Former Vice President Mike Pence visited the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s office in Concord to file for the state’s primary ballot—but before he could sign the paperwork his visit was interrupted by a heckler claiming to be his lover.
“We’re running because we simply believe with all humility that I’m the most qualified, most experienced, the most tested conservative seeking the Republican nomination,” Pence said.
Before he could continue, a man interrupted and claimed to the gaggle of press and Pence supporters—Karen Pence among them—that he was romantically involved with America’s 48th vice president.
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“Mike Pence, are you going to tell them? You promised today was our coming out day,” the man said. “Mike Pence and I are gay. Here’s the proof! Here’s the proof!”
Pence continued to try and talk over the heckler, but he was clearly thrown off.
“Mike Pence, I'll admit your John Deere is bigger than mine,” the man shouted as he was apparently escorted out by security.
Pence himself caught flak in March for making a homophobic crack at Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg for taking “maternity leave” after his son was born prematurely and placed on a ventilator.
“Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else gets postpartum depression,” Pence quipped at the time. Pence has long been the poster child for anti-gay “religious freedom” movements, with a long track record speaking out and voting against LGBT policies.
As a congressional candidate he sought to redirect funding away from HIV treatments and toward conversion therapy programs. Once in office, Pence supported a constitutional ban on gay marriage, telling colleagues that “societal collapse was always brought about following an advent of the deterioration of marriage and family.”
As vice president, Pence struck down protections for trans kids in schools, signed off on limitations of LGBT marriage rights, eliminated non-discrimination protections for gay government contractors and sought to keep transgender people out of the military.
