Vice President Pence called criticism of his wife Karen's new teaching job at a school that bans LGBT students and faculty "deeply offensive" attacks on Christian education.
In an interview airing Thursday on the Catholic news broadcasting channel EWTN, Pence said, however, "we'll let the critics roll off our back."
"My wife and I have been in the public eye for quite a while, but I have to tell you, to see major news organizations attacking Christian education is deeply offensive," Pence told EWTN.
"We have a rich tradition in America of Christian education and, frankly, religious education broadly defined," Pence said. "We celebrate it. The freedom of religion is enshrined in the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution prohibits a religious test for holding public office, so we'll let the critics roll off our back."
"But this criticism of Christian education in America should stop," he declared.
The Pences are both evangelical Christians. Policies similar to those at Immanuel Christian School, where Karen Pence is teaching, are common among private, Christian schools, The Hill noted.
"We know that lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth from rejecting families are more than eight times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers," Amit Paley director of the LGBT suicide prevention group Trevor Project said, The Hill reported.
The group is sending 100 copies of a parody book depicting the Pence family's bunny as gay to Immanuel Christian School.
"We hope Immanuel Christian School will adopt policies of inclusion for LGBTQ young people that make them feel safe, accepted, and loved," Paley said, The Hill reported.
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