LGBT Activists Had a Dance Party Protest in Mike Pence’s Neighborhood

2 minute read
By Julia Zorthian

Protestors in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night didn’t just march their way to Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s house—they danced.

Roughly 200 people rallied for the “Queer Dance Party at Mike Pence’s House” against Pence’s history with legislation or opinions that have opposed LGBTQ rights in the Chevy Chase neighborhood where he has been renting a home.

A man is cheered at a dance event organized by LGBTQ activist groups DisruptJ20 and WERK for Peace outside Vice President-Elect Mike Pence's temporary residence in Chevy Chase, Md., on Jan. 18, 2017. The protest targeted Pence's record on gay and transgender rights.
A man is cheered at a dance event organized by LGBTQ activist groups DisruptJ20 and WERK for Peace outside Vice President-Elect Mike Pence's temporary residence in Chevy Chase, Md., on Jan. 18, 2017. The protest targeted Pence's record on gay and transgender rights.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME

Organizers involved with the dance activist group WERK for Peace took part in coordinating the event on Facebook, ABC News reports.

“We want to send a strong message to Pence that we’re a united queer community,” Firas Nasr, an organizer, told the Washington Post. “We’ve always stood united. There’s always space to dance.”

A dance event organized by LGBTQ activist groups DisruptJ20 and WERK for Peace held a protest outside Vice President-Elect Mike Pence's temporary residence in Chevy Chase, Md., on Jan. 18, 2017. The protest targeted Pence's record on gay and transgender rights.
A dance event organized by LGBTQ activist groups DisruptJ20 and WERK for Peace held a protest outside Vice President-Elect Mike Pence's temporary residence in Chevy Chase, Md., on Jan. 18, 2017. The protest targeted Pence's record on gay and transgender rights.Peter van Agtmael—Magnum Photos for TIME

The Facebook event instructed participants to “get ready to WERK it and tell Daddy Pence: homo/transphobia is not tolerated in our country!” The group congregated and blasted music like Beyonce, Michael Jackson and Madonna as they made their way to Pence’s area.

The streets leading to Pence’s house were blocked a few blocks away, so protestors did not make it to the house itself. Residents along the streets came out of their houses to watch, with many cheering or encouraging the dancers, the Post reports.

[ABC News]

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Write to Julia Zorthian at julia.zorthian@time.com