greene County, votes against Amendment 3 were narrow margins, if not razor thin—50.8 percent voted “no”, 49.2 percent voted “yes”. For further context, think about how Greene County voted for President Donald Trump during the election. Voters voted nearly 60-40 in favor of electing Trump for his second term in the White House. How does that match such a viewpoint claimed to be espoused by statewide Republicans that Amendment 3 was “misleading” and an “attack” on women and children? It doesn’t. Republican leaders in Jefferson City, such as Stinnett and Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, are doing everything they can, now, to overturn the will of the voters—the same voters who elected them. As a sidebar, it is worth noting that Hoskins was published by the Springfield News-Leader this past week admonishing citizens’ efforts to amend our statewide constitution. He then went as far as calling HJR 73 a “common-sense approach” to regulating vaginas.
Citizens’ efforts to amend the statewide constitution and even adopt measures by voting are continued to be dismissed. So, this isn’t surprising. Take note that the state legislature adopted House Bill (HB) 567 that overturned elements of Proposition A that mandated earned paid sick leave be funded by the state’s employers. This proposition was adopted by Missouri voters by nearly 58 percent, increasing the statewide minimum wage to $15 per hour starting in 2026. This was a union-backed, voter supported effort. However, Gov. Mike Kehoe gleefully signed HB 567 into law at a ceremony earlier in July 2025.
Zooming back into my time with the PROMO canvassing campaign, the context of finding common ground ruled the messaging. The small team of volunteers I walked with to dozens of doors found were encouraged to present HJR 73 as a governmental overreach—rhetoric that resonates with Trump voters. I saw that for each voter we met with by knocking on the door of their home, their support for Trump is due to the cultural sentiments of the area that say voters must always vote Republican or the world will go to shit. For women voters we spoke to, though, we found sympathy for the abortion issue and the issue of the government telling parents what they can and cannot decide for their children’s healthcare. After the volunteers had completed their tasks, Lacio held a debriefing session at The Venues. Volunteers who walked that day reported positive interactions with voters who had voted for Trump.
I cannot go much deeper, as many who volunteered only spoke to me on background. Shared sentiment was that many of the people who came out to the PROMO deep canvassing day—all of diverse and unique backgrounds—simply wanted to live in a state where harmful policymaking and lawmaking is a thing of the past. That’s community and coalition-building. Lacio and I caught up a few weeks later for an official interview for the column. They told me, “I feel like our deep canvassing program really went through and it was a success in my book and say we were able to go through and really help, not only voters go through and confront misinformation, but even our canvassers as well.” Lacio added at the end of our conversation by saying that we have to “connect on shared values.” No truer words said.
Hearing those words leaves me hopeful. To the critics of this column, especially the shitbirds who skulk on far-right blogs in this state, you cannot account for the harm done to your elected representatives in the state government, nestled in Jefferson City. Throughout this entire series, I’ve learned that the efforts to suppress criticism, instill Christian nationalism and supremacy, and harm innocent queer families is never enough. Those people who are behind these efforts fight hard to silence these voices, but to their dismay, the state of Missouri is just as diverse as this country. Resistance exists, galvanized by queer joy and solidarity with the communities at most risk. Despite what figures like Stinnet, Hoskins, Kehoe, Hough, Attorney General Andrew Bailey, and other statewide officeholders believe, people cannot fit into a narrowly defined definition. People in this state are cisgender, gay, transgender, bisexual, lesbian, and queer. People in this state are Black, White, Asian, Latino, and Hispanic. People in this state believe in God, Adonai, and Allah. People in this state can support both sides of the political spectrum. Where else can we see Catholics, Episcopalians, Baptists, and Jews fight against Christian nationalist policymaking?
Missouri is the “Show Me” state. And instead of allowing those who lead our state to “show me” hate, let’s show them love. Love is resistance. Joy is resistance. The freedom to choose is resistance. Being free, no matter who we voted for, is resistance against tyranny. And, Missouri’s leaders are the epitome of tyranny.
My final words to you, dear reader, are these: No matter how loud the cruelty or how powerful the oppressor, our existence, our defiance, and our love will always be louder—and we are not going anywhere. My name is Michael McGrady Jr., I am 28 years old, and a bisexual cisgendered man. I live in Springfield, Missouri. And I am proud of who I am and where I live.
Now, we fight on with joy, righteousness, and a yearning for common ground to insert the most needed changes in our great state.
Michael McGrady Jr., a contributing writer for The Pitch Kansas City, spent months learning how Christian nationalism in Missouri impacts state and national politics. McGrady conducted over 40 interviews with everyday people, political and psychological experts, and religious leaders, paired with deep research. His findings are in a multi-part series, expanded from an original three-part order because of popular demand, titled “‘Show Me’ Hate.”
