Sligo County Coucil have said they will not be inviting Vice President-elect Mike Pence to visit the county following his election.
Sligo businessman Roger McCarrick initially expressed an interest in inviting Pence to Tubbercurry. Pence’s grandfather, Richard Michael Cawley, is said to have been from the Doocastle area just outside of Tubbercurry.
“Regardless of policies he is still an ex-Tubbercurry man as far as we are concerned,” McCarrick said.
Councillor Hubert Keaney responded to the controversial issue after receiving a letter from concerned LGBT citizen Hayley Fox-Roberts.
“I have not, and do not intend to, invite Mike Pence to Sligo,” Keaney told Fox-Roberts in an email.
Fox Roberts was “horrified” to learn that an invitation might be extended to Pence whose support for conversion therapy, a form of reparative therapy that is considered antithetical to the well-being of LGBT people by the American Psychological Association (APA).
In the letter which Fox-Roberts also posted to Facebook, she outlined the reasoning behind her reaction:
"As a member of the region’s LGBT community and a founder member of Northwest LGBT Pride, I cannot understand why a man who advocates for LGBT ‘conversion therapy’, forcible therapy to change someone’s identity, and who speaks hatred, homophobia and transphobia every day, would receive any welcome," she said.
Meanwhile, celebrities in the US are donating to sexual health clinic Planned Parenthood under Pence's name.
The former Indiana governor has been vocal about his opposition to women's healthcare, having previously cu funding to the clinic while in office.
Following Katy Perry's $10,000 donation to Planned Parenthood, other celebrities are following suit. Some are going as far as making the donations in Pence's name, to ensure he gets the certificate of the donation.
Actor Ashley Hinshaw initially shared the information on Instagram.
Update, November 15, 2016:
The Cathaoirleach of Sligo Council, Councillor Hubert Keaney, has confirmed that no invitation has been extended to Vice-President elect Mr Mike Pence. The Cathaoirleach said ‘The American President and Vice-President elect assume office in January 2017, and the question of extending an invitation has not been discussed at this early stage. The normal process is that such issues are discussed by the Council’s Corporate Policy Group.’
Editor's note: Please note this article previously states that Mr McCarrick was a spokesperson for Sligo County Council. The Council has since confirmed that Mr McCarrick is not an employee.
My Name Is Earl star Jaime King, Best Coast singer Bethany Cosentino, comedian Amy Schumer and sexual health advocate Amber Rose also donated under Pence's name.
A photo posted by Amber Tamblyn (@amberrosetamblyn) on
