Out South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg
said Sunday that he supports a protest against Vice President Mike
Pence over his opposition to LGBT rights.
More than 50 graduates protested
Pence's Notre Dame University commencement address. The graduates
stood up from their seats and walked out of their graduation as Pence
delivered his remarks. Some of the students cited Pence's long
anti-LGBT record, while others said they were speaking out against
the policies of President Donald Trump's administration.
“What I appreciate about it is it’s
clear that the students want to express their commitment to tolerance
and the values that they believe a Catholic University ought to
uphold, and that this administration is not compatible with those
values,” Buttigieg told the
Washington
Blade. “And at the same time, I think they found a very
respectful way to do it.”
“You go to a university in order to
form your conscience and they're expressing their conscience in a way
that I really respect and admire,” he added.
In applauding the walkout, LGBT rights
advocate GLAAD pointed out that Pence opposes marriage equality and
voted against “Don't Ask, Don't Tell” repeal and the Employment
Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), a federal employment bill that sought
to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity.