A gay man in New York City who looks ironically similar to Mike Pence has been using his resemblance to the Vice President-Elect to raise money for several LGBTQ groups.
Dressed in a suit, tie, and blue short-shorts, Glen Pannell is making it his mission to “raise dollars and raise awareness”. So far he has raised money to support Planned Parenthood, Natural Resources Defense Council, and is currently raising money to donate to the Trevor Project- an organization that works to prevent suicide in LGBTQ+ youth.
As a gay man, Pannell was especially distraught to witness the election of a Vice President who has advocated for gay conversion therapy and sponsored “religious freedom” bills that attempt to legalize the discrimination of queer citizens.
Pannell told the Huffington Post “LGBTQ young people will need our full support over the next few years, given Mike Pence’s record in office. So much of what he’s done in the last 16 years has divided and excluded ― not united.”
Pannell first wore his “Mike Hot-Pence” outfit as a Halloween costume when his friends pointed out that he looked eerily similar to the homophobic politician. While it started out as a joke, Pannell decided he should use it for more after the shocking election results.
In an interview with PEOPLE magazine Pannell described what he would say to the real Mike Pence if he had the chance.
“I’d tell him, ‘If you could walk a mile in my short-shorts, you would meet so many people who are afraid and unsure about the next four years because they see rising hate speech in the last four weeks. You say you love this country, you say you have great faith in the American people. If that’s true, I’d say put your policy where your mouth is.’”
While we all prepare for what will likely be a difficult four years, it’s refreshing to know that there will always be people like Pannell. We will continue to challenge hatred and fight bigotry- whether it be in short-shorts or a suit (or both!) we can and we will fight back.
