--- title: Mike Pence: What He's Said on LGBT Issues Over the Years description: Mike Pence, Donald Trump's running mate, opposed gay marriage, ending Don't Ask Don't Tell and fighting workplace discrimination. canonical: https://time.com/4406337/mike-pence-gay-rights-lgbt-religious-freedom/ author: Will Drabold article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-15T14:48:25.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:41:31.880Z article:section: Politics og:title: Here's What Mike Pence Said on LGBT Issues Over the Years og:description: He linked gays to 'societal collapse,' opposed gay marriage. og:url: https://time.com/4406337/mike-pence-gay-rights-lgbt-religious-freedom/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1745ace46386f317/69889b9f0b72e37af96ea28f/donald-trump-vice-president-pick-03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2257 og:image:height: 1270 og:image:alt: Interview With Indiana Governor Mike Pence og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's What Mike Pence Said on LGBT Issues Over the Years twitter:description: He linked gays to 'societal collapse,' opposed gay marriage. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1745ace46386f317/69889b9f0b72e37af96ea28f/donald-trump-vice-president-pick-03.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's What Mike Pence Said on LGBT Issues Over the Years > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=273f657c-20bf-407f-881f-e355a6793f2b&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Trump Picks Pence for VP Running Mate [Watch (HLS stream): Trump Picks Pence for VP Running Mate](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/g0fUptUU.m3u8) (1:09)  _Published 2016-07-14. They make an improbable pair: the entertainer and the ideologue; one brash, one mild; a billionaire Manhattanite and a Midwestern Boy Scout. But Donald Trump is announced on Twitter Friday that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is his running mate_ by [Will Drabold](https://time.com/author/will-drabold/) ## Will Drabold Jul 15, 2016 2:48 PM UTC by [Will Drabold](https://time.com/author/will-drabold/) ## Will Drabold Jul 15, 2016 2:48 PM UTC Indiana Gov. Mike Pence,[ Donald Trump’s running mate](http://time.com/4408060/donald-trump-mike-pence-twitter-tweet/), attracted national attention last year when he signed a religious freedom law that members of the LGBT community said could worsen discrimination against them. After criticism from the business community, Pence [signed an amendment](http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2015/04/01/indiana-rfra-deal-sets-limited-protections-for-lgbt/70766920/) to the law intended to protect gays and lesbians. But it was not his first brush with criticism from the LGBT community. A self-described [“Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order,”](http://www.indystar.com/story/news/politics/2016/07/07/trumps-vp-10-things-know-indiana-gov-mike-pence/86746980/%29) the former member of Congress was a prominent conservative figure in battles over marriage equality and equal rights in the last decade. **Read More:** [_Donald Trump Names Veep Pick on Twitter_](http://time.com/4408060/donald-trump-mike-pence-twitter-tweet/) Here are some of the statements and positions Pence had has related to LGBT issues: **He said gay couples signaled ‘societal collapse’** In 2006, as head of the Republican Study Committee, a group of the 100 most-conservative House members, Pence rose in support of a constitutional amendment that would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman. Citing a Harvard researcher, Pence [said in his speech](http://bit.ly/29KcLLm), “societal collapse was always brought about following an advent of the deterioration of marriage and family.” Pence also called being gay a choice and said keeping gays from marrying was not discrimination, but an enforcement of “God’s idea.” **He opposed a law that would prohibit discrimination against LGBT people in the workplace** The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would have banned discrimination against people based on sexual orientation. Pence [voted against that law](https://www.congress.gov/bill/110th-congress/house-bill/03685) in 2007 and later said the law “[wages war on freedom and religion in the workplace.](http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/02/the-tea-partys-religious-inspiration/71679/)” More than 20 years after the bill was first introduced, the Senate [approved the proposal in 2013,](http://swampland.time.com/2013/11/07/senate-passes-lgbt-anti-discrimination-bill/) but the bill failed in the House. **Read More**: [_Why Donald Trump Picked Mike Pence as Running Mate_](http://time.com/4406477/donald-trump-mike-pence-running-mate-vice-president/?xid=homepage) **He opposed the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell** Pence favored the longtime military policy of not letting soldiers openly identify as gay. In 2010, Pence told CNN he did not want to see the military become [“a backdrop for social experimentation.”](http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1012/02/jkusa.01.html) The [policy ended in 2011.](http://nation.time.com/2011/09/16/the-lessons-of-ending-dont-ask-dont-tell/) **He rejected the Obama administration directive on transgender bathrooms** In May, the federal government directed school districts to allow students to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. The directive came as [criticism crescendoed around a North Carolina law](http://time.com/4341419/battle-of-the-bathroom/) that would have restricted the use of bathrooms. Along with many other conservatives, Pence opposed Obama’s directive and said it was a state issue. “The federal government has not business getting involved in issues of this nature,” [Pence said.](http://fox59.com/2016/05/13/indiana-schools-react-to-obama-administrations-directive-on-transgender-access-to-school-bathrooms/) **Read More:** [_Mike Pence, Donald Trump’s Running Mate, Disagrees With Him on These 3 Issues_](http://time.com/4406664/donald-trump-vice-president-mike-pence-issues/) ## Transcript I often joke. You'll be calling up Mike Pence, I don't know whether he's gonna be your governor or your vice president. Who the hell knows? Hi, I'm Mike Pence. Christmas is a wonderful time of the year. And that's especially true in the Hoosier State. There are two things I know about Mike Pence. He loves our family and he just loves Indiana. From people who preach tolerance every day we've been under an avalanche [ CROSSTALK ] of intolerance and I'm not gonna take it lying down. In our state! No hate in our state! Protest and anger across Indiana. [ APPLAUSE ] [ APPLAUSE ] We are 119 days away in a great victory in the United States of America, when Indiana becomes the first state on the board. Tonight, Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States United States of America. We are going to make the winner so great again we are going to make American greater than ever before. I love you Indiana thank you for all your help. You are very special people. 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