The Karen Pence Kerfuffle

There’s been a bit of a kerfuffle over the decision by Karen Pence, the wife of Vice President Mike Pence, to take a teaching job at the Immanuel Christian School in Northern Virginia,  a school that actively and emphatically discriminates against LGBTQ individuals and families.  Mike came to Karen’s defense and seemed to miss the point of the kerfuffle.

 

During an interview with the Catholicism-focused Eternal World Television Network on Thursday, Pence had this to say.  

 

“To see major news organizations attacking Christian education is deeply offensive to us.  This criticism of Christian education should stop. We have a rich tradition in America of Christian education and frankly religious education broadly defined. We celebrate it. The freedom of religion is enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.”

 

Well, OK.

 

Here’s the thing: if the Immanuel Christian School in Northern Virginia wants to discriminate against the LGBTQ community, fine, let ‘em do that. As the father of a gay daughter as well as a human being with a few viable brain cells and some small degree of empathy, I find such discrimination abhorrent. But if the good “Christians” at the Immanuel Christian School in Northern Virginia see the Bible as Leviticus And Other Stories and want to be dicks about it, as long as they are not being dicks about it on my taxpayer dime, fine, let ‘em be dicks about it until they blow away like so much dust in the dust bin of history.

 

But what Mike Pence is totally side stepping is this point: the wife of the Vice President of the United States of America is taking a job at a school that discriminates against part of the population of the United States of America in deference to a religion not practiced by the entire population of the United States of America.

Pence’s position as Vice President is to be in service to ALL Americans; his wife’s decision to teach at a school that does not serve all Americans and his support of that should be anathema to the responsibilities of his position.

 

Much like his boss, Mike Pence has a narrow view of who he defines as his constituents.  I think Mike Pence sees himself as Vice President of the United States of Christian America. Pence himself has repeated espoused the view that he sees himself as a Christian before all other roles he may have. And his view of being a Christian is remarkably rigid.  Even as Christian congregations grapple with how react to and work with the LGBTQ community, Pence has a long record of actively working to erect barriers and establish restrictions against the LGBTQ community. 

 

Well, OK.

 

Here’s the thing: if Mike Pence wants to be a hard ass opponent of the LGBTQ community, fine, let him. But Mike Pence, for better or worse (and I’m leaning towards “worse”), is the Vice President of the United States of America.

America which is populated by Christians and Jews and Muslims and Hindus and druids and atheists.

America where straight people reside along with gay people and transgender people.

America where white people live along with black people, Hispanics, Asians and more.

If you’re not prepared be the Vice President of ALL of the United States of America, then, Mike Pence, you should get the hell out.

 

And take Li’l Donnie with you.