First off, let me say how incredibly brave all of the students at Notre Dame are to leave your own graduation to protest for what you believe in. The First Amendment allows the right for free speech and I commend all of you for acting civil and not being disruptive. You merely silently left your seats to show that you don't agree with Pence's policies that "have marginalized our vulnerable sisters and brothers for their religion, skin color, or sexual orientation." This probably wasn't easy, but this was the right thing to do given the Vice President previous discriminatory and hateful actions, especially because Indiana firsthand experienced his policies when he was governor from 2013 to the beginning of 2017.
The commencement speaker, Vice President Mike Pence, has demonstrated several times how controversial he is in politics by being socially conservative in a time where more and more people are socially liberal. He has previously shown that he is strongly against the legalization of gay marriage by signing the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in 2015 where Indiana businesses could deny same-sex couples services. He also, "rejected the Syrian refugee resettlement program, supported an unconstitutional ban of religious minorities, and fought against sanctuary cities." Lastly, VP Mike Pence is strongly against abortions, which has led to one of the worst HIV outbreaks ever in the country. He shut down a Planned Parenthood because of public health spending cuts that he implemented, and it was the only HIV testing center in Scott County. This last action taken by Pence demonstrates how politicians can directly impact the lives of their constituents and how these actions can have dangerous consequences.
I understand that there is backlash over the actions of these students because nowadays there's always some backlash, but these students were respectful, poised, and classy as they left the stadium to the sound of boo's.
I attend a Catholic college just like Notre Dame and your actions give me courage to speak up more for the marginalized communities.
