Former Vice President Mark Pence is getting extreme backlash for his recent “joke” about Pete Buttigieg’s parental leave. “When Pete’s two children were born, he took two months’ maternity leave whereupon thousands of travelers were stranded in airports, the air traffic system shut down, and airplanes nearly collided on our runways,” stated Pence. “Pete is the only person in human history to have a child and everyone else gets postpartum depression.” This was the said joke that has the white house and many other people criticizing him.
Why He Made This Comment
Pete Buttigieg and his husband have been eagerly waiting for the arrival of their adopted twins in August 2021. However, two months after the babies were born, they had to be rushed to the hospital due to unknown complications. At the annual Gridiron dinner in Washington, Pence said that Buttigieg, who is the first openly homosexual Cabinet Secretary, took his “maternity” leave while many Americans were suffering from airlines problems back in 2021.
Once Buttigieg found out about his homophobic joke, he decided to say something back. “An honest question for you, after your attempted joke this weekend,” he wrote. “If your grandchild was born prematurely and placed on a ventilator at two months old their tiny fingers wrapped around yours as the monitors beep in the background where would you be?” said Buttigieg in a tweet. This tweet was directed at Pence since he has previously announced the birth of his granddaughter back in March 2021. Many people have also said that he must apologize for making a very inappropriate joke.
Pence’s Response To The Hate
After hearing all the backlash he was getting, he made the comment saying that Buttigieg “can’t take a joke”. Comment which baffled a lot of Americans. However, the White House will not tolerate such blunt disrespect towards the LGBTQ community and also to women that suffer from PPD. Later, the White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre states that “The former vice president’s homophobic joke about Secretary Buttigieg was offensive and inappropriate, all the more so because he treated women suffering from postpartum depression as a punchline. He should apologize to women and LGBTQ people, who are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect.”
“The Gridiron Dinner is a roast. I had a lot of jokes directed to me, and I directed a lot of jokes to Republicans and Democrats,” said Mark Pence to the reporters recently. “The only thing I can figure is Pete Buttigieg not only can’t do his job, but he can’t take a joke,” he added. Pence seems to not understand how his comment is offensive and hurtful to Buttigieg. A couple dealing with their babies fighting for their lives in the hospital. Regardless of all the hate he is receiving, his former chief of staff, Marc Short has recently dismissed the White House criticism and said that it was “Faux outrage.”
No Lesson Learned
“The White House would be wise to focus less on placating the woke police and focus more on bank failures, planes nearly colliding in mid-air, train derailments, and the continued supply chain crisis,” stated Marc Short. Even though Pence claims that he and Buttigieg are on good terms, people aren’t buying it. And even so, it doesn’t change the fact that he refuses to apologize. In an interview in 2019, Pence said they have a “great working relationship.” But in Buttigieg’s campaign memoir, he claimed their relationship to be “complicated.” This was because Buttigieg began to be a celebrated voice for the LGBTQ. People will not stop until they hear a sincere apology from Pence. No one wants a homophobic and misogynistic person to have high authority. Unfortunately, it is likely that such an apology will probably not happen.
Written By Erika P. Cano Peralta
Sources:
NBC News: White House criticizes Pence for ‘homophobic’ joke about Buttigieg’s parental leave
CBS News: White House says Pence should apologize for “homophobic joke” about Buttigieg
Daily News: Mike Pence defends ‘homophobic’ remarks about Buttigieg’s parental leave: ‘He can’t take a joke’
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Gage Skidmore Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Lorie Shaull Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
