Karen Pence’s anti-LGBT school sent 100 copies of John Oliver’s gay book
John Oliver created a pro-LGBT book called “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo” in a bid to mock vice president Mike Pence and his wife Karen Pence. (Chronicle Books)
LGBT+ suicide prevention charity The Trevor Project has sent 100 copies of John Oliver’s pro-gay book A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo to second lady Karen Pence’s school, which bans queer students.
On Tuesday (January 15), it was revealed that Karen Pence will take on a part-time job as an art teacher at Immanuel Christian School in Fairfax County, Virginia.
The school’s website states that students can be refused admission if they support or take part in “sexual immorality, homosexual activity or bisexual activity.”
Karen Pence’s school to receive John Oliver’s pro-gay book mocking vice president’s pet rabbit
In response, The Trevor Project announced that it has sent 100 copies of a pro-gay book created by talkshow host John Oliver, which is a parody version of a children’s book illustrated by Karen Pence about the vice president’s family rabbit.
Karen Pence (right) has begun working as an art teacher at a Christian school with a strict policy on LGBT students and staff. (Sergio Lima/AFP/Getty)
“We hope Immanuel Christian School will adopt policies of inclusion for LGBTQ young people that make them feel safe, accepted, and loved,” said Amit Paley, executive director of The Trevor Project.
The charity said that each book includes a note that “encourages the school’s leaders to accept LGBTQ young people.”
“We hope Immanuel Christian School will adopt policies of inclusion for LGBTQ young people that make them feel safe, accepted, and loved.”
—Amit Paley, executive director of The Trevor Project
Former pupil, who is gay, says Karen Pence’s school harmed his mental health
In a press release sent out by The Trevor Project, Luke Hartman, a gay former pupil at Immanuel Christian School, explained the detrimental impact being a student there had on his mental health.
“As an alumnus of Immanuel Christian School, I am a living example that intolerance, both in policy and rhetoric, are harmful to the mental wellness and development of LGBTQ students, who are desperately looking for ways to fit in,” Hartman said.
“The silent and spoken messages of rejection that are constantly felt by LGBTQ students directly impact the relationship they have with their faith, education, and relationships with family and friends—ultimately resulting in a feeling of being less than when compared to their straight and cisgender peers.”
In March, Oliver created a parody version of a book, illustrated by Karen Pence and written by the Pence couple’s daughter Charlotte, called Marlon Bundo’s Day in the Life of the Vice President.
The comedian described his gay take on the Pence’s book as being about a “very special boy bunny who falls in love with another boy bunny.”
Oliver’s parody book went on to outsell the original.
