: The Twit in Chief took to Twitter to demand an apology for this unconscionable harassment:
Our wonderful future V.P. Mike Pence was harassed last night at the theater by the cast of Hamilton, cameras blazing.This should not happen!
And:
The Theater must always be a safe and special place.The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!
“Harassed.” LOL. Sure.
__________
Vice President-elect Mike Pence (R-eligious Bigot) went to see the Broadway show Hamilton last night, and got booed by the audience. Good.
Pence went to see “Hamilton,” the Broadway phenomenon about America’s Founding Fathers featuring a diverse cast that has won Tonys, Grammys, Pulitzers and MacArthur genius grants. After acquiring one of the hottest tickets in town, Pence was being seated in the orchestra section when the crowd began to loudly boo the Indiana governor.
As Pence stood in the hallway by the orchestra after the show, actor Brandon Victor Dixon delivered him a message from the show’s creator Lin-Manuel Miranda, the director, producer, and other cast members.
I see you walking out but I hope you will hear us. Nothing to boo here, we’re all sharing a story of love. We welcome you, and we truly thank you for joining us here at Hamilton: An American Musical — we really do. We are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values, and work on behalf of all of us.
We truly thank you for sharing this show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men and women of different colors, creeds, and orientations.
Waaaay too nice for my tastes, but you do you, Brandon.
The reaction at a Broadway show is not surprising considering Pence’s stance on LGBT issues. As governor of Indiana, Pence has signed a religious freedom act that was seen to allow discrimination against the LGBT community he later was forced to roll back. He also was slow to act on a needle exchange program that would have helped more quickly end an HIV crisis from spiraling out of the opioid epidemic in parts of the Hoosier State. The actor who plays Hamilton, Javier Munoz, is openly gay and HIV positive.
As a congressman, Pence’s campaign website stated that his positions were to “oppose any effort to put gay and lesbian relationships on an equal legal status with heterosexual marriage,” not allow homosexuals to fall under anti-discrimination protection laws and for funds to be diverted to conversion therapy which “provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior.”
Back in March, Pence as governor of Indiana signed into law HB 1337, which bans abortions in cases of “a lethal fetal anomaly.” That is, women must gestate doomed fetuses to full term and give birth to dead or dying offspring. Pro-life, everyone! He got excellently trolled for that one, when a Nasty Woman™ launched the Periods for Pence campaign, wherein women called his office to update the governor on their reproductive cycles. You know: since he thinks its his business.
“Good Morning. I just wanted to inform the Governor that things seem to be drying up today. No babies seem to be up in there. Okay?” one woman said when she called the office. When asked to identify herself, she said her first name was Sue, with her last name being, “Magina. That’s M-A-G-I-N-A. It rhymes with–”
At that point, the woman said, the person answering the phone told them, “I’ve got it” before hanging up.
Another woman said that she reached the office while the operator was on a break.
“I need to get a message to the Governor that I am on day three of my period. My flow seems abnormally heavy, but my cramps are much better to–” she explained to the person covering the phones.”
“MA’AM, WHAT IS IT THAT I CAN HELP YOU WITH?” they replied.
“Oh, I don’t need your help, I just wanted to keep Governor Pence informed of my reproductive cycle, since he seems so concerned,” the woman explained.
As you might imagine, I approve that tactic too.
Like I said the other day:
The only way we will ever push these emboldened bigots back to the far fringes of society—if we ever do—is to ensure that our spaces are not accommodating for them.
[h/t Becca]
When I read this morning about the statement from the Hamilton performers, my first thought was , “this would have NEVER happened back in the Cotton Club days” — I am so hopeful, there really is no going back, and we really are all here NOW, stronger than ever.
Ooh! I’ve had a hopeful thought. This morning I was worrying that Drumpf would insult world leaders on Twitter and get us into a war, but maybe we can keep him so busy being upset about Hamilton-style protests that he won’t have time for that. That’s something the American is about up to: Look over here, Trump! Meme! Meme! Actor-addressing-your-Vice! Squirrel!
You may want to add this one, I just came across it and posted it: http://allwhitemen.com/
Sylvia: I am not nearly as hopeful.
Caine: I shared it on Facebook yesterday. Brilliant.
martha: Excellent suggestion! I approve this tactic as well. But Pence is not a Squirrel Person — those are by definition Democrats. Pretty sure Pence is one of Dick Cheney’s Lizard People.
I’ve never been interested in getting a twitter account. I might now, just to troll Donald J Oompa Loompa.
I registered myself. Thank you.
I hope this intensifies over the next four years. He and his administration need to be told over and over whenever they interact with the public that they’re horrible people.
I wish whenever he would attend an event, a content warning would be played over the PA system followed by the full audio of his “bus” interview. Loud and clear. It would be great if every country receiving him would do this.
Saad 8:
I hear you Saad, and I agree in principle. However (1) like all of his other bigoted statements, that interview hardly cost him a vote (quite the opposite), and (2) the audio is triggering to sexual assault victims. I say that from personal experience.
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Ideally, we need to think about ways to make such ideas and those who hold them feel uncomfortable and unwelcome, without causing splash damage. Assuming that’s possible. I believe it is, but at the moment I’m just not in the frame of mind to work it out.