Gay Republicans?
Gay + Republicans. It’s like peanut butter and asparagus. Not an appealing combination.
I’m gay and I don’t like Republicans. (GASP!) Yeah, I know. It’s pretty shocking. Take a moment to collect yourself and pick your jaw up off the floor.
I truly am a democrat. Not because it’s the cool thing to be, but because I believe in them. I spend a great deal of time following politics, gathering the facts, and drawing my own educated conclusions. My general mindset is in alignment with what their party stands for.
But over the past month, there have been whispers… Rumors… News reports that the Republican party is about to make a dramatic shift in 2012 to support gay marriage.
Why now?
The Republican party needs fresh blood. The 2008 elections proved that Americans are tired of crusty old white men pushing the same tired politics day in and day out. There are still a lot of crazy-ass, conservative crackheads in the Republican party. But they are gravitating toward this stupid tea bagger business. I think they will eventually just cannibalize each other and die off. I actually think this insane tea party movement is a good thing. They are going to trap themselves in their own minority, which will open up opportunities for stronger, more level-headed candidates to run for office.
As older voters die, younger voters take over and start to shape the future. We’re talking about a new generation of voters. Regardless of their political affiliation, young voters simply don’t have a problem with gay people. It’s part of their culture, their music, their television. Young voters have been around openly gay people for as long as they can remember and that’s fine with them.
So how did the gay community get mixed up in this?
The underlying belief system of Republicans has been that the government should not dictate people. I’ve heard them preach and preach about this, especially when it comes to taxes. It was also a big debate when universal healthcare came up. Republicans didn’t want to insure Americans, but they did want to give them a tax break.
In a strange way, it actually makes sense for Republicans to support gay marriage. It aligns with their belief in not letting the government interfere. I’m borrowing a bit of this philosophy from other articles I’ve read, but I’m starting to see the point.
If the Republicans wanted to make a radical shift, gay marriage would be the way to go. It would appeal to younger voters and make the party look more progressive. Conservatives would throw a fit, but who cares because it would just alienate them deeper into the tea party with nut cases like Sarah Palin. So at the end of the day, you’d have forward-thinking Republicans battling the Democrats, who are not looking so hot these days.
I do love my democrats. But they have been slow. Too slow. And it’s hurting them. Change is coming, but not quickly enough. Calm and calculated is a smart tactic, and I applaud them for being wise with their decisions. But they need some sparkle for the naysayers and the swing voters. They need something, anything to win over the people who are always on the fence.
Would you support the Republicans if they pushed for gay marriage?
In 2004, we were the wedge issue that helped re-elect Bush into office. If these rumors are true and the Republican party does start to open up more to equality for gay people, we will undoubtedly be a wedge issue once again in 2012. This time around, will we be a wedge for the other team?
I’ve thought about this a lot lately. I believe in the Democrats and can’t imagine voting for a Republican. That’s how passionate I am about the party. But if the Republicans pushed this agenda and the Democrats failed to step up, it would certainly be a tough call. Would I give up everything else I believe in just for equality as a gay man? And if I did, would I undoubtedly be let down when the elected official didn’t live up to their campaign promises?
What would you do?
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If they suddenly found themselves on the side of tolerance and inclusion for *everybody* — lgbts, Muslims, immigrants, atheists, etc, then at least some candidates might be worth looking at.
But I can’t get behind throwing everyone else under the bus for the benefit of any single group.
Sadly gay marriage isn’t the last rung on the ladder of equality. If they come through and support it then great, good for them, but there are other aspects about being a gay man aside from marriage.
If the Democrats are slow on the uptake then yes, they may lose a few floaters to the opposition, but just remember the tortoise and the hare – the fastest doesn’t always mean the best
For some funny reason gay marriage or ‘gender neutral marriage’ is one of the major issues in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Finland as well.
Gays can get registered like straights but some rights are still missing – like adoption. Inside one (gay)family one can adopt, i.e. gay couples can be parents but still can’t adopt a child whose biological neither parent is.
Gender neutral marriage will pass and will not have much affect on the election here but things aren’t perfect either. For example in Cologne were I lived pda between gays was ok, in Finland it’s not (and in Lithuania were I work now during weekdays you’d get beaten.)
Btw. you should do something about that two-party system – politics is much more fun – and perhaps functional – with many parties (some of which can be pretty crazy like the Christian parties
Just to begin with, it’s worth noting that the official Republican Party Platforms of a number of states advocate the CRIMINALIZATION of gay sex.
’nuff said
Nathan…..I was once a staunch Democrat…..as I got older, I found myself more aligned with Republican views and valued…..Joe