Hundreds of queer people stormed the streets surrounding Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s home last night to engage in a classically queer form of resistance: dancing.
Roughly 200 LGBTQ people and their allies gathered for the event, which took place in Pence’s Chevy Chase, D.C. neighborhood, less than 48 hours before the Trump administration officially comes to power.
The dance party was organized by DisruptJ20 and WERK for Peace through Facebook.
“Even before the tragedy at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, during which 49 individuals were massacred on a dance floor, nightclubs and dance served as critical cornerstones of queer/trans activism and expression,” Firas Nsar, founding organizer of WERK for Pence, previously told The Huffington Post. “In taking dance to the streets, we use our bodies to occupy space and assert that will embrace each other, our diversity, and our differences. Tomorrow, we will send a very clear message to Mike Pence on his doorstep: #WeAreHere, #WeWillDance, and we refuse to tolerate bigotry and hate in this country.”
It’s no secret that Pence has long been an enemy of the queer community. Not only has he openly supported conversion therapy ― a barbaric practice promoted in the 2016 Republican party platform ― but he also opposed President Obama’s transgender rights directive, rejected the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, and refused to support the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” ― all of which makes him one of the most anti-LGBTQ state-elected officials in the country.
Check out more photos and video from the queer dance party below.
A big thank you to all of the queers who turned out and danced!
Did you get the message, Mike? We’re here, we’re queer, get used to it!