Pence

With his selection of Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as the Republican vice presidential nominee, Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee for president, is demonstrating a callous disregard for LGBT Americans and our families.

As a private citizen, a member of Congress and in the Indiana statehouse, Gov. Pence has rejected recognizing that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are equal under the law and under standards of human decency. Pence opposed federal HIV funding, he supported “gay conversion” therapy, he opposed marriage equality, and he promoted state-sanctioned LGBT discrimination.

In March 2015, we in Illinois watched in shock as Gov. Pence signed into law a bill that established discrimination against LGBT Hoosiers as statewide policy. So not only do Hoosiers legally feel the sting of prejudice and intolerance due to the actions of Gov. Pence, but Illinoisans who are protected under Illinois state law from discrimination could be refused service and be discriminated against as soon as they cross the state line, which they must do frequently for travel and work.

With Gov. Pence, the man whom Donald Trump believes should be one heartbeat away from the Oval Office, Trump chose a man who has made a career out of advocating for and implementing right-wing policies that are anti-LGBT, anti-women, anti-immigrant and anti-low income people.