Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump surprised absolutely no one when he formally announced Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate Friday.
Though Trump’s few nods to the LGBT community during his campaign have widely been interpreted as relatively moderate , the presumptive GOP nominee’s choice of Pence, a former Congressman who once implied that the “deterioration of marriage and family ” signaled “societal collapse,” suggests that his administration’s stance on queer issues could be more conservative than initially believed.
That, of course, would contradict The New York Times’ description of Trump as “far more accepting” on LGBT issues than other GOP leaders . Famous backers like transgender icon Caitlyn Jenner , who dropped by Trump Tower to use the ladies’ room this spring, and PayPal co-founder Peter Thiel , who is gay, will have to try harder to justify their support. That’s not even taking Pence’s opposition to women’s rights into account, either.
Below, here are 6 reasons why Pence will be terrible for queer people if he and Trump are elected.
He has supported LGBT discrimination under the banner of "religious freedom." He REALLY opposes same-sex marriage. Pence has long been an outspoken opponent of marriage equality, and in floor speeches during his time in Congress, described marriage as being “ordained by God .” Of the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling that granted same-sex couples the right to tie the knot nationwide, he reportedly said that he said he was disappointed that SCOTUS had “failed to recognize the historic role of the states in setting marriage policy,” but nonetheless noted that he believed “in the rule of law.” He's opposed hate crime protections for LGBT people. In 2009, Pence was an outspoken opponent of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act , which officially expanded federal hate crime legislation to include violence directed at members of the LGBT community. At the time, Pence blasted President Barack Obama for using the measure to “advance a radical social agenda,” according to USA Today , and argued that the law could be used to curb free speech rights. He didn't want "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" repealed. He opposed Obama's 2016 transgender bathroom directive. In May, Pence spoke out against the Obama administration's directive advising public schools to allow trans students to use the bathroom that best corresponds with their gender identity or risk losing federal funding. “The federal government has not business getting involved in issues of this nature,” Pence said. His stance on HIV/AIDS prevention is questionable at best. In 2000, Pence suggested that money from a program to help those with HIV/AIDS should be repurposed toward organizations that “provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior,” BuzzFeed reports . He's also suggested that needle exchange programs , which can be used to help prevent the spread of HIV, encouraged drug use. Last year, Pence reluctantly allowed for a short-term needle exchange program to be put into place in Indiana following a spike in HIV infections across the state. "I do not enter into this lightly," he told The Indianapolis Star . "In response to a public health emergency, I'm prepared to make an exception to my long-standing opposition to needle exchange programs." Editor’s note: Donald Trump regularly incites political violence and is a serial liar , rampant xenophobe , racist , misogynist and birther who has repeatedly pledged to ban all Muslims ― 1.6 billion members of an entire religion ― from entering the U.S.
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Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney "I simply can’t put my name down as someone who voted for principles that suggest racism or xenophobia, misogyny, bigotry, [for someone] who’s been vulgar time and time again,” Romney said in June . “I don’t want to be associated with that in any way, shape or form.” Sen. Ben Sasse (Neb.) "I’m as frustrated and saddened as you are about what’s happening to our country. But I cannot support Donald Trump," he wrote in February. Former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush “Donald Trump has not demonstrated that temperament or strength of character. He has not displayed a respect for the Constitution. And, he is not a consistent conservative. These are all reasons why I cannot support his candidacy,” Bush wrote in a Facebook post in May. Sen. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) The South Carolina senator told CNN in May he would not vote for Trump or Clinton in September. "I don't believe that Donald Trump has the temperament and judgment to be commander in chief. I think Donald Trump is going to places where very few people have gone and I'm not going with him," he said. Former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage “If Donald Trump is the nominee, I would vote for Hillary Clinton,” Armitage told Politico in June. "He doesn't appear to be a Republican, he doesn't appear to want to learn about issues. So, I’m going to vote for Mrs. Clinton.” Former National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft “Secretary Clinton shares my belief that America must remain the world’s indispensable leader. She understands that our leadership and engagement beyond our borders makes the world, and therefore the United States more secure and prosperous,” he said in a statement . Sen. Mark Kirk (Ill.) Earlier this month, the Illinois Republican, who is locked in a tough re-election battle, rescinded his endorsement of Trump. He is also running ads against Trump. "I cannot and will not support my party’s nominee for President,” he said . Sen. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) “As of now, unless he changes significantly, I can’t see myself voting for Donald Trump,” Flake said in June . Rep. Bob Dold (Ill.) "For me, I will not support Donald Trump. Certainly I think there are others that have some pretty significant reservations," the Illinois congressman told WLS in May. “I want to make that I’m clear about this, I’m not going to support Hillary Clinton either. I would write someone in.” Rep. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.) “I have no plans of supporting either of the presumptive nominees," he told the Miami Herald in May. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.) “"In this election, I do not support either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton," Ros-Lehtinen told the Miami Herald in May . Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) said in August she could not vote for Trump because he "does not reflect historical Republican values, nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country."
Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) has said he can’t envision himself voting for Trump at this time. “I’ll give him a chance, but at this point, I have no intentions of voting for him,” he said in June. (REUTERS/Enrique de la Osa) Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has not said explicitly that he would not vote for Trump. But in a speech at the GOP convention in Cleveland last month, Cruz urged delegates to vote their conscience “up and down the ticket,” signaling his opposition to the nominee. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has not offered his endorsement yet. While he has signaled his obvious displeasure ― earlier this year he said Trump scared him “to death ” ― he could come around in the future if he “heard the right things out of him.” (REUTERS/Carlo Allegri) Love HuffPost? Become a founding member of HuffPost Plus today.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost .
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