Missouri anti-LGBTQ advocate Vicky Hartzler appointed to U.S. religious freedom agency

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday appointed former Rep. Vicky Hartzler — a conservative Christian who was once brought to tears speaking out against a bill to provide federal protections to same-sex marriages — to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Her appointment to the commission, a bipartisan federal agency tasked with monitoring religious freedom abroad and making policy recommendations to the president, came in a quiet moment around noon during Wednesday’s House session.

“Congratulations to my friend Vicky Hartzler for being appointed to the Commission on International Religious Freedom!” Rep. Ann Wagner, a St. Louis County Republican wrote on social media. “She was born for this and is going to do an incredible job defending religious liberty around the world.”

Hartzler could not be reached for comment. Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Hartzler, a staunch social conservative, served six terms in Congress before leaving after a failed bid for U.S. Senate in 2022.

She rose to prominence in Missouri as face of the campaign to ban same-sex marriage in Missouri in 2004, traveling the state to support an amendment to the state’s constitution defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

Hartzler said she used her faith to guide her politics and wrote a how-to book on running for political office called “Running God’s Way” in 2007, a few years ahead of her 2010 campaign for the U.S. House, where she beat long-standing Democratic Rep. Ike Skeleton.

Once in office, Hartzler’s faith frequently shaped her legislation. She sponsored bills to protect Christians persecuted in China and often signed on to legislation purporting to advance religious freedom. She also continued to push back against LGBTQ rights.

She opposed an Obama administration decision to repeal a policy that prevented LGBTQ members of the military from serving openly and repeatedly opposed efforts to pass anti-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community.

When Congress moved to pass protections for same-sex marriages in 2022, Hartzler spoke out against the bill. She gave a forceful speech claiming the Democratic Party was trampling on the values of religious conservatives, at one point breaking into tears.

“This is yet another step toward the Democrats goal of dismantling the traditional family, silencing voices of faith and permanently undoing our country’s God-woven foundation,” Hartzler said in the speech.

While running a Senate campaign endorsed by Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, Hartzler said she wanted to “take our country back.”

“That includes freedom of religion to be able to live their life and their faith openly, without being told they have to be silent and adhere to a certain viewpoint,” Hartzler told the Star in 2022.

Johnson, too, has drawn attention for his conservative Christian beliefs. Like Hartzler, Johnson has frequently said his faith guides his legislation.

The commission is made up of nine members appointed to two year terms. The president nominates three members, congressional leaders from the president’s party nominate two members and congressional leaders from the opposing party appoint four members.

Hartzler’s term will expire May 14, 2026. She’s one of three new members appointed to commission, along with Maureen Ferguson of Potomac, Maryland, and Asif Mahmood of Bradbury, California.