Vice President Mike Pence is set to visit Columbus on Friday, June 15, to tout the new federal tax reform plan. He’ll be met outside the Columbus Renaissance hotel with what protesters are calling the “Big LGBTQ Dance Party.”
Pence’s visit lines up with the beginning of the Columbus Pride Festival, and advocates for the LGBTQ community mean to draw attention to Pence’s stand on issues affecting that community.
According to Cincinnati.com, "the Vice President has long been criticized for his stance on LGBT rights. While governor of Indiana, he signed the 2015 Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which some said encouraged discrimination."
More than 600 people have RSVP’d to the event on Facebook, and the organizers obtained a permit for the afternoon festivities, which will include multiple DJs and drag queens. Pence may even see a familiar face in the crowd: his own. Mike Hot Pence, a doppleganger who raises money for LGBTQ causes, is joining the party.
We are excited to announce @MikeHotPence will be joining our dance party! #GayPenceParty pic.twitter.com/4Rt69I1b8y
— BigLGBTQDanceParty (@LGBTQDanceParty) June 14, 2018
The Big LGBTQ Dance Party will be held, aptly, on Gay Street between 3rd and Pearl.
Advocates for the Affordable Health Care Act are also planning to be outside the hotel. They’ll be talking about how they feel the program’s existence is threatened under the current Republican leadership at the state and national levels.
Pence previously visited Cleveland as part of his tax policy tour, which is organized by the pro-Trump nonprofit called "America First Policies."
Columbus Pride is expecting a crowd of around 500,000 people for this weekend's festival.
