What makes someone a republican or a democrat? What would classify someone as liberal, moderate or conservative? These questions are not easily answered, because to everyone the answer is different. Politics gets very tricky very fast; especially when two opinionated friends disagree on their political viewpoints. When it comes to different political party affiliation between friend’s, politics becomes a tricky topic.
I have learned to keep the political discussion down to a minimum, or light hearted, when it comes to certain friends. One of my close friends and soon to be roommate is a black Jamaican, gay man. Only knowing these few facts about him may make my next statement shock most people. He is a conservative republican.
If I told you he is a small business owner, pre-med, and somewhat well off with a mother who also owns her own business in New York, there would most likely be less shock to the fact that he is a conservative republican.
There are many parts to every person, and only knowing a few things about someone it is hard to make an accurate portrayal of who someone is. I will be honest and say when I found out the fact that he is a conservative republican I was shocked. I might even go as far and say I did not even believe it. At first I saw it as somewhat self-hating, because I did not really understand it, it was different. I always heard the conservatives and right wing politicians putting down “gay lifestyles” and gay marriage. It is a common assumption that all republicans are rich white religious men.
My small minded view was obviously wrong and superficial. Once I paid attention to his views on welfare, taxes, the economy, healthcare, and specifically Occupy Wall Street, it was obvious to recognize he is a staunch conservative. We did not agree on MANY topics.
On social issues he might be considered more liberal; for example when talking about gay marriage and gay adoption. Economically he falls almost all the way right wing republican.
What it took me a long time to recognize is that being gay or in a minority it does not make you an automatic crazy liberal democrat (like myself). It is like saying every lesbian has short hair, or every gay man is flamboyant.
The fact that my friend is gay does not have anything to do with his political affiliation. The fact that he is for gay marriage could make his views somewhat more liberal. However, just saying he is gay does not make him liberal or democratic in any sense. There are many gay men and women who do not believe in gay marriage for what every reason they want, and there are many gay men and women who believe in republican ideals but just happen to be gay.It took me a while to understand why someone who falls into so many minorities would have a republican mindset. However, he owns a small business, his mother is a republican and he grew up with republican values.
I read a New York Times article the other day that commented on the republican hopeful for congress in Massachusetts, Richard Tisei. Tisei is a republican who happens to be gay. The Times article was about his democratic opponent, John F. Tierney. The times mentions Tisei to show the competition between the two opponents in Massachusetts and to comment on the reality that Massachusetts is a democratic state that usually votes democratic or liberal.The Times stated, “Mr. Tierney’s opponent is Richard R. Tisei, a former State Senate minority leader who as a gay supporter of abortion rights embodies the “Massachusetts moderate” label that helped Scott P. Brown to his Senate victory in 2010,”which may help Tisei as well.
The reality of the politician Mr. Tisei really is, he is not moderate. He almost never talks about gay rights, and is also a only a supporter of abortion “under the right circumstances”. His economic and federalviews are mostly very conservative. Although some of his social views may be more liberal it does not make him a moderate in any sense of the word. I do not know of any time he commented on anything related to gay rights. I am not saying he does not believe in gay marriage or gay rights. I am just saying, him being gay does not make him a liberal. If the times had said a supporter of gay marriage and abortion that would make somewhat more sense in helping put the moderate label on him.
The reason Scott Brown can be seen as a “Massachusetts moderate” is because he is commonly known for compromising with democrats or working with democrats within the senate and congress to pass legislation they both agree with. Brown has been known to vote democratic occasionally. Tisei is not known for compromising or voting democratic. His views on abortion may bemore liberal than most conservative republicans, but by no mean does it make him a moderate. The fact that he is gay does not make him liberal; being for gay marriage would be different, but you do not have to be gay to support gay marriage.
No one is perfect (not even the New York Times) and it is probably assumed what the Times meant, however, it is important to recognize that being gay does not make anyone anything but gay. Gay marriage is a liberal idea, but gay just means erotically and emotionally you love someone of the same sex.
It took me little while to wrap my head around the fact that my friend was a republican- I was being small minded. We very much disagree on many political topics, and that is okay. It keeps our conversations…interesting.
No one can fall one hundred percent into one category of republican or democrat. Being gay may give someone a more liberal view on the world because it is different and not widely accepted by certain people, but it does not make one a democrat. I learned this, and now apparently the New York Times needs to learn this as well.
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