For much of the election cycle and certainly after November 8th, it was Donald Trump who commanded the most attention in news headlines. His running mate and soon-to-be Vice President, Mike Pence, is finally – and for good reason – getting a lot more scrutiny under the media microscope.
It’s Pence’s views on LGBQT and women’s reproductive rights that has so many concerned about what he will bring to the Trump presidency. Pence was hailed as a savior to the Trump campaign by traditional conservatives, but for the Democratic party he is nothing more than a troll guarding the bridge to progress. There are a number of reasons that those opposed to a conservative right-wing agenda aren’t too keen on having Pence in the White House.
He’s not a friend to the LGBQT community:
Pence has been a longstanding opponent of marriage equality and fought against its legislation for years. In 2003, he signed the Federal Marriage Amendment, a document with the intention of legally defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Even as far back as his 2000 run for Congress, his website read: “Congress should oppose any effort to put gay and lesbian relationships on an equal legal status with heterosexual marriage.”
While voting against marriage equality doesn’t exactly separate him from the pack of Republican politicians, his pro-stance on conversion therapy does. Conversion therapy is a program designed to convert a person from ‘homosexual behavior’ to ‘heterosexual behavior’. Besides being proven completely ineffective, its tactics – which can include electroshock therapy – have been linked to depression, anxiety, drug use and suicide. No wonder it’s been banned in five states.
If that weren’t enough to land Pence in the category of LGBQT bully, he opposed the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy and Obama’s transgender bathroom mandate.
He’s not a friend to immigrants:
If you’re an immigrant fleeing persecution in your country or simply trying to make a better life for your children in the U.S., Mike Pence’s Indiana might not be the best place to plant roots. Immigration was a hot topic during the election cycle, and it’s easy to see why Pence’s views aligned so well with Trump’s. Children born in the U.S. are automatically citizens under the 14th Amendment, regardless of whether their parents are in the country legally. Back in 2009, while serving in Congress, Pence co-sponsored a bill that aimed to alter that. Under the then-proposed bill, citizenship would have been limited to children with at least one parent being a citizen (or a non-citizen performing active service in the U.S. Armed Forces).
Pence also stood with other states that tried to block Syrian refugee resettlement. It was a battle he would eventually lose when a U.S. District judge found that his suppression of federal resettlement funds only targeted Syrians and overruled the action.
He’s no friend to women:
Equal pay for minorities and women? Not in a Mike Pence’s world. Pence voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. Signed by Obama in 2009, the Act aimed at ensuring women and minorities would not be subject to pay discrimination in the workplace. It also allowed victims of wage discrimination to sue their employers up to 180 days after receiving their paycheck.
Pence also thinks he should get the final say in what women can and can not do with their bodies. He was largely the man driving the bulldozer for Congress to approve the 2011 amendment to defund Planned Parenthood.
This is probably why Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky has received over 20,000 donations (totaling over $25,000) in Mike Pence’s name since the election. Indeed, a whopping 90% of the recent massive donations were made in the governor of Indiana’s name, according to Ali Slocum, PPINK’s Communications Director.
The swell of donations in Pence’s name was largely kicked off by Bethany Cosentino, lead singer of the indie band Best Coast who sounded the call on Instagram.
While Mike Pence hasn’t officially made any sort of comment on the matter, it’s no surprise that Planned Parenthood is very appreciative.
If you’d like to donate to Planned Parenthood, you can do so here.
Oh, and in case you still have any doubts that Mike Pence is on track to be the next Dick Cheney, he also says condoms are basically useless against STD prevention. Huh?