Before winning her party’s endorsement, Michigan secretary of state candidate Kristina Karamo hosted a podcast where she obsessively attacked LGBTQ people and their allies. Karamo said that LGBTQ people want to “indoctrinate society with sexual perversion” and normalize pedophilia; claimed that LGBTQ people “ultimately die separated from God and go to hell”; and stated that LGBTQ supporters are “the enemy” and “agents of the devil.”
On April 23, the Michigan Republican Party backed Karamo as the organization’s choice for secretary of state. Karamo has heavily promoted the false claim that the election was stolen from then-President Donald Trump, who has backed her. She is a member of a QAnon-connected “coalition” that has been attempting to recruit and elect like-minded secretary of state candidates. Last year she attended a QAnon conference organized by QAnon influencer John Sabal (known online as “QAnon John"), with whom she is apparently still in contact.
In addition to attacking LGBTQ people and their allies, Karamo has claimed that Beyoncé, Cardi B, Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, yoga, and a Korean drama are tools of Satan.
As a commentator, Karamo frequently attacked LGBTQ people for supposedly living in sin and criticized those who support LGBTQ people. Several media outlets have previously reported on anti-LGBTQ statements made by Karamo:
- CNN reported that Karamo criticized schools for teaching children about LGBTQ parents, and quoted her saying in one episode: “There is no such thing as a person with two mommies and two daddies. That is just factually incorrect.” The outlet also quoted her in another episode saying of two same-sex parents: “No, it's the parent and their homosexual lover. That's what's going on.”
- Heartland Signal reported that on one episode of her podcast, “Karamo declares that she understands that same sex attraction ‘in and of itself is unnatural’” and “ranted about schools teaching LGBTQ issues and transgender youth acceptance. She referred to teaching those topics as ‘Satan … trying to get children while they’re small,’ and said, ‘the education system is being used as a tool to push sexual sin.’”
- Bridge Michigan reported that Karamo said in a podcast “that LGBT people in same-sex relationships are ‘just as guilty of eternal damnation as the person being a fornicator, but the bigger danger is that that relationship can never be made right.’” The publication also quoted her stating: “When we have a federal government and we have judges trying to bind people into sexual brokenness, forever, that is nothing more than the work of Satan.”
- The 'Gander reported that Karamo said in a YouTube video that accepting same-sex relationships leads to “pedophilia being normalized” and “bestiality being normalized.”
Media Matters found numerous other anti-LGBTQ remarks by Karamo on her now-defunct It’s Solid Food podcast. (While discussing LGBTQ people, Karamo attempted to defend herself against potential criticism by saying that she is concerned “for the well-being of others” because “people's souls are on the line.”)
Karamo said the political LGBTQ movement’s purpose is to “indoctrinate society with sexual perversion” and get to a place where “pedophilia is going to be normalized.” From a podcast where Karamo was talking with guest, commentator, and Republican official Shane Trejo:
