What do you do when you’re a gay dude who just happens to look like our incoming Vice President? If you’re 51-year-old Glen Pannell, you decide to turn that look into something positive. And how does Pannell do that? He dons short-shorts and wanders around Times Square collecting donations for Planned Parenthood, The Trevor Project, and The Natural Resources Defense Council. And thanks to Howard Sherman (who’s both interviewed and photographed the look-alike in action), Pannell has become a star.
According to Buzzfeed, Pannell, who’s a graphic designer and “occasional” actor, hasn’t been dressing up as Pence for long, but after Trump won the election, he was feeling so bad he had to do something to make a difference. In an interview, Mike Hot-Pence (get it? There are layers!) Pannell revealed that he felt called to make a difference:
“The depression kept feeding on itself so I finally decided I had to do something, and it had to be bold and immediate, something I could point to at the end of the day and say, ‘Here’s what I did to make change,’” he said.
And change is what it’s all about. As long as the weather permits, Pannell will continue collecting for all the causes that have “suffered when Pence was in office,” working to right injustice in small but visible ways. When winter really hits, though, Pannell’s hoping to find a spot somewhere indoors, where he can continue to collect money and lift spirits while wearing his tiny shorts.
