Black Gay Republican Says Missouri Republican Heckled Him at MAGA Event
Turning Point USA event in Phoenix in December 2023.Video sent by Smith to Newsweek appears to show Lonsdale near a crowd that heckled and chanted a homophobic slur against Smith.
Lonsdale was seen pointing his finger toward Smith. However, the video was taken from behind the lawmaker, and it remained unclear whether he was among the individuals chanting the slur."One of the individuals is a Republican elected official named Chris Lonsdale, a State Rep for MO district 38," Smith wrote in an X message to Newsweek.Newsweek reached out to Lonsdale for comment via email.Lonsdale is a Republican state representative first elected in 2022.
His district is centered around Kansas City suburbs in Clay County, north of the city. His profile on X, formerly Twitter, describes him as a "liberty first" legislator who is "loathed by the MO swamp."Smith first made allegations that a group accosted him while attending the Turning Point USA event in a post made on December 18, 2023, to X."Last night in Phoenix, I was confronted and surrounded by some White Supremacists that don't like gays or blacks in the Republican Party.
They shouted 'n*****' and 'f*****' at me to make their point. However, I served in Iraq. I never back down. Ever," he wrote.Turning Point USA responded to his post, condemning the actions of those accused of using slurs against him and that the confrontation occurred after Smith went to a "separate bar/venue that is some distance from the convention center after the program had concluded for the day.""These people started yelling disgusting slurs at him.
