Appearing at a political rally in eastern Kansas, Vice President JD Vance utilized inflammatory rhetoric to attack a prominent LGBTQ+ community group, falsely portraying the organization as a satanic enterprise while targeting a political opponent ahead of upcoming elections.
Speaking at a MAGA Inc.-organized event held at Webco Manufacturing in Olathe, Vance took the stage to generate support for Republican U.S. Senator Roger Marshall. Senator Marshall is locked in a competitive race against the Reverend Adam Hamilton, a well-known United Methodist pastor running as a Democrat. State Senate President Ty Masterson, the Republican nominee for governor, was also in attendance at the event.
During his remarks, Vance directed his focus toward Hamilton, attempting to link the Democratic candidate to anti-Christian ideology by citing the sponsorship of Kansas City PrideFest by Resurrection, the megachurch Hamilton founded. However, Vance’s characterization relied heavily on inaccuracies regarding the names, motives, and actual operations of the participating charities.
In a key moment from his address, Vance misnamed the long-standing volunteer organization Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence while accusing them of engaging in religious sacrilege. Hamilton “proudly supported a drag group called Our Ladies of Perpetual Indulgence,” Vance claimed, misstating the name of the 47-year-old network of queer and trans nuns. Vance went on to tell the crowd that the group was an “anti-Christian hate group” and characterized them as “the devil worshiping group that was saying special blessings before LA Dodgers games.”
The claims leveled by the Vice President stand in stark contrast to the actual history and mission of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Established decades ago, the charitable network focuses on community service, human rights advocacy, spiritual outreach, and raising funds for local non-profit organizations. The group gained national recognition during the early years of the AIDS crisis for providing vital, sex-positive safer-sex education and care. Furthermore, the Los Angeles Dodgers never invited the group to offer religious blessings before games; rather, the team honored the local chapter with a Community Hero Award before its Pride Night game in June 2023 to recognize its community contributions.
Vance provided no evidence that Hamilton or Resurrection church directly funded the group or explicitly endorsed every single sponsor of the festival. Campaign representatives for Hamilton quickly pushed back against Vance’s speech, highlighting the extensive humanitarian initiatives led by the minister’s congregation—including feeding over 45,000 individuals, distributing nearly 60,000 children’s books, assisting foster families, and constructing affordable housing units.
Responding to the Vice President’s remarks at the rally, Hamilton campaign spokesperson Glynnis Harvey issued a statement defending the pastor’s record while calling out the campaign tactics: “(Hamilton) welcomes VP Vance to come visit Resurrection, instead of attacking the largest United Methodist Church in the country in an attempt to save Roger Marshall’s flailing campaign and distract from record diesel and gas prices, the war in Iran, and Roger Marshall’s usurious medical debt collection practices.”
Photo by Alissha R., originally taken at Aurora Pride 2026
