Mike Pence is no stranger to controversy, and the education system in his home state of Indiana has been no exception.
The former Indiana governor has been on the receiving end of criticism for some of the decisions that he has made in his tenure in the role.
Pence’s administration has been criticized for instituting policies that discriminate against the LGBTQ community and the use of religious freedom protections to prevent LGBTQ individuals from serving in the military.
In 2017, a bipartisan group of senators introduced the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which would have prohibited Pence from making any change to the state’s religious liberty laws unless it was specifically related to the rights of LGBTQ individuals.
That bill died in the Senate, but the Republican-led Indiana House of Representatives passed it in 2018, and Pence signed it into law in March 2019.
Pence has been in office since the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
He was re-elected in 2020 and was reelected again in 2022.
Pence is also currently running for the presidency again in 2020.
Pences policies and actions have been a focus of criticism by the LGBTQ rights community.
The Indianapolis Star recently reported that Pence has “repeatedly” refused to publicly release the names of LGBTQ personnel who have served in the U.S. military.
The group has also questioned Pence’s actions towards LGBTQ students, who were reportedly barred from attending Indiana schools.
Perez has also been criticized over the administration’s attempts to protect the school district’s “religious liberty” protections from lawsuits, in which individuals claiming discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity are allowed to sue for damages.