This morning, Mike Pence had breakfast with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar of Ireland and his partner, Mike Barrett, at his residence at the US Naval Observatory.
Varadkar and Barrett were invited to the VP’s home prior to the traditional shamrock ceremony at the White House.
The annual ceremony happens each year around St. Patrick’s Day and is a formal presentation of the shamrock to the US president on behalf of the people of Ireland.
It is customary for a Taoiseach to have their partner on the stage during the presentation. Today, however, it was just Varadkar.
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Barratt attended the breakfast, but he skipped the ceremony for unknown reasons. (We’ll go out on a limb and suggest that maybe it’s because Trump and especially Pence are raging homophobes?)
During his speech, Varadkar briefly touched on the topic of sexual orientation.
“I stand here this morning as leader of my country,” he said, “flawed and human, but judged by my political actions and not by my sexual orientation or my skin tone or my gender or religious beliefs.”
He continued, “And I don’t believe my country is the only one in the world where this story is possible. It is found in every country where freedom and liberty are cherished.”
“We are, after all, all god’s children.”
Afterwards, Pence said Varadkar had offered “inspiring words.” Meanwhile, Varadkar tweeted that he and his partner had a “lovely morning” with Pence and thanked him for the “warm reception.”
Vice President Mike Pence invited me and Matt to his home at the Naval Observatory this morning. It’s great to be back here for a really warm reception. pic.twitter.com/Wkh2Ic8lWP
— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) March 14, 2019
Thanks to the Vice President and his sister for a lovely morning at his home. What a great way to start this St Patrick’s weekend pic.twitter.com/2tzLEOTTpt
— Leo Varadkar (@campaignforleo) March 14, 2019
We’re sure they’re both very glad to have the whole thing over.
CobraPowers
Well, the gay men involved have not made any comments about it being “awkward” or being treated badly by the vice President. Believe it or not it’s entirely possible to disagree with someone’s lifestyle/sexuality and still treat them with kindness and dignity as human being, and even *gasps* have love for them. My parents are both Christian (and I am myself too) and do not agree with my sexual orientation, and yet have shown me time and time again they love me and respect me. It’s amazing that Queerty, being part of the MSM talking about “tolerance” and “love trumps hate” constantly seeks to divide and sow more hatred instead, praying for the captain of the ship to sink it.
Greg
Your parents don’t agree with your sexual orientation? What’s there to agree with? You mean, they don’t like it? I would say that’s their problem. They made you.
kevins48
i don’t agree with the left-handed life style.
boymikefl
I feel sad for you. You have allowed yourself to feel lesser than them, well.. accept it. That is not TRUE love and respect. Truly sorry it’s ok with you. You give and they don’t. Stuffy in the closet at Mom’s house. You can not love with conditions. You chose to stuff/ignore the pain. Anybody that feels will tell you that. I pray they didn’t mention repairative. That would be me… OUT. Bet they (or you) don’t ever use you word gay and that is who you are. “Oooooh, that’s just a part of me.” Who doesn’t have an old friend like that?
BikeHulk
There’s nothing about being gay that someone can “agree” with. What b.s.
It’s nice that you have a nice relationship with your parents, but I wouldn’t “agree” with someone who clucks their tongue about my “lifestyle” and “sin” and frankly I’m not trying to divide anyone — I’m trying to fight for LGBT rights and recognition of equality.
In fact, I have fought for YOUR ability as a gay person to come out and not be treated harshly.
Mick406
Excellent comment! I have noticed that this web site is very good at stirring up false narratives that help no one. They make this as if these two young men were trembling in fear and the VP was starring them down with cold eyes. It was a gentle and meaningful ceremony and each party treated the other with kindness and dignity. Grasping at straws here . . .
OzJosh
Your parents may love you (though it sounds like their love stops short of acceptance), but the fact remains that many christian churches and many christians continue to discriminate against and vilify homosexuals – they oppose equality, demonise us on the flimsy basis of vague and ignorant ancient scriptures and foster hatred and abuse in all kinds of ways. Your acceptance of whatever tolerance your parents offer does not negate others’ rights to call out and fight against bigotry – and objecting to those noble efforts because they are “divisive” is a massive crock of s***
CobraPowers
@boymikefl – There’s way more to me than my sexual orientation. Or is your sexual orientation all there is to you?
CobraPowers
@BikeHulk – In the West that’s pretty much a settled issue. Now, why don’t you fight about the criminalization of homosexuality in Muslim majority countries, so we are not tortured and executed as President Trump is doing? Thanks.
CobraPowers
@OzJosh – What bigotry? LMAO, the only bigotry here is from people like you who cannot accept that others might hold a different opinion and demand that others validate you/accept you instead of just seeking to be happy with yourself.
PinkoOfTheGange
Tolerance of intolerance is a fools tolerance.
Scott Amundsen
So your parents “do not agree” with your sexual orientation?
That reminds me of the last and final confrontation I had with my parents over mine. I was about twenty-five and in a committed relationship for four years with my first husband. My Mom had all kinds of nonsense to say about it; my Dad reached saturation point and told her to shut up. He observed, “You make Scott choose between you and Dennis and he will choose, and you won’t like his choice.”
Words of wisdom from a very wise man. Thanks, Dad.
CobraPowers
@Scott Amundsen – Maybe the difference between us is that I do not require validation of my choices/orientation in order to love myself. And I can love people “as-is” without having to change them nor accept them. The same way I don’t agree with, for example, Mormons or Muslims, I have many dear friends who are Mormons and Muslims. Believe it or not, there’s more to people, and hopefully to yourself, thank just your sexual orientation.
CobraPowers
@PinkoOfTheGange – Wanting to force people to validate you/accept you is intolerance.
Morrisson
Leo is the most right wing leader in the history of Dial Eireann. He is actually to the right of Donald Trump. Under his leadership and neo liberal economic policies Ireland has suffered its worst homeless and health crisis in the history of the state. His political party has placed the working class of Ireland under a mountain of debt through his payment of non secured bond holders. When not being Angela Merkels buttplug he spends his time privatising basic human rights such as social housing, education, reducing benefits for the elderly and allowing American vulture funds to buy assets at a fraction of their value. This is the man who has overseen multiple payrises for himself and his TDs and then has the audacity to say he is unwilling to write a blank check for old age pensioners to heat their homes during winter. His political party will be decimated during the next election. He is not the type of gay Queerty typically likes to promote. He would vote republican.
Bryguyf69
“the gay men involved have not made any comments about it being ‘awkward’”
Er, did you really expect them to express such an opinion, even if they did feel awkward or mistreated? Here’s a clue for you: unlike Trump, most world leaders are gracious, and know when to filter their personal opinions for the good of their nation and the world. It’s called Diplomacy. Indeed, such an approach even applies to homophobe, Mike Pence. I’m sure he kept his homophobic opinions to himself and was nothing less than a gracious host. But that doesn’t mean that the meeting wasn’t awkward. And it certainly doesn’t mean that the gay men would make a public opinion even if it was.
DCguy
Translation: Your parents are bigots and are lying that they use the Bible as an excuse. Because if they REALLY cared what the Bible said, they would be out protesting to make divorce illegal, since Christ spoke out against that and said nothing about homosexuality.
But please, continue to try to foist your baggage on the rest of us.
CobraPowers
@DCguy – My parents are more of the “Don’t try to fix the world till you’ve fixed your own mess. Don’t try revolutionize the world till you’ve revolutionized your pathetic bank account. Don’t go be an activist till you’ve first put your own house in perfect order”. – The only bigot, fascist, intolerant animus possessed ideologue here is you.
CobraPowers
@Bryguyf69 – So now you’re a mind reader?
Doug
I don’t get it… where’s the “awkward” aspect of this article?
boymikefl
At the ceremony, it’s tradition to have your partner (M or F) on stage with you. Not today!!! Most likely at Pence’s request. AWKWARD!
Herman75
The Pence’s had to scramble for new rules about Pence allowed alone time without the wifey.
paul dorian lord fredine
i think the ‘awkward’ is implied simply because of pence’s not-so-subtle feelings about lgbtq. only one question: why was mother replaced by pence’s sister?
rand503
Because Pence’s wife works for an anti-gay church.
bobnla
The event-ceremony was not awkward at all…only because QUEERTY wants its readers to feel it was awkward. This is the quintessential ‘fake news’, an attempt by QUEERTY to engender victimization in the gay community. I am an out gay man, proud of my VP as a good and decent man, and a MAGA hat devotee, a staunch Trump supporter. Turn the page, gays…stop feeling sorry for yourselves
Brian
No, this is not what “fake news” is. It’s literally not. Not even close. Definitely not “quintessential.” You’re one of those people who just throws out the term whenever you’re feeling whiny. It’s not right.
RevJames
R-bot?
Jim Brown
You’re PROUD of this total lying, sociopathic, homophobic, judgmental right-wing misogynist? You obviously never lived in Indiana, where Pence as governor tried his DAMNEDEST to eliminate any effort whatsoever to try to attain LGBT equality in our state. Ever heard of the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act”? A not so subtle attempt to make members of our community feel like total second-class citizens. Even Hoosiers in rural communities began putting “Dump Pence” signs in their yards…a minority, at best, of the Indiana voting community were going to vote him out of office. He was just lucky that another total lying, sociopathic, homophobic, judgmental right-wing misogynist was campaigning for president.
CobraPowers
@Jim Brown – If Mike Pence is a “psychopath” for wanting religious freedom, what does it make you that you want to force others to validate you?
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Bobina: HOW ADORABLE!!
A little troll crawed out from under it’s rock to the Queerty site!!
CobraPowers
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS – Look at you, little fascist. I would say you crawled out of somewhere, but you’re still stuck in the filth and can’t even see it.
lovethyneighbor
Awkward? Such a fun word. Karen Pence, a devout and fundamentalist, did not make herself available for this event. Instead, Pence brought his sister in to replace mother. When Leo Varadkar’s partner was not on the stage, I agree that this was discussed by Pence or his representatives of how this might look.
Separation of “church and state” were done by our forefathers for a reason, it creates awkward situations when people or foreign dignitaries visit the U.S. for political functions and have differing political and humanitarian views from the current administration.
To the guy, who doesn’t agree with his homosexual lifestyle and neither does his parents, then, I feel bad for you. Many of us stood up and were bashed, bullied, and degraded by many, who simply hated someone for being gay. Just a little FYI, the “I love the sinner, but hate the sin” approach doesn’t hold an ounce of sincerity because it is still coming from an act of judgment. Equal means there is no deviation of how people are treated based upon many criteria, which is why we have The Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX, and much more to establish the equality of all mankind. The Bible says it best when it instructs its followers to be “LIKE THE SALT OF THE EARTH,” so others might want to be like you as you’re a great role model. It also says, DO NOT JUDGE;” however, we know how that one is going… “the meek will inherit the kingdom of God.” By the way, what your parents are teaching you is to ‘not shame’ them in any way if you want to be part of their lives; this is not love or acceptance — it is love based on condition similar to parents, who order their child to pursue a certain degree in order to please them. Trust me, you might be surprised to learn what your parents are really doing in their own pleasure-seeking lives. Some of them are naughty, naughty, naughty according to the Bible, but somehow many of them try to reason it out with the marriage argument.
My stance, “what happens in the bedroom between two consenting adults should stay in the bedroom; not provide sleazy romance material for someone’s fantasy during a masturbation session. This country has and continues to make everything about sex. There are far greater things needing to be addressed.
CobraPowers
Unlike you, I don’t need to be validated by anyone’s approval but God’s 🙂
I don’t build my life/identify/self-worth based on my sexuality. Is there anything more to you than your sexual orientation? It doesn’t seem so.
Juanjo
Miss Cobra – that’s a lovely bit of strawman there. Now go play in traffic.
CobraPowers
@Juanjo – No strawman, I addressed the point head on. If you require someone to validate you/accept you or else, then you don’t have anything else going on in your character but that one characteristic, making you not much more than a stock character.
Kangol
@CobraPowers/MoBro/whatever name you’re using, there’s a difference between being “validated” by someone and being treated EQUALLY UNDER THE LAW. Your beloved Mike Pence validated religious extremists who wanted to deny LGBTQ people our equal rights UNDER THE LAW. You might be happy to have second-class citizenship, but 150+ years after the end of the US Civil War a great many of us are not going to put up with it. Also, under Mike Pence’s disastrous leadership HIiV/AIDS cases in Indiana rose significantly, in part because of Pence’s fanatical approach to needle exchange. Most of the people in the HIV/AIDS spike were white, rural Indianans, his base, and yet he didn’t give a damn. He eventually “prayed” on it, but by then it was too late and the roll-out of preventive measures was a disaster.
CobraPowers
@Kangol – Deranged, intolerant, bigoted lunatic…I already told you I’m real, there’s only one of me, and you can even find me on Instagram. I asked you WHAT CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT HAVE YOU LOST? *crickets* Now have a seat.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
It all comes down to this;
Pence and his wife are 100% entitled to their BELIEFS as members of a religion. However their BELIEFS do not trump my RIGHTS as a citizen of this country…..
CobraPowers
And who is saying they do? If that were the case, we’d be in concentration camps already. Stop the hysteria and the Trump derangement syndrome.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
COBRA:
You are under the delusion that this administration has done nothing to harm us and seek to deny us our rights??
CobraPowers
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS – What constitutional rights have you lost so far?
tony-e
COBRA:
While not necessarily a constitutional right, Trump has already reversed the Obama administration’s guidelines for transgender students (you know, the ones that allowed them to use the bathroom and locker room that corresponds with the gender they identify as) as well as reinstating the ban that the Obama administration lifted on transgender members of the military
Mack
Since it was Pence and his “sister”, I guess “mother” was busy teaching hate at her local school.
RevJames
The Pences are just awful, they have done significant damage to LGBTQ2+ people over many years. Witness CobraPowers. Asshats like Bobnia aid and abet. What a missed opportunity for the PM to make a stronger point.
CobraPowers
@RevJames – Exactly what damage has been done to me? That I don’t see my sexuality as the defining characteristic of my being? LMAO.
Saps48
It would have been helpful to understand the importance of this meeting if the author had let us know that the “Taoiseach” is the prime minister of Ireland.
It’s disgusting but not surprising that Mother Pence was not there, and that the Taoiseach’s partner was not on stage with him…
Juanjo
After the Taoiseach and his spouse left, Pence went to his private bathroom, locked himself in and fingerbanged himself and he masturbated to a fantasy of being spit-roasted by the Taoiseach and his husband. Then Mother called and announced she would not be returning to the residence until an exorcism was done to remove the gay demon cooties.
SportGuy
Pence is a deplorable piece of garbage
batesmotel
How original. And no I don’t care for him either, but at least set an example by displaying some poise and class.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
People please stop feeding the trolls like Cobra, they fill their empty insignificant “lives” by posting inane comments. Like a small child throwing a tantrum if ignored they will stop and hopefully go away…
CobraPowers
So far the only one throwing tantrums due to bigotry and intolerance here is you boo. Practice what you preach. Diversity starts with diversity of thought.
boymikefl
This will be forever. Gays that will make any excuse to not feel worthy enough to demand 100% equality. I’ve given up trying to teach self worth. It’s self loathing and to be pitied.
CobraPowers
I have equality, it is in the constitution. I’ve never been discriminated by conservatives, only by liberals who tell me I’ll never make it based on being a minority.
batesmotel
I’ve never been discriminated against by a Conservative. Liberals on the other hand are now the biggest complaining judgment passers.
Gary Q VV
That’s right Leo you’re not judged by your sexual orientation; you’re very fortunate. And, one day we LGBTQ Americans will have the same equality if we remain vigilant against homophobia in our need and quest for true freedom.
martin_erickson
Agreed. We must be ever vigilant and continue…at least for me and for many progressive Christians…in the Jesus path, preaching UNCONDITIONAL love and welcome in the face of self-loathing, conditional love, et al.
I was shocked to learn this was the Prime Minister of Ireland! Criminey, Pence has sent a terrible message to the world. He should have insisted his husband share the dias AND told Mrs. Pence that her absence would not be tolerated.
CanadianGuy62
I hope “Mother” didn’t leave Pence alone with Varadkar and his man…God knows what shenanigans they might have gotten up to!
DuMaurier
It doesn’t sound like it was awkward.
batesmotel
Yeah it was awkward for the blogger, but not those two guys. They seemed to have a great time, but they operate on a higher level though.
Dorian7
Cobra is saying that his sexual orientation does not define him. What I am hearing is that the few minutes or hours he spends each week being intimate with another man is not the most important characteristic of his life. He has put that part of him in a box that can be opened when needed. I fully believe him and can understand that. What’s missing from that concept is this. I have loved and been loved by another man every waking hour of every day for just over 40 years. That relationship absolutely defines me, my idea of family, my financial affairs, the way I fold jeans and the way I re-load the dishwasher (correctly). That is what we are fighting for, in my humble opinion. No more, and no less than any other couple that has chosen to share this incredible journey together.
CobraPowers
So what happens if that person leaves you for a younger, firmer, more defined body? Your whole world crumbles? Your whole identify ceases to exist?
Aires the Ram
@CobraPowers:
You said: ” so we are not tortured and executed as President Trump is doing?”
I say: What the f*c*&k are you talking about? I keep up with news daily and I’ve yet to hear of President Trump torturing and executing homosexuals! Your statement of islamic countries doing it is true, and we should very well be concerned about that, and concerned about keeping them out of our country, but Trump torturing and executing homosexuals in the United States?? You’ve got to be kidding.
Kangol
Are you for real? Do you not know how to read? I disagree with CobraPowers 100%, but even I can grasp what he meant in that statement. He was DEFENDING your beloved lying, racist, narcissistic, homophobe-enabled “treasonous” lunatic Trump, not saying he was torturing and executing LGBTQ people. Sheesh. You’re not doing yourself any favors if you can’t even grasp the points your right-wing ally is trying is trying to make!
CobraPowers
@Kangol – The intolerant left should have learned by now that when you keep calling people racist over nothing, it loses its punch. I’m a GAY LATINO IMMIGRANT, let me tell you, IMMIGRANT DOES NOT EQUAL LATINO, IMMIGRANT DOES NOT EQUAL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT DOES NOT EQUAL LATINO. You’re welcome.
Topazme
mike pence and his wife are not your typical gay hating people….they wont pass comments or inflict physical pain on you rather thry will change laws to deny your existence…they will talk with you,laugh with you,even be friends with you but in private they will think of you as less than human same as an pet and deny you your basic rights so you literally want to kill yourself instead of having to kill us themselves….that’s why people like pence are far more dangerous than the likes of trump because they mask their hate in the guise of being nice
batesmotel
Sounds like you’re projecting. They appeared and sounded like they had a great time. They know by being there with Mike Pence helps with putting “positive” gay couple examples out there. Which means you should steer clear of being visible in that environment. We need positive gays out there since that’s what changes minds over time. Not the panties in a wad gays that are incapable of being civil and classy and can sit next to Mike Pence and not faint or get easily triggered.
guardedjkp
Would also be really nice if Queerty would get simple facts straight – Matt is the partners name, not Mike.
Bob Scardino
A dheirfiúr? Cá raibh a bhean chéile?
Bob Scardino
Also – quit hating on CobraPowers.
gingered1970
OH GOODY!!!! I’d have loved to have been able to see his discomfort ??