After the astounding election of Republican Donald J. Trump into the White House, members of the LGBTQ community became frightened that a Trump presidency would take away many of their hard fought legal victories. Although many Americans probably didn’t see many videos of Vice President-elect Mike Pence being interviewed before the election, the LGBTQ community is now spreading shocking video of his comments towards LGBTQ Americans. Many LGBTQ Americans believe Pence’s comments signal bad times ahead for their community.
Pence once took part as a guest on the show “Focus on the Family” in October where he made it clear how a Trump/Pence administration would deal with LGBTQ rights. When asked by host James Dobson if he would work to advance the transgender laws President Obama put into place, Pence said he would work to halt the progression of these laws.
President Obama passed many laws for homosexuals and transgender citizens, including laws against discrimination in public bathrooms. Pence seemed to suggest that these laws could be revoked during Trump’s term.
Pence believes that these issues should be dealt with by local governments rather than Washington D.C. Referring to LGBTQ rights, Pence told Dobson that “these issues are resolved in the state of Indiana whenever they come up, and they should be resolved, for the safety and well being of our children first and foremost.” He also said that “Washington has no business intruding on the operation of our local schools.”
Pence is well-known for his Christian faith, and he was a major supporter of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. In one of his many speeches, Pence said that a “Trump-Pence administration will be dedicated to preserving the liberties of our people, including the freedom of religion that’s enshrined in our Bill of Rights.” It looks like Pence will work to support the more heteronormative ideas of “family” and “faith” while working for President-elect Trump.
But it isn’t only Mike Pence that is signaling revoking the rights of LGBTQ citizens. Of course, Donald Trump has made a few comments signaling for a repeal of certain LGBTQ laws. Members of the LGBTQ community point to a speech made by then Republican presidential nominee Trump on September 26th, 2016. In this speech, Trump seemed to signal an end to many of the legislative achievements of the Obama administration.
Leaders in the LGBTQ community are urging people of all sexual orientations to remain strong, stay alert, and be ready to fight for their rights.