Donald J. Trump has been a very controversial president to say the very least, and now that the idea of formal impeachment is feasible, it seems to be the major political debate of our time. 

But I don’t believe anyone has ever considered what the consequences of following through with this process would be.

Mike Pence is currently our vice president. He will be the one to replace Trump should he be impeached. Looking closer at Pence’s opinions and values, one will find many contrary to the American value of equality and justice for all.

Pence is a Christian, conservative, Republican in that order. He has sided very heavily against the LGBT+ community throughout his political career. In 2007, while serving as governor of Indiana, Pence voted against a bill that would prohibit employers from discriminating against LGBT people when hiring.

During his congressional campaign in 2000, Pence said, “Congress should oppose any effort to put gay and lesbian relationships at the same legal status as heterosexual relationships,” according to the Indiana Democratic Party. 

This is blatant discrimination.

Young members of the LGBT+ community will find growing up will always be a challenging task. There are many mental and social challenges that we have to overcome. 

Adding discrimination to those challenges will only result in more teen suicides, more teen drug use, and more hatred. LGBT children are over three times more likely to commit suicide than their heterosexual peers, according to The Trevor Project, a national suicide hotline for LGBT+ youth to contact for support.

This is an epidemic that is fueled by hatred and bias. If we allow a person like Pence to lead this nation, we will lose more innocent teen lives.

Pence is too biased to be fit for the presidency. His hatred will divide our nation further and bring down the progress we have spent years making. His intolerance will crush the souls of good children. He is simply not a good choice for the presidency. 

Pence has been a longtime advocate of conversion therapy, an unethical practice that subjects hundreds of thousands of LGBT+ youth to abusive efforts to change a part of their biological make-up. These efforts include electric shocks to the brain, which cam result in paralysis, permanent mental disorders, and even death. 

In all cases, this treatment has been deemed ineffective, but Pence still endorses it, even donating to efforts that will repeal laws against it. Without these protections, many LGBT+ youth will be forced to undergo this torture. 

If Pence is willing to do this to lesbian and gay teens, imagine what harm he would be willing to inflict upon transgender people. The situation for them is bleak as is, especially since they’re more susceptible to teen suicide. 

Trump only has one year left in his term. We can wait him out until we vote in someone who will be more tolerant to our changing society. Impeachment would only put someone much worse in charge.

The situation is a lesser of two evils scenario. For the sake of my LGBT+ peers, don’t impeach Trump. It would be much easier to wait than to allow a reign of hatred to begin again.