Vice President-elect Mike Pence named homophobe of the year
By Josh Lee
Incoming Vice President of the United States Mike Pence has beated the likes of Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump to be named homophobe of the year.
52% of the 30,000 votes cast in a poll by LGBT rights organisation All Out were for Mike Pence, whose LGBT rights record leaves much to be desired. Reportedly supportive of conversion therapy for LGBT children, Pence signed Indiana’s ‘Religious Freedom Restoration Act,’ which gives legal protections to businesses who discriminate against LGBT people on religious grounds.
Responding to the results. All Out executive director Matt Beard said: “Under the Obama administration, we have seen a welcome investment in the protection of LGBT rights across the world. All the indicators suggest that this will not be the case under the new administration. In every public role he has had, Mike Pence has gone out of his way to expose LGBT people to discrimination, denial of family rights and violence.
“Here at All Out, we are ready to fight for the rights that so many have fought so long and hard to achieve. We are ready to mobilise our millions of members to stand firm against any backlash Pence wants to unleash in the U.S. or other parts of the world.”