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With a known anti-LGBT person being the second-highest ranked U.S. official, where is America's moral authority?

Vice PresidentMike Pence speaking with supporters at a campaign rally and church service at the Living Word Bible Church in Mesa, Arizona.

Remember Vice PresidentMike Pence and his horrid beliefs on LGBT rights issues?

With other notable events taking place in the Trump Administration, Pence'sformer record as a noted anti-LGBT politician and general conservative cultural crusader has been forgotten.

In general, Pence seemed to be keeping a fairly low profile, until he recently engulfed himself in the North Korea situation.The most significant thing he has been making headlines for was beinglied to by Michael Flynnandtelling The Hill in 2002 that he never eats alone with a woman who is not his wife.

But whether you are an LGBT Devil or just a Sun Devil, there is something seriously bothersome about Pences record at the moment: the U.S.'s moral authority on the world stage in regards to LGBT rights.

Most of ASU's students are part of a new generation that differs from almost all past ones we are largely accepting of the rights of all LGBT people. But we must look beyond our campus, and we must look beyond the U.S., for we are the generation of college students that could change much of the world's inhumane stance on LGBT rights.

According to a 2016 report by The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, there are still 73 countries worldwide that criminalize same-sex activity.

While that is down from 92 in 2006, homosexuality and other LGBT issues are still seen in many places worldwide as morally reprehensible. In 13 nations (or certain regions of these nations), same-sex behavior is punishable by death.

With Pence as vice president, we lose moral leadership on the world stage. How does havinga prominent figure in the U.S. government whoopposes the rights ofLGBT people reflect on our country? How does it influence thosenations that criminalize homosexuality?

The past month has seen multiple reports of violence against LGBT people in the Russian Federation Republic of Chechnya. More than 100 gay menare alleged to have been sent to prison camps in the country, where they have been reportedly beaten and some killed.

This week, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said she was disturbed by the allegations, saying it was a violation of human rights and calling for those who performed the actions to be held accountable. Earlier that month the State Department called for Russia to investigate the situation.

Pence has said gay couples signaled "societal collapse,"hascalled for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman, signed a lawallowing discrimination against LGBT people under the guise of religious freedom and opposed LGBT individuals serving in the military, along with several other anti-LGBT proposals.

This isnt the person you want to have second-in-command if you want to stand up for LGBT rights abroad.

Maria Sjdinis the deputy executive director of OutRight Action International, an LGBT rights group that works to increase LGBT rights across the world by building relationships with local LGBT communities worldwide.

Sjdin says that while Pence has not directly done anything to work against LGBT rights abroad, she agreed that his anti-LGBT record would likely affect policy in regards to LGBT people, as well as make U.S. lose its moral authority on such issues.

There's no country on earth that has a perfect record on LGBTIQ rights, Sjdin said. But the bigger the discrepancy, the harder it is for a country to have moral authority when it speaks out.

Sjdin was also quick to point out that even if actions by the Trump Administration do notdirectly affect LGBT rights internationally, several parts of international policy do. For example, the travel ban on Muslim-majority nations will affect LGBT people as well, as would cutting the number of refugees the U.S. taken in each year.

LGBT rights are not special rights, they're part of all human rights, Sjdin said.

Gay rights are human rights. Most ASU students, who areof a more socially conscious generation, know that to be true. But so much of the world stage is going to be very slow to feel the same unless we as Americans can do otherwise.

We must have the moral responsibility to be able to call for equality at the UN podium and pray that all the states of that body listen. Having Pence as vice presidentis only going make that action even more difficult.

Reach the columnist at Marinodavidjr@gmail.com or follow @Marinodavidjr on Twitter.

Editors note: The opinions presented in this column are the authors and do not imply any endorsement from The State Press or its editors.

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Having Mike Pence as Vice President hurts LGBT people worldwide - The State Press

Vice President Mike Pence took a brief break from being a statesman on Sunday, instead opting to be a tourist on his last full day in Australia.

And like any camera-toting tourist in a foreign land, he was quick to share photos of his excursions on social media.

Pence, along with his wife Karen and their daughters Audrey and Charlotte, kicked off the day with a guided visit of Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

The Pences spent over an hour at the zoo, where they got up close and personal with an emu, an echidna, an owl, a possum -- and, being Australia, a kangaroo named Penny and a koala named Bai'yali.

"Couldn't visit Australia without seeing the kangaroos," the vice president tweeted. "Karen, Charlotte, Audrey and I enjoying our morning visit to @tarongazoo. #VPinAUS."

The second lady fed an emu named Widji leaves, while the vice president and Audrey petted him.

The vice president said, laughing, "Should we [take a] selfie?" But the emu didn't appear interested, and began walking away. Pence concluded, "Looks like he's done!"

Audrey, though, did manage to snap a selfie with a kangaroo. "I was obsessed with kangaroos as a kid," she said.

The Pences then boarded a 60-foot cruiser, The Enigma, for a tour of Sydney Harbor. Joining him were the premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, as well as New South Wales treasurer Dominic Perrottet and Australia's ambassador to the U.S., Joe Hockey.

"Thanks to NSW Premier 4 hosting beautiful Sydney Harbor tour," tweeted Pence, along with photos of the outing. "The stunning views are only surpassed by friendly Australian people. #VPinAUS."

The Pences were then given a tour of the Sydney Opera House by its CEO, Louise Herron.

"Spectacular way to end our last full day in Sydney with a tour of the iconic Opera House," Pence tweeted.

The Pence clan also visited Government House, the official residence of the governor of New South Wales.

"It was a pleasure to be welcomed to Government House in Sydney by H.E. The Hon. David Hurley, Governor of New South Wales," the vice president tweeted.

On Monday, Pence will fly from Sydney to Hawaii, the last stop of his 10-day trip to the Asia-Pacific region.

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Mike Pence takes a break from diplomacy to go sightseeing in Sydney with his family - ABC News

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks during an Easter fellowship dinner at a military base in Seoul, South Korea, April 16, 2017.

REUTERS

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa-- Vice President Mike Pence is shortening his stay in Hawaii to a few hours so that he could fly back to Washington in what promises to be a very busy week for the administration and Congress.

Pences office said he would depart Hawaii on Monday afternoon after meeting with U.S. Pacific Command leaders and troops stationed in Honolulu. Plans for a Tuesday visit to the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor have been postponed, Pences office said.

Congress has until Friday to pass a new spending package or the government will shutdown. The White House is also planning to unveil a tax reform plan this week.

In American Samoa on Monday, he thanked American service members based in American Samoa, citing challenging times for the military in the Asia-Pacific. Completing a visit to the region and en route back to the United States, Pence addressed some 200 soldiers during a refueling stop in Pago Pago. He told the troops the Trump administration was seeking a large increase in military funding.

During his stop, Pence also dedicated a sign that will greet visitors at a veterans clinic. He met with American Samoan officials and troops and then flew to Hawaii at the last stop on a tour that included a visit to the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea.

The trip offered evidence that Pence has become one of President Donald Trumps chief emissaries on the world stage, patching up relations, reassuring allies still wondering what to expect from Trump and diving into international crises like North Korea.

Pences trip to Asia was planned weeks ago. But it dropped him in South Korea just in time to deliver North Korea a stern warning from the U.S.: that all options are on the table when it comes to curbing the Norths nuclear ambitions, and that the Trump administration will seek support from its allies to pressure Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.

His foray into the DMZ and his meetings with South Korean and Japanese leaders allowed Pence to shape a key American foreign policy issue, presenting a new challenge for a politician whose prior foreign policy experience was limited to trips to the Middle East as a congressman and trade missions to Japan, China, Israel and Europe as Indianas governor.

Pences early foreign travel schedule contrasts sharply with a mostly homebound Trump, who is not scheduled to travel overseas until late May for NATO meetings in Belgium and a gathering of the Group of Seven major industrial nations in Italy. Pence partly covered that ground when he visited Germany and Belgium in February.

Trumps predecessor, Barack Obama, had visited nine countries by late April 2009, his first three months in office, checking in with allies such as Canada, Britain and Germany. The last first-term president to wait until May to take his first foreign trip was Jimmy Carter in 1977.

Enter Pence, whose still-evolving diplomatic playbook includes several components, all steeped in humility, personal ties and his religious faith.

In some ways, Pence is the advance team: His earlier trip to Europe and his Asia trip that ends Tuesday are partly laying the foundation for journeys being planned for Trump. In other ways, Pence is the face of reassurance, offering in-person outreach to world leaders Trump has clashed with or who have doubted Trumps commitment to them at the start of his presidency.

In meetings with his counterparts, Pence frequently passed along greetings from Trump and told his hosts how much America valued their alliance, language thats commonplace in diplomacy but understated compared to the more free-wheeling Trump.

On Thursday, for example, Pence told Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo how proud he and Trump were to partner with him and spoke of their hopes of working together.

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Mike Pence cuts short his stop in Hawaii to deal with domestic issues - CBS News

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has cut short the final leg of his Asia trip to race back to Washington, where the Trump administration faces a critical week on tax reform and a funding plan to keep the government running, an aide said on Sunday.

Pence, who has been traveling in Asia to reassure allies and partners about President Donald Trump's commitment to the region, had originally planned to spend two nights in Honolulu at the end of a trip that took him to South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Australia.

While he spoke with business leaders in each country, Pence's trip was overshadowed by rising tensions in North Korea , where it is feared another nuclear test could be conducted soon in defiance of United Nations sanctions.

Pence will now spend one night in Hawaii and is slated to be back in Washington on Tuesday morning, his aide told reporters before Air Force Two landed at Pago Pago in American Samoa for refueling.

Trump has a busy week ahead. Funding appropriated by Congress to run the government runs out on Friday, so he and lawmakers must agree on new legislation or the government will shut down on Saturday.

Saturday is also Trump's 100th day in office, a benchmark used by pundits to assess the initial accomplishments and shortfalls of his young presidency.

Trump plans to outline principles for tax reform on Wednesday, a top brief for Pence.

While in Honolulu, Pence will meet leaders of the U.S. Pacific Command and is also slated to speak to U.S. troops and their families, the aide said.

Pence had planned to tour the USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor but will no longer do that, the aide said.

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Why Vice President Pence Is Cutting Short His Asia Trip - Fortune

#VPinAUSDay Seven: Vice President Mike Pence arrives in Australia to meet with government and business leaders

We arrived safely in Australia on Saturday to continue discussions with another key American ally in the Asia-Pacific region.

My first stop of the day was with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Australia is, and always will be, one of Americas closest allies and truest friends.

We are partners in security, we are partners in prosperity, and together we are bound by our historic alliance. And under President Donald Trump, the United States is committed to strengthening our bond for the benefit of our people, and for the benefit of our world.

As the Prime Minister and I discussed, together, our nations will continue to uphold a rules-based system that is the foundation of peace and prosperity in the Asia Pacific.

I continued my day with in-depth discussions with the American and Australian business community. Today, our economic partnership is worth a staggering $1.5 trillion, and investment has grown by 50 percent in the last three years alone.

Under President Trump, Im very pleased to pledge that the United States will continue to work together with Australia to forge even greater opportunity and prosperity for both our nations and our people.

I ended the first day in Australia meeting with other government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, and Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove. In the meetings, I underscored the United States' unwavering commitment to the U.S.-Australia alliance and to the broader Asia-Pacific region.

You can get the latest updates from my visit to Australia by now following the hashtag #VPinAUS, @VPComDir, and @VPPressSec on social media. There is an album on my Facebook page with photos from the trip. Each morning, you can also read a recap of the previous day here on wh.gov.

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Vice President Mike Pence arrives in Australia to meet with ... - The White House (blog)