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. If there’s anything the alt-right prides itself on - besides its vast repertoire of racial slurs - it’s its use of memes.