Dancing to a different tune: ‘Disco’ shines light on agenda of hate

Mike Pence loves Ireland and why wouldn’t he? Back home, nobody pays him a blind bit of notice as he cowers in the shadow of Donald Trump. He drops in here for a flying visit and he’s a big deal with everybody.

Yesterday, outside a vacant Leinster House there was a protest with a difference against the US vice president’s arrival among us. Amnesty International organised a “disco” on the steps of the seat of government. They came and danced the lunchtime away as a means of opposing what some would describe asMr Pence’s agenda of hate.

As everybody knows by now, the vice president has a particular issue with those of a different sexual orientation to his own. Where others see equal rights, he seeks out the Old Testament for advice on who should lie down with whom.

He also subscribes to the Donald’s wider agenda ofintolerance, but it was his appeal to the righteous Christian constituency that prompted Trump to staple him to the presidential ticket in 2016.

So while those who value equality in society oppose the Trump agenda, it was inevitable that the LGBT community would find the greatest offence at Pence’s arrival in our midst.

They turned out inforce yesterday. Around a dozen rainbow flags fluttered in the breeze above thebobbing heads of the 100 or so dancers.

There were posters saying “Dancing for Dignity” and “Dancing for Hope” and a large banner from US veterans who are hanging tough in town while they await trial for offences against Shannon Airport.

There was plenty of colour. One woman in the crowd was even wearing a Kerry jersey, as if she had just wandered into another party on the long road back south after the match.

Even the gardaí got in on the act. A paddywagon was parked at a discreet distance, but the squad car that drew up next to the crowd had a rainbow banner across its body, a feature first seen on Gay Pride Day.

Amnesty’s director Colm O’Gorman noted that a bigger protest had been planned but then Pence brought forward his visit at short notice.

He listed out the various groups being targeted in the USA today, and ended with “Excuse my language but fuck them and their culture war”. And then the music started again as if everybody was young and sweet and still only 17.

One dancer, Linda Hickey, said she came to the event when she heard that it was on due to the short notice change of schedule from the VP.

“It’s a demonstration of what Ireland means today and the progress that has been made in terms of marriage equality and women’s rights and that is not reflected in the views of Mike Pence,” she said.

Another woman stood to the side of the gathering with a single A4 sheet of paper on which was written “Stop Wars, camps, climate change, help the poor”.

Kay — she wouldn’t give her second name — said she felt the whole event was being commandeered by the LGBT group when there were a lot of other issues that needed to be highlighted.

“This is allegedly the second most powerful man in the world. I’ve nothing against the LGBT people who have suffered discrimination, but Pence should be held accountable for a lot more.”

Hers was the only dissonant voice. Later O’Gorman rejected any notion that the event had been dominated by an LGBT theme. In his closing remarks he mentioned Extinction Rebellion, civil liberties and student groups and the Irish Women’s Council.

We were delighted with the turnout, its not just about protest it’s a demonstration of something. You can see from the organisations here it was a very wide range of organisation.

"The Rainbow flag has come to mean something more than LGBT rights these days and the fact that people have them speaks to that as well.”

Meanwhile, up in Farmleigh, Pence was getting his lunch served up to him by Leo Varadkar. The Taoiseach told the VP that a no-deal Brexit could result in the erection of trade barriers and stop the free movement of people.

Pence was too polite to respond with theobvious point that erecting trade barriers and stopping the free movement of people are central themes of the Trump administration.

Still, everybody was nice and polite to him just in case his erratic boss might one day disappear and we all get to know Pence better.