Gay history exhibit removed from museum at Missouri Capitol

A state senator from Kansas City said he is demanding answers after an exhibit on the gay rights movement in Missouri was removed from the state Capitol.

Democrat Sen. Greg Razer, the only openly gay member of the Missouri Senate, said he was "appalled" when he was told the exhibit, "Making History: Kansas City and the Rise of Gay Rights" had been removed from the Missouri State Museum at the Capitol.

Connie Patterson, spokeswoman for the Department of Natural Resources, did not immediately reply to questions about why the exhibit was moved and who made the decision.

On Tuesday, Uriah Stark, legislative aide for state Rep. Mitch Boggs, a Republican from La Russell, posted pictures of the exhibit on Facebook and questioned why the "taxpayer funded museum is pushing the LGBT agenda in our state capitol?"

The next day, Stark thanked "several of our great elected officials" for having the exhibit removed, specifically mentioning Republican Reps. Ann Kelley, of Lamar, and Brian Seitz, of Branson, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

"There is NOTHING controversial about an exhibit that explains how members of the LGBT community fought to end persecution and demand rights as citizens," Razer tweeted on Thursday. "I'm extremely disappointed and angry that mostateparks may think otherwise."

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