Obama’s victory and the aftermath of ‘Please de-friend me’ – LGBTQ Nation

Obama’s victory and the aftermath of ‘Please de-friend me’ – LGBTQ Nation:

'via Blog this'

(I'm not gay, but I otherwise feel the same way. If you voted for Romney, you were voting against me. I also felt, though, that you were voting against yourself and didn't know it. Your stupidity is forgivable regarding voting against yourself, but voting against ME, and supposedly being my friend, is a different ball game. There are people I don't think I will ever see the same way again. Of course, they couldn't see they were voting against me any more they can see that their vote would be going against themself-there was just the one, actually-but that didn't make it okay. Willful ignorance is so disturbing.)

As I told those unwilling to de-friend me, if Romney won and followed through on his pledge to restrict my rights, I wanted them to be reminded, each and every time they saw me post, that they’d had a direct hand in my undoing. 

Despite clearly noting that I was voting for Obama because I care about the environment, the poor, veterans, the elderly, equality for women, the freedom of choice, healthcare as a right, our rights as a family with two gay dads, and the economy, one newspaper editorial reduced me to being a "single-issue" voter.

While that may bring into question the writer’s math skills, the larger point, that my progressive voting position was inherently less important than their fiscal one, is one which we need to actively counter.

Progressive causes should not break the bank. There is a way to achieve human rights in a fiscally responsible way, and yet our detractors have successfully labeled us as “tax-and-spend, bleeding heart liberals,” implying that our love for such causes compels us to open our wallet at every turn, regardless of cost.

As made clear in this election, many people vote solely from their pocketbooks, and we have work to do in articulating a vision which not only upholds dignity and respect for all human life and the planet, but communicates that such advances can actually help stimulate our economy and, in turn, heal our deficit. Being committed to social causes and financial security are not mutually exclusive; we must clarify how they can work together if we are to ensure a greater margin of victory in the future.

On a personal level, I struggled this morning on how to best move forward, given my friends who say they support me, yet vote for policies and people which work to deny me my equality, as well as the subsequent tax benefits and protections conveyed u