My Letter to My Undecided Parents

[bmstee01]

Last edited Tue Sep 27, 2016, 11:44 PM - Edit history (1)

Hey Guys,
I've been thinking about some things a lot lately. I know this isn't easy to understand, but I am terrified about Donald Trump being elected President. For some people it's a choice of the lesser of two evils. For other they are going to cast a protest vote for a third party, but for me that's a luxury I don't have. For me it's about my right to be equal and free to love who I love and work without fear of legalized prejudice. Mike Pence wanted to legalize discrimination of Gay people in Indiana and Trump himself has said he would appoint strict conservative justices to the Supreme Court. Never mind all of the other reckless things he has said.
There's a quote I like,
"Show me with whom you walk and I will tell you who you are."
Let me amend that:
"Tell me for whom you vote and I will tell you are."
I'm having a really difficult time stomaching that my own family who loves me would consider voting for a man that would do harm to me. I wish I could sit in front on my tv and obsess over tax policies, but instead I obsess over a few questions:
Will I still be a fraction of a human in the eyes of the law? Will I have to move to another State to earn a living eventually?
These aren't the choices I've made. They've been made for me and I want to make the best of the hand I was dealt.
So for me it does feel like if someone truly loves me, completely, how could they consider hurting me? It's not a spirited debate over issues for me. It cuts really deep, because it feels like the people that should be standing up for me are missing at the front lines.
So I know I ridicule Trump and take every opportunity to point out a new flaw, but that's my cry for help. From a son to his parents. I need your support and I need you to vote with me.

[GulfCoast66]

1. Wow

i hope you can maintain a good relationship with them and make them understand how their vote actually affects people's lives.

Take care and have a nice evening.

[bmstee01]

3. They're not religious

And they are good to me and my partner, but I think that they fail to see their privelege. For me voting is very serious. I pour over articles and really work to be an informed voter.
I will admit when I try comes to judges. I'm clueless. I call me super liberal attorney friend and say text me a list of who I should vote for.

[bigwillq]

2. I wouldn't want anyone to vote this way for me

They should vote for who they want to vote for and for what they believe in.
Pretty much every politician will do something that will hurt someone or another. Trump will do it, Hillary will do it, Bernie will do it, Liz Warren will do it, John McCain will do it, etc, etc, etc...

Just because they don't vote for the person you want them to, it doesn't mean they don't love you. That part of this OP is a bit soft. "If they don't do this, they don't love me." Wah Wah Blah Blah

My Dad voted for George W. Bush. It was his choice, and I am glad he had the freedom and right to make that choice. He didn't love me any less because of that vote.

[bmstee01]

4. I think that's privelege point of view

I'm sorry that I feel a sense of desperation, but I do. I know my parents love me. That's not really my point. But bc they're white and straight and typically republican I don't think they've considered that their vote could really hurt me.
And to say wah wah wah to me is just rude.

[bigwillq]

6. I hope it works out with your parents

But you must accept how they vote, in whatever way they choose. They had to accept things about you and you have to accept things about them.


I'm not straight, and still don't have and issue with my Dad voting for the person he wanted to vote for.

[pnwmom]

15. False equivalence. A person doesn't choose his sexuality.

A person does choose for whom to vote.

[bigwillq]

20. Wasn't talking about sexuality.

Both parent and child had to accept things about each other. I'm sure there are some things parent does not like and I am sure there are some things child does not like. But we must accept and make peace with those things.

[pnwmom]

21. But what the parents had to accept was their child's being gay.

That is not an option.

Who you vote for IS optional.

[bigwillq]

22. Again, not talking about sexuality

I am sure OP's parents had to accept other things about OP that they may not like but, as parents, they accepted it. OP needs to accept that parents may vote in a way or do other things that OP may not like. That's called life, we accept things about people sometimes, even if we don't agree with it. Optional things, like smoking, or drinking or doing drugs, or listening to rap music or heavy metal or dyeing their hair a crazy color.

Not everyone is always going to agree with us on everything. Accept it, and move on. As will I.

[pnwmom]

23. But the OP WAS talking about his sexuality. And the gay person does NOT have to accept

a vote from his parents that is essentially a vote against HIM, if he feels it is so.

[bmstee01]

7. Let me also mention

They're undecided... And they can make up their own mind, but I'm being honest. It will be difficult for me to look at any family or friends the same way if they vote for this man. This isn't Mitt Romney or John McCain, he makes Bush in hindsight a lot better.
This man is dangerous. This man is disgusting. He is a racist and a bigot. So YES if someone votes for him I will look at them differently.

[bigwillq]

8. You can look at them in any way you want

That is your right. As is their vote.

I guess it varies by the individual.

I really don't care who folks vote for, as long as they vote. I don't expect everyone to agree with my vote. They should vote for who they want to, and for no other reason. I don't look down at them or think less of them for their vote, even if they vote for someone I would never vote for.

[bmstee01]

10. Ordinarily I would agree

But this isn't an ordinary election. i can't support bigotry against anyone. And if you vote for a real bigot, it makes you a bigot.
It's obviously anyone's freedom, as its my freedom to disassociate myself with the things I find deplorable.

[phallon]

5. My parents were the same way

Republican to the bitter end. Guess it made them feel special. They never had a good reason either.

[Egnever]

9. I had similar problems with my father.

My son is diabetic.

During shrubs term he stopped stem cell research some of which was being done to create Islet cells that would help diabetics.

I begged my father to vote against that clown if only to help his grandson one day find a cure.

Sadly it didn't move him a bit.

Was a sad day for my relationship with my father. I am not sure I ever forgave him for that. Ironically he died of a cancer that has a stem cell treatment in testing at the time of his death. If he had helped remove the shrub that treatment might have been available to him instead of in testing.

[bmstee01]

11. That's shitty

I'm sorry

[Egnever]

12. Thanks

Good luck on your end. My dad was a republican deadender he hated democrats. You might have better luck with yours.

[bmstee01]

13. They voted for Jimmy Carter

But I think Reagan hypnotized them

[Egnever]

14. I hear you on the hypnotized vote.

Fox news is poison

[Skittles]

16. how did he raise such an awesome kid, Egnever?

you've done well

[Egnever]

17. He didn't

Kind of you to say that skittles.

But really he didn't I was raised by the streets. With occasional periods of his presence thrown in.

[Skittles]

18. well then you did REALLY well

I am impressed!

[Egnever]

19. Again

Kind of you to say.

I blame it all on my wife. She is an outstanding woman and she saved me. I was not on a very good trajectory before I met her. She taught me a lot by her her example.

She made me want to be better than I was and still does.