One of the many reasons I am a proud Democrat is because the party has no problem with the fact that I am a gay man. After spending 25+ years of my life either clueless, confused or conflicted, I have no patience and no time for a party that is outwardly hostile to me because of my sexual attraction to men. At this year's DNC in Denver Sen. Ted Kennedy, Sen. Hillary Clinton, President Clinton, and Sen. Barrack Obama welcomed and acknowledged the GLBT community in their prime time speeches. I would welcome some parity from the other side and would be thrilled to see the GLBT movement recognized rather than reviled at the RNC in Minneapolis, but I know better.
Until the day comes when the Republican Party can look at me as someone who is not mentally ill; not a person who has chosen a life of perversion; and not a threat to their marriages and family values - I will be a Democrat with a capital "D". No apologies; no exceptions. I recognize that many people who I love and respect come to different conclusions, and I respect them for their personal choices. However, it is one thing to watch a political party use a group of people to divide and perpetuate feelings of hate or fear and it is quite another to be that demographic.
I have no space left in my heart and can not intellectually justify a vote for a candidate representing a party that has no room for me in "their" America. After reading through the current Republican platform "Protecting American Values" all I can think is that while Americans have a two-party system, because I'm a gay man and not ashamed - I only have one.
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