Forget Trump, Pence is the real problem

Donald Trump is our president-elect, and there's nothing we can do about it. While many Americans are happy for the promise of a new direction for America, we can't ignore the uncertain future Trump may provide for our LGBT Americans, female Americans, and Americans of color.

But Donald Trump is not the villain here.

His campaign did win over the conservative vote with anti-immigration and pro-religious freedom rhetoric, but since his election he has made comments backtracking on his traditional marriage stance and his plan to completely dismantle Obamacare. So, while his "great America" may not be the best case scenario for marginalized Americans, it is by far not the worst.

The same cannot be said for Mike Pence.

Time and time again as Governor of Indiana, Pence has used the twisted guise of religious "freedom" to openly allow discrimination against LGBT citizens. His leadership has contributed to Indiana's status as one the hardest states in the nation for a woman to get an abortion. He opposes pay equity to eliminate the wage gap, and wants to repeal a Supreme Court decision that gave millions of couples the same legal benefits that heterosexual couples have been receiving for centuries.

Of course, he is still the vice president-elect, but Trump has surpassed 70. A Pence presidency isn't out of the question, and that could mean moving straight backwards after decades of progress.

Carolyn Ford

Glen Ellyn