The recent election has brought up some old bitternesses.
A good friend of mine has posted Facebook messages to his family telling them that if they voted for Romney, then they were disrespecting him because he's gay. Of course his family members reacted with immediate repudiation and anger. They feel they have been disrespected, bullied and accused of being bigots. Let's examine why he posted in the first place:
The Republican party and ergo Romney/Ryan have established they dislike how gay people act. They feel that gays should stay in the closet, not enroll in the military, and so on. They specifically want to roll back the hospital visitation rights, funeral choices, domestic partnership health benefits. They want to go back to the days of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Many want to re-criminalize homosexuality altogether. These are direct attacks against the gay population. Gay people are therefore rightfully feeling disrespected when someone states that they support this ideology or platform.
Now, during this election many people stated they support only "some" of the platform, or "more" of the platform than what the Democrats provided. They pointed at the Republican economic policies or foreign affairs, and so on, as concepts better aligned with their own ideology, and they certainly have every right to believe this way.
However, these people simply need to be honest with themselves. They can like the platform for its economics, and even detest the domestic issues, but by supporting one they are supporting the other. By supporting the economics, they have placed a higher value on their finances than the rights of their family members or friends. It's simple math. It doesn't mean they were trying to overtly hurt their friends and family, they simply have different priorities. This is America and everyone has a right to their own beliefs and vote. They have the right to free speech. However, can they really be offended by their Uncle calling them out? Do they have that right? Sure, they can be offended, but only if they are not honest. An honest person would own up to their actions and beliefs. Yes, they may love their Uncle, but his way of life just doesn't trump their financial stability.
Does this make them bigots? Only if they support the negative platform because they really think gays should be restricted and discriminated against. They're not bigots if they only support the financial side of a party's platform. But they're not off the hook either. The support in any way is still a choice they have made that their Uncle's rights are not as important to them as something else.
The fact they got so angry makes one wonder though. Could it be, as Hamlet said, "I think the Lady doth protest too much"?
We are all responsible for our actions. Their Uncle is responsible for calling them out on their decisions. Do they take any responsibility, or do they just get angry?
