Cast of Hamilton address Mike Pence on diversity after audience boo him
Mike Pence was booed at by the audience for the musical Hamilton on Friday, prompting the cast to deliver an important message on diversity to the vice-president elect.
As Pence turned up the the hip-hop New York musical in the Richard Rogers Theatre, audience members began to boo him as he walked towards his seat.
Whilst a few people cheered Trump’s right hand man, many more took to loud booing causing a number of people in the audience to share video clips of the reaction on social media.
The audience periodically booed the Indiana governor throughout the play, and during the interval many believed he had left because of the disruption he was causing.
However, at the end of the performance the cast went on stage and thanked the audience. Brandon Dixon who plays vice-president Aaron Burr, addressed Pence directly.
“Mike Pence we welcome you here. We are the diverse Americans who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights.
“Sir, we truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and work on behalf of all of us.
“We thank you for sharing this wonderful American story, told by a diverse group of men and women of different colours, creeds and orientations,” Dixon added.
Dixon encouraged the audience to share the speech online, stating that “there is nothing to boo here, ladies and gentlemen, we are sharing a story of love.”
Tonight, VP-Elect Mike Pence attended #HamiltonBway. After the show, @BrandonVDixon delivered the following statement on behalf of the show. pic.twitter.com/Jsg9Q1pMZs
— Hamilton (@HamiltonMusical) November 19, 2016
New Vice President Mike Pence previously suggested that HIV prevention funding be drained in order to fund state-sponsored ‘gay cure’ therapy.
The governor also confirmed plans to roll back Barack Obama’s executive protections on LGBT rights, so that “the transgender bathroom issue can be resolved with common sense at the local level”.
An investigation also found that Pence approved extreme anti-LGBT articles when he was the head of the Indiana Policy Review journal in the 1990s. Including an article which implied that “gaydom” was a “pathological condition”, and argued that gay journalists would be biased in reporting because of their sexuality.
