Here’s a reason for understanding why some members of the audience of “Hamilton” booed Mike Pence. Broadway theater goers are by and large New Yorkers who are very much aware that without the LGBT community silence would descend on Broadway. They know how hard the AIDS epidemic hit the theater world. They also know that Mike Pence is a gay hater who advocated for conversion therapy. What's worse, Pence wanted to deny federal funding for AIDS treatment.
When Pence ran for Congress in 2000 his positions were decidedly anti-gay. I doubt those in the audience were familiar with just how much of a retrograde bigot he was. However by now his actions as governor of Indiana are well known, especially his forcing women to have funerals for miscarriages.
If you want to understand where Pence is coming from on social issues, it is helpful to read his archived position statement from 2000. (here)
He wanted to end the use of the military for humanitarian purposes, to no longer let men and women train together, and especially odious, to forbid homosexuals from serving in the military. To quote his position paper: “Homosexuality is incompatible with military service because the presence of homosexuals in the ranks weakens unit cohesion.”
Pence must be incredibly out of touch to walk into a Broadway show and not be prepared for a negative reaction. It’s Broadway, for blanks sake! No doubt a goodly portion of the audience was LGB or T and had friends who were. In addition, the show’s star, Javier Muñoz, is HIV positive.
The cast response and the speech (written by the show’s writer, director, and producer) and delivered by Brandon Victor Dixon, who plays Aaron Burr, was gracious:
“We welcome you, and we truly thank you for joining us here at Hamilton: An American Musical—we really do. We are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir. But we truly hope that this show has inspired you to uphold our American values, and work on behalf of all of us. We truly thank you for sharing this show, this wonderful American story told by a diverse group of men and women of different colors, creeds and orientations."
I know people who have been writing and saying that booing Pence was rude. But I would hope they understand that at least some of those who did express their disgust in such an overt way may have felt they were giving him his just deserts. They may have felt it was an affront to their sensibilities for him even to come to the show, almost as if he had visited a performance of Bette Midler at a gay bar.
Perhaps they wanted to let him know that had he had his way about treating HIV and AIDS some of those who created the play might not have been alive today.