To mark Mike Pence's relocation to the vice presidential residence, which sits on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., LGBTQ advocates welcomed him on Wednesday with an all night, pre-Valentine's Day dance party.
The celebration was organized by the DC LGBTQ Welcoming Committee, a combination of the groups #ResistJ20, #WERKforPeace and Powerful Resistance. It was the third dance party the committee organized since the inauguration on Jan. 20.
“What we’re doing is about demonstrating love in the face of fear,” Sarah Massey, a social justice activist and one of the event's organizers, told NBC Out.
“This administration is on a path of destruction," Massey added, saying dance parties are a way to counteract that destructive path. And while she acknowledged dancing is a unique method of protest, she said it's a fitting form for the LGBTQ community.
"Gay folks know how to throw a dance party," she explained, adding that songs from Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj and Madonna were on the event's playlist.
One of the approximately 30 people in attendance was Lacy MacAuley, also a member of DC's LGBTQ Welcoming Committee's. MacAuley described the environment as "awesome."
"When you are surrounded by friends and loved ones, and you know you're part of this community that's standing up for whats right, that's a powerful feeling."
The group attempted to deliver a Valentine's Day card to Vice President Pence, but Massey said the Secret Service would not let them through.
Despite the several protests Massey has helped organize against President Donald Trump and Vice President Pence, she said she doesn't harbor ill will toward them.
"Even through I oppose Trumpism and the GOP and Pence," she said, "I can still face them with love."
