Current Affairs

Mike Pence to visit Kansas City and find a “sausage fest” waiting for him

Jul 11 2018
Written by Sofia Lotto Persio

Kansas City radio station 96.5 The Buzz launched the initiative on July 9, 2018 (Image by @965TheBuzz/Twitter)

US Vice-president Mike Pence is visiting Kansas City on Wednesday and protesters have found a most suitable way to show their dissent with the high-ranking member of the administration of President Donald Trump.

Alternative radio station 96.5 The Buzz called for a literal “sausage fest” to greet Pence as he arrives at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown hotel to speak about the administration’s taxation policy.

“Mike Pence is coming to Kansas City this Wednesday. Pence is no fan of the LGBTQ+ community, and we’re no fan of his,” the radio station wrote in a tweet to its followers on Monday. “So we’re throwing The Mike Pence Sausage Fest across the street at Barney Allis Plaza starting at 11a. Stop by and get a free hot dog while we have them!” the tweet added, featuring a picture of Pence seemingly accepting a hot dog with a rainbow flag in the background.

US Vice President Mike Pence speaks during a visit to the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency headquarters on July 6, 2018 in Washington, DC (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Pence has long been under the scrutiny of the LGBT+ community for anti-LGBT+ rights record both as a governor of Indiana and as vice-president—he reportedly played a key role in drafting the plan preventing transgender troops from serving in the military.

Since Pence’s election as vice-president, LGBT+ activists have found creative ways to protest his presence in their cities or other events. US olympian and openly gay athlete Adam Rippon publicly opposed Pence’s role in leading the American delegation to the Winter Olympics opening ceremony in South Korea earlier this year.

Before he was inaugurated on January 20, 2017, protesters threw a “queer dance party” outside his home in Washington DC—a similar initiative was organised for Pence’s visit to his hometown of Colombus, Indiana, in June—only a couple of months after the city held its first-ever Pride march in April. In March, the city of Savannah, Georgia, greeted Pence with a sea of rainbow flags as the vice-president took part in a St. Patrick’s Day parade.

Ryan Halton (R) attends the first Columbus Pride Festival on April 14, 2018 in Columbus, Indiana. Columbus is the hometown of Vice President Mike Pence, who has been a vocal opponent of LGBT issues (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Not everyone supported the Kansas City radio’s initiative. “I love Mike Pence! Glad he is coming to Kc! Keep your sausages to yourself!” one woman wrote in response to 96.5 The Buzz’s tweet. The organisers did not seem to mind. “Imagine getting mad about free hotdogs,” they answered.