Mike Pence's D.C. neighbors are hanging rainbow flags
While Mike Pence waits for Inauguration Day to move into his new home at the vice president’s residence in Washington, D.C., he’s renting a house in the nearby Chevy Chase neighborhood in Northwest D.C.
But he’s getting a chilly reception from some of his temporary neighbors. Several are welcoming him to the District by flying the symbol of LGBT pride, the rainbow flag, over their homes. It’s an act of protest at least in part against the Indiana governor’s signing of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which caused fear among the LGBT community that the measure could enable individuals and businesses to discriminate against them. Pence soon asked lawmakers to clarify that businesses would not have license to discriminate against LGBT citizens, but many of those who opposed the measure largely felt that nothing short of a full repeal would suffice.
In the past, he has also opposed the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell,” and more recently weighed in against the Obama administration’s guidance that school districts should allow students to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. A decade ago, he also supported a constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriage.
Neighbors told CBS affiliate WUSA about the message they wanted to send to the vice president-elect.
“We want to make clear how we feel about how other people should be treated,” said one neighbor.
“I think he’s a man who can use a little reminder of American values, so I think that’s a good gesture,” said another.
An online listing says the rental cost is $6,000 per month for the five bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom home, according to WJLA.
