It is not necessarily typical of all conversion therapy techniques, and Pence has not signaled support for this specific technique.Īlt-right fans of Donald Trump, who already turned their “God Emperor” into a meme long before the general election, decided to turn this talking point against LGBTQ activists by embracing it wholeheartedly. For example, here’s one anti-Pence ad using the electroshock talking point:Īgain, this ad is somewhat misleading because, clearly, electrocution is only one method of attempting to “cure” homosexuality. Nevertheless, the use of electric shocks, something that clearly qualifies as torture, is what many LGBTQ activists seized on to hit Pence during the 2016 presidential campaign. Of course, Pence never explicitly endorsed electroshock therapy for gays and lesbians, but he did suggest cutting funding from programs designed to combat HIV/AIDS and, instead, using that money to “fix” gay and lesbian people.
One of the more harmful techniques in existence consists of applying electric shocks to a patient’s genitals.
However, what caught the attention of many LGBTQ activists was Pence’s support for funding conversion therapy - the quack science of turning gays and lesbians straight.Ĭonversion therapy consists of numerous techniques - again, not a real science - including the use of nausea-inducing drugs, gender reinforcement (having men and women participating in activities associated with their genders), punching pillows, and even hugging.
He was fond of enacting anti-choice legislation, wanted Creationism to be taught as science in public schools, and signed an infamous Religious Freedom Restoration Act that gave businesses a license to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. Senator, and then as governor of Indiana, Pence was a reliable soldier for the Christian Right. What was noticeably absent was a much more obscure meme concerning, of all people, our current vice president Mike Pence.Īs a U.S.
Earlier this year, Vice published a short guide to various alt-right memes, from Pepe the Frog to Moonman to deus vult. Factor in a payoff of those student loans, Forbes places Pence's net worth at $1 million.Ĭhris Sims is a digital sports producer at IndyStar.If there’s anything the alt-right prides itself on - besides its vast repertoire of racial slurs - it’s its use of memes. However, his state and federal pensions working as a government official total about $85,000 per year for the rest of his life.Īccording to Forbes' calculations, those pensions would make Pence worth about $1.2 million but he still owes on a six-figure student loan debt. In 2019, Forbes reported Pence didn't have much besides $65,000 in index funds and under $15,000 in a bank account. "I want to thank our vice president, Mike Pence and Karen," Trump said. Trump only spoke for about 10 minutes during his final speech as president, according to USA Today. I'm absolutely confident that the best days, for this one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, are yet to come.” What did Donald Trump say about Mike Pence?
“While we don't know what the future holds," Pence said, "we know who holds the future.