--- 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 video:duration: 01:09 video:published: 2016-07-14 section: politics topics: Mike Pence, Donald Trump, vice president, running mate, Indiana, Hoosier State, tolerance and intolerance, protests, rally speech, 45th president, campaign, election victory genre: news, campaign coverage tones: energetic, promotional, tense, patriotic emotions: pride (medium), anger (medium), enthusiasm (high) sentiment: neutral audience: political news followers, voters, Indiana residents, campaign watchers people: Mike Pence, Donald Trump content_suitability: politics [00:00-01:09]; hate [00:19-00:38] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Here's What Mike Pence Said on LGBT Issues Over the Years > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=56f668eb-fd5a-4159-b504-752d2826d920&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-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_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video presents clips tied to Mike Pence, including a joke about him serving as governor or vice president, a holiday greeting from Pence about Indiana, and a speaker praising his love of family and state. It includes audio about protests and anger across Indiana, with chants of 'No hate in our state.' It closes with a rally speech about being 119 days from victory, with Indiana described as the first state on the board and a pledge to make America greater than ever. ## Key points - A speaker jokes that people will call Mike Pence without knowing whether he will be their governor or their vice president. (00:00) - Mike Pence introduces himself and says Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, especially in the Hoosier State. (00:10) - A speaker says there are two things they know about Mike Pence: he loves their family and he loves Indiana. (00:16) - A speaker says people who preach tolerance every day have put them under an avalanche of intolerance, and they will not take it lying down. (00:19) - A chant of 'No hate in our state' is heard, accompanied by a description of protest and anger across Indiana. (00:26) - The rally speaker says the election is 119 days away and that Indiana will be the first state on the board. (00:41) - The rally speaker refers to Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States. (00:45) - The rally speaker pledges to make America greater than ever before and thanks Indiana, calling its people very special. (00:46) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:16] Joke and Pence's Indiana greeting. A speaker jokes about Pence's role, and Pence offers a Christmas greeting about Indiana. - [00:16 to 00:41] Praise for Pence and Indiana protests. Speakers describe Pence's love of family and Indiana, followed by talk of intolerance and protests across the state. - [00:41 to 01:09] Rally speech about victory and Indiana. A rally speaker says victory is 119 days away, invokes Donald Trump as the 45th president, and thanks Indiana. ## Key quotes - [00:00] unidentified speaker: "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." - [00:10] Mike Pence: "Hi, I'm Mike Pence." - [00:16] unidentified speaker: "There are two things I know about Mike Pence. He loves our family and he just loves Indiana." - [00:26] crowd: "No hate in our state!" - [00:46] rally speaker: "I love you Indiana thank you for all your help. You are very special people." ## Questions this video answers - What did a speaker joke about regarding Mike Pence's role? [00:00] - How does Mike Pence describe Christmas in Indiana? [00:10] - What two things does a speaker say they know about Mike Pence? [00:16] - What was the crowd chanting about Indiana? [00:26] - How many days away is the victory the rally speaker describes? [00:41] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-01:09]: Campaign-related political content including a rally speech about winning the election. - hate [00:19-00:38]: Speakers reference intolerance, and a crowd chants 'No hate in our state' amid protest and anger across Indiana. by [Will Drabold](https://time.com/author/will-drabold/) ## Will Drabold Jul 15, 2016 2:48 PM UTC 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 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 [00:00] I often joke. You'll be calling up Mike Pence, I don't [00:02] know whether he's gonna be your governor or your [00:03] vice president. Who the hell knows? Hi, [00:10] I'm Mike Pence. Christmas is a wonderful time of the [00:13] year. And that's especially true in the Hoosier State. [00:16] There are two things I know about Mike Pence. He [00:19] loves our family and he just loves Indiana. From people [00:23] who preach tolerance every day we've been under an [00:25] avalanche [ CROSSTALK ] of intolerance and I'm not [00:26] gonna take it lying down. In our state! No hate in our [00:32] state! Protest and anger across Indiana. [ APPLAUSE ] [00:38] [ APPLAUSE ] [00:41] We are 119 days away in a great victory [00:45] in the United States of America, when Indiana becomes [00:45] the first state on the board. Tonight, Donald Trump, [00:45] the 45th president of the United States United States of [00:45] America. We are going to make the winner so great [00:46] again we are going to make American greater than [00:46] ever before. I love you Indiana thank you for all your [00:46] help. You are very special people. 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