1. Pence’s rabid homophobia that led to the unbelievable and unprecedented backlash for the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
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Mike Pence’s epic homophobia is unimaginable in 2016. In his tenure as president of the Indiana Policy Review Foundation (IPRF), the group’s journal published a piece called “Military necessity and homosexuality.” Among other things, it cited fake studies and conspiracy theories to justify keeping LGBT people from serving in the armed forces.
While Trump pretended to be pro-LGBT, the choice he made for the man to serve as one blood pressure pill away from the Oval Office, is decidedly anti-LGBT. In fact, Pence is so anti-gay, he sunk his state’s economy just to prove it.
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Before there was North Carolina’s bathroom bill, there was a Mike Pence-endorsed bill that gave “protections” to religious people who wanted to refuse service to LGBTQ people in the state. The problem in Indiana, however, was that Pence missed the cultural shift and underestimated those who would stand in opposition to him and his bill. Boycotts were called, conventions and speeches were canceled along with concerts, and the dollars were quickly draining from Indiana‘s tourism at a time when the state was already struggling financially. The CEOs of Yelp and Salesforce said they would reduce investment plans in the state and Apple CEO Tim Cook denounced Pence’s law in an op-ed for The Washington Post.
“Our image. Our reputation as a state that embraces people of diverse backgrounds and makes them feel welcome…is at risk because of a new law,” the editorial in the IndyStar read.
This is the person Trump chose to stand beside him after saying, “Ask yourself, who is really the friend of women and the LGBT community: Donald Trump with his actions, or Hillary Clinton with her words?” following the Orlando shooting that killed 49 people.