Vice President Mike Pence has frequently come under fire for his support of anti-LGBTQ policies, and his conservative beliefs about gender roles have also raised eyebrows. So when his wife, Karen Pence, started a new job at a school that discriminates against LGBTQ students and employees, it was disheartening but not exactly a surprise. HuffPost reports that the second lady recently began teaching art twice a week at Immanuel Christian School in Northern Virginia. The outlet obtained the school’s admissions policy and employment application, both of which make it clear that members of the LGBTQ community are not welcome.
And Lady Gaga has thoughts.
"And to Mike Pence, who thinks it's acceptable that his wife work at a school that bans LGBTQ: You are wrong. You said we should not discriminate against Christianity. You are the worst representation of what it means to be a Christian. I am a Christian woman, and what I do know about Christianity is that we bear no prejudice and everybody is welcome. So you can take all that disgrace Mr. Pence and you can look yourself in the mirror and you’ll find it right there.
This sends a terrible message to students.
Pence has worked at Immanuel Christian before, teaching there for 12 years while her husband was serving in Congress. The family’s middle child, Charlotte Pence, attended the school. This time around, the second lady is set to work at the school until May. In a statement to Politico, Pence’s spokeswoman, Kara Brooks, said, “It’s absurd that her decision to teach art to children at a Christian school, and the school’s religious beliefs, are under attack.” Nevermind, of course, that those “religious beliefs” are harmful to an entire group of marginalized people.
Unfortunately, in many places, discriminating against employees based on their sexuality or gender presentation is legal. As the American Bar Association notes, only 20 states have laws that prohibit this. According to Fast Company, in Virginia, only public employees are protected from discrimination. While it’s not exactly shocking that Pence would work for a school with these policies, it’s still shameful that a public figure would openly champion these beliefs. LGBTQ rights are human rights, and that should not be controversial.