Mike Pence Confronted by Emotional Mom of Trans Child About Laws to Protect Lgbtq Kids From Violence
The emotional exchange took place at NewsNation's town hall event on Wednesday.
Former vice president Mike Pence was stoic as the mother of a transgender child broke down in tears over his LGBTQ policies at presidential town hall event, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The emotional exchange took place at NewsNation's town hall event on Wednesday night, in which audience members had the opportunity to directly address the Republican candidate with their own questions.
Mike Pence vowed to 'protect kids' from 'radical gender ideology' allegedly being taught in schools.
During the event, Pence proudly vowed that if elected, he would "protect our kids from that radical gender ideology that’s taken hold in too many public schools."
As Pence basked in the applause following his statement, NewsNation moderator Leland Vittert called for the next question from audience member Melissa McCollister, who was visibly shaken.
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Audience member Melissa McCollister asked Pence his plans for protecting Black and Latinx LGBTQ youth.
Through tears, McCollister addressed Pence with honest concern.
"Good evening, vice president. I am an LGBTQ member and I have trans individuals in my family. Recent anti-LGBTQ bills have been signed into law all around this United States, including here in Iowa. So far, in 2023, 15 transgender individuals and gender-nonconforming people have been murdered. The vast majority of those people have been Black and Latinx transgender women," McCollister said as her voice trembled.
"It is very hard for me to ask these questions after just hearing what I heard," the audience member continued. "What is your policy plan to protect the transgender community, specifically Black and brown trans women from historically high levels of violence?"
Pence said he was a 'Bible-believing Christian' and believed in 'freedom of religion.'
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After digesting the audience member's question, Pence responded, "well, Melissa, let me say I’m deeply grieved to hear about those tragic circumstances, and I hear your heart, and I’m moved by your emotion, I truly am."
"I’m a Bible-believing Christian," Pence continued. "I have particular views of these matters and you have a different view of those, perhaps, but I want you to know I believe in the freedom of religion, I believe in the freedom of conscience, I believe in the right of every American to live, to work, to worship according to the dictates of their conscience and I’ll respect that."
Pence paused for a moment before he added, "but I hope you also hear my heart on this."
McCollister was emotional as she called Pence's policies towards LGBTQ youth 'appalling.'
"For me, what adults do in their lives, decisions that they make, including transgender adults, is one thing, but for kids under the age of 18," Pence said before he rambled off a list of age-restricted items like driving, getting a tattoo and drinking alcohol.
The GOP candidate noted that these items were restricted from minors until a certain age "because we understand that kids don’t fully understand the consequences of their actions."
"When it comes to surgical or chemical procedures, I just— I really believe that we’ve got to protect our kids from decisions that will affect them, the balance of their lives, while at the same time saying adults can make decisions according to the dictates of their own conscience," Pence concluded his answer.
After Pence answered McCollister's question, the moderator returned to the audience member to ask her thoughts on the response. Composed but clearly upset, McCollister calmly branded the vice president's answer "appalling."
"I am a social worker. I’ve been in this profession for 25 years. I have worked with kids most of my profession. I started an LGBTQ youth program in my own hometown, I started one in Terre Haute, Indiana, where I was threatened with KKK and Xs on my doorstep, and that was in 2020," McCollister said."I have worked with kids as young as five years old that have gender-nonconforming and identities that are transgender, and I’ve raised one."
"And so to hear somebody tell me that it’s not okay for young children to make decisions about their gender identity and to ask their school officials for support, protection, and help is appalling."
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