The White House has been ridiculed for suggesting that Vice President Mike Pence is not ant-gay because he is meeting Ireland’s Taoiseach [Prime Minister] Leo Varadkar, who is gay.
Pence is currently visiting Ireland, and on Tuesday he and Second Lady Karen Pence had lunch with Varadkar and his partner, Dr. Matthew Barrett, prior to a joint press conference between Pence and Varadkar.
“For all of you who still think our @VP is anti-gay, I point you to his and the @SecondLady’s schedule tomorrow where they will join Taoiseach @LeoVaradkar and his partner Dr. Matthew Barrett for lunch in Ireland,” Judd Deere, White House deputy press secretary and special assistant to the President, tweeted on Monday.
Deere’s tweet was widely criticized by LGBTQ people and organizations, who refuted the idea that simply meeting with gay people proved a lack of anti-LGBTQ animosity.
“For those who think Mike Pence isn’t anti-gay, let me remind you that as Governor of Indiana, he pushed anti-LGBTQ policies so widely criticized that a corporate boycott of the state lost it tens of millions in revenue and made Pence the most unpopular governor in America,” Charlotte Clymer, rapid response press secretary at the Human Rights Campaign, tweeted.
LGBTQ media advocacy organization GLAAD issued a rebuttal to Deere’s assertion that meeting with a gay person meant Pence wasn’t anti-gay.
“We can’t believe we have to say this but simply meeting with a gay person doesn’t erase Pence’s long history of attacking LGBTQ people through policy, legislation, and rhetoric. Nice try though,” GLAAD tweeted, adding a link to the organizations tracker of Pence’s anti-LGBTQ actions and statements.
Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Democratic presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg, similarly criticized Deere for his assertion.
“I’ve sat at tables with people who would gladly deny me the right to marry, who openly support conversion therapy, and who adamantly believe being gay is a choice,” Buttigieg tweeted. “Doesn’t mean they’re any less homophobic because we shared a meal.”
Pence has a long history of opposing LGBTQ rights, including saying in June that Donald Trump banning American embassies from flying LGBTQ Pride flags during Pride Month was “the right decision.”
In a statement on his congressional campaign website in 2000, he argued for resources to be directed away from “organisations that celebrate and encourage the types of behaviours that facilitate the spreading of the HIV virus” and instead go towards “those institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.”
As governor of Indiana, Pence supported the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act,” which allowed businesses and individuals to discriminate against LGBTQ people.
In addition, Pence opposes same-sex marriage, once telling Congress it would bring “societal collapse.” He opposed the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. And he opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, which would have banned discrimination against people based on sexuality.
In 2017, a New Yorker column alleged that Trump joked about Pence wanting to “hang” every gay person.
Pete Buttigieg has previously pushed back against the vice president’s bigotry, telling CNN’s New Day in April that Pence uses religion “as an excuse to harm other people.”
One Million Moms, the project of the anti-LGBTQ American Family Association known for railing against depictions of queer people, has a new target: NASCAR.
The group has launched a petition urging the racing organization to cancel an upcoming advertising campaign for the 2026 season, expected to air in February around the time of the Daytona 500, over its use of the slogan "Hell Yeah!"
Created by the Los Angeles agency 72andSunny, the ad aims to reintroduce fans to NASCAR’s brand and appeal to blue-collar audiences by emphasizing its "rebellious, Americana roots" while "satisfying its core fan base and reaching new audiences," according to Adweek.
Two of MAGA's favorite political pundits -- Tucker Carlson and Daily Wire host Michael Knowles -- pushed a wild conspiracy theory on Carlson's podcast that former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is faking his sexual orientation for political gain, with Carlson deriding him as "the fake gay guy."
Knowles responded that he has a friend "who thinks a fake gay."
"My gay producer is always like, 'he's not gay,'" Carlson said, claiming Buttigieg "was with a girl like 20 minutes ago" and suggesting he only identifies as gay to boost his political ambitions. "It's like 'time for a gay guy!'" he added, leaning on a common right-wing trope that mocks Democrats for promoting diversity.
Authorities say the alleged gunman in a mass shooting at a North Carolina waterfront restaurant -- which left three people dead and at least eight injured -- reportedly embraced anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theories.
The shooting took place around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, at the American Fish Company in Southport, North Carolina, a popular waterfront bar that once appeared as a filming location for the movie Safe Haven.
Investigators allege that the suspect, 40-year-old Nigel Max Edge, was piloting a white center-console boat through a busy stretch of the Intracoastal Waterway lined with bars and restaurants. From just off the American Fish Company’s deck, he allegedly opened fire on the crowd, according to Fox News.
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.