Governor Pence,
Congratulations on becoming the Republican Vice President nominee. Mr. Trump made a good political move selecting you as his running mate. You're most likely going to be the reason the GOP doesn't fall apart and the reason conservative views are upheld. But that's what I wanted to talk to you about. Your views.
While you have excellent experience under your belt including being the governor of Indiana, as well as having your own talk show, The Mike Pence Show in the 1990's, I wonder how someone educated and experienced can have such harsh views when it comes to basic human rights.
Last night, in Mr. Trump's RNC speech, he spoke about how he will protect the LGBTQ community from hate. But you sir, are one of the people who has shown hate and even signed the "religious freedom bill," which is a bill that gives business owners the right to deny business to LGBTQ people on the grounds of "religious freedom."
Governor Pence I'm sorry but it is no longer acceptable to just not allow certain groups of people to go about their day and their lives. I know you revised the bill or were working on doing so, but it only seemed that you did this because of the uproar from the media which should never be your main reason to change something. The last time bills like these were passed was when we were excluding African Americans from businesses and taking away their basic rights. Our country needs to move forward not backwards.
Your track record for intolerance only continues as I read more about you and your career in politics. You co-sponsored an amendment in 2003 that was supposed to prohibit gay marriage. In 2007, you voted against the Employee Non-Discrimination act which was an act aimed at stopping employers from discriminating against people based on their sexual orientation.
Not only are you intolerant of the LGBTQ community, but also voted against helping low-income families. You voted against raising the minimum wage, helping more low income children have health insurance and against vouchers to help low income families pay rent.
While I have had the privilege to grow up in a family with money, I have seen so many families who struggle to put food on the table every single day. Good, hardworking people who just want a better life for themselves and their kids. And it disgusts me to know you turned your back on them.
Governor Pence I could go on and on about the injustices you have done. But I have a life to live and it would take too long to name them all. While Mr. Trump may not be someone with the necessary experience that being a President requires, he at least has opened his mind to the changing ways of the world.
If you were to enter office, your ideals would push our country back decades. Some of my friends who are a part of the LGBTQ community would be discriminated against even more than they already are with your new ability to help create laws that would be enforced country wide.
I respect your conservative views, but I don't respect you forcing all of us to have the same beliefs you do. Our country was built on religious freedom. And church and state have been separate. I hardly doubt any of your views will change, but just know you will not have my vote come November.
I am someone who stands for tolerance unlike yourself and I refuse to let any human being be treated like a second-class citizen based on their sexuality. And by voting for Trump, I'd also be voting for you and allowing these crazy and unconstitutional views to continue.
Regards,
Alexis Klumb
