Whoopi Goldberg shared her thoughts on Adam Rippon’s refusal to meet with Vice President Mike Pence before the Winter Olympics.
On Thursday, the 62-year-old The View host came to the defense of Rippon who recently declined Pence’s invitation for a meeting to discuss their issues. The openly gay figure skater and the vice president have been the subject of controversy due to their opposing stand on LGBTQ rights.
Goldberg claimed that Rippon’s refusal to meet with Pence is quite understandable, given that they have a completely different stance on important issues involving the gay community.
The outspoken host said that such meeting between the two would be a “ difficult thing ” to do. She added that it’ll be like “asking a Jewish person to sit down and understand where the Nazi is coming from.”
Goldberg’s comments came after she read a summary of Pence’s stand on the LGBTQ community over the years. The host recalled the vice president’s statement claiming that keeping gays from marrying was not discrimination but an “enforcement of God’s idea.”
In 2006, Pence said that gay couples could “signal a societal collapse.” The following year, the vice president opposed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act — a law that would prohibit discrimination against the LGBTQ community.
Goldberg also noted that Pence rejected former president Barack Obama’s directive on transgender bathrooms.
While running for Congress in 2000, Pence also promoted the reallocating of funds from HIV/AIDS research to “institutions which provide assistance to those seeking to change their sexual behavior” instead.
Apparently, this move did not sit well with the LGBTQ community, including Rippon. In a statement, the award-winning figure skater criticized the vice president after receiving an invitation for a meeting.
“You mean Mike Pence, the same Mike Pence that funded gay conversion therapy? I’m not buying it.”
. @Adaripp I want you to know we are FOR YOU. Don’t let fake news distract you. I am proud of you and ALL OF OUR GREAT athletes and my only hope for you and all of #TeamUSA is to bring home the gold. Go get ‘em!
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) February 8, 2018
In response, Pence took to Twitter and expressed his support for Rippon despite their misunderstanding. He also urged the figure skater to not let fake news distract him.
The vice president’s press secretary Alyssa Farah also denied that Pence is supporting gay conversion therapy, calling the claims “totally false with no basis in fact.” Interestingly, the statement seemingly contradicts what was written on Pence’s own campaign website.
I will let the VP’s words speak for themselves. You can very easily find these quotes and more online. His position and intentions are clear. pic.twitter.com/XmH0v9pqua
— Adam Rippon (@AdamRippon) January 20, 2018
Meanwhile, Rippon’s mother clarified that her son did not “refuse” to meet with Pence and that he was taken out of context. She pointed out that her son preferred to wait until the Winter Olympics are over before meeting with the vice president.
On Tuesday, the gay figure skater addressed the issue at a press conference in Pyeongchang, South Korea, claiming that he stood with his position on LGBTQ rights. He also reiterated that he doesn’t want the Olympics to be about Pence, adding that his main focus right now is winning the competition, CNN reported.
“I have no problem about what I’ve said because I stand by it, but I think right now the Olympics are about Olympic competition.”
