Will Mike Pence Seek to Hide His Anti-LGBT Record Tonight?

The vice presidential debate starts in a little over an hour and one question in my mind is whether or not Donald Trump's  self prostituting stooge vice-president running mate will strive to appear falsely moderate and hide his history of homophobia and anti-LGBT bigotry.  For long time political junkies, it is common knowledge that Pence has made a career of opposing equal civil rights for LGBT Americans as most recently exemplified by his signing of Indiana's falsely named "religious freedom restoration " act ("RFRA") that brought near unanimous condemnation except from Christofacists.  As the photo above shows, Pence was surrounded by a gathering of religious extremists and hate merchants as he signed Indiana's RFRA.  A piece in Esquire looks at some of Pence's ugly record. Here are excerpts:

Digging up Mike Pence's past political work has become a sport in the brief time since he was named Donald Trump's running mate. Mainly, because he and Trump seem to be running different campaigns, despite the ticket they share.

The most recent finding is that Pence penned strong anti-LGBT letters in the 1990s during his time as head of the Indiana Policy Review. In 1993, he attacked gay leadership in the military, claiming:

Homosexuals are not as a group able bodied. They are known to carry extremely high rates of disease brought on because of the nature of their sexual practices and the promiscuity which is a hallmark of their lifestyle. 

Pence also took a very close look at sexual practices between men, arguing that was reason to exclude gay men from the ranks. He also claimed gay journalists could not remain unbiased because of the "pathological" nature of their "gaydom."
 Twenty years later, Pence signed into law Indiana's "Religious Freedom Restoration Act," which allows business owners to discriminate against LGBT employees and patrons. A year later, and he's running for vice president on Donald Trump's ticket. Good to know our civil liberties are under such vigilant protection.

Make no mistake.  Pence has opposed every advancement in LGBT rights, from supporting sodomy laws, opposing non-discrimination protections for LGBT citizens, opposing the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, and, of course, opposing marriage equality.  As his signing of Indiana's RFRA shows, Pence believes in special rights for Christian extremists and, if he could, would make conservative Christianity the established religion of America.  His attitude towards the Founding Father's ideal of religious freedom for all is open contempt as shown by his historic track record.