Gay pride festival in Pence’s hometown draws more than 2k attendees: report

More than 2,000 people attended the first gay pride festival held in Vice President Pence’s hometown, according to The Associated Press.

The Saturday festival in Columbus, Ind., was the first for the city and was spearheaded by high school senior Erin Bailey. 

Bailey organized the festival as part of her senior project. She said that between 2,000 and 3,000 people attended the downtown festival for concerts, vendors and a drag queen competition, according to the AP.

{mosads}“It’s this massive undertaking and it’s politically risky,” Samantha Aulick, who is supporting the festival, told The Hill last month. “We live in a conservative community.”

As Indiana governor, Pence signed a religious freedom law that was criticized as a pathway to legal anti-LGBTQ discrimination. As a congressman, Pence supported a constitutional amendment against same-sex marriage.

In a March statement, a Pence spokeswoman said the vice president “commends Erin Bailey for her activism.”

“As a proud Hoosier and Columbus native, he’s heartened to see young people from his hometown getting involved in the political process,” the statement reads.