Marriage and Politics- A Disgrace to our Nation.

As much as I despise the need for this blog, I must urge you all to read the necessary information and to encourage you to GET OUT AND VOTE AND VOTE ASAP! We need to save our rights and protect the marriages of our LGBTQIA+ community. Our votes matter. We matter. Our love matters. Our partners matter. Our relationships matter.

Once upon a time, not really that long ago, getting married in this country was a hurdle for couples of different races, religions, and often even those with political differences. Then, we had the debacle of who could marry based on gender and sexual orientation. We were able to overcome interracial and interfaith marriages and deem those marriages “real” and “valid”, but again, here we are, having to fight for the rights of LGBTQIA+ people to marry and still battling the fight of differing political views in marriage- not that a Democrat and Republican cannot marry, but these differing views do take a toll on polls and marriages.

“Just like couples in interracial or interfaith relationships, politically mixed couples face unique challenges, especially during an election year. In 2017, after Donald Trump won the election, one in 10 Americans reported ending a romantic relationship because of differing political views. And one in five Americans knew a couple whose marriage or relationship was negatively affected by Trump’s election, according to a poll by Wakefield Research.

In a comparison of family life satisfaction among couples of various political affiliations, politically mixed couples do seem to be less happy. Less than half (47 percent) of these couples say they are completely satisfied with their family life, compared with 61 percent of couples in which both spouses are Republicans and 55 percent where both are Democrats.”

Please do not vote according to how your spouse influences your political views. Please do your own research, please vote for your rights and for matters that will directly affect you and your loved ones. Protect your relationship and your heart as much as you protect your right to vote. If you are in a relationship with someone voting against your rights, are you in the right relationship? As sad as it is, it is worth re-evaluating whether or not you are valued. Every vote for Donald Trump is a vote against LGBTQIA+ community members as a human. I really loathe the truth in these statements and I will never judge you for who you love or where your heart leads you, but I love you enough that I want to do all that I can to protect you and to let you know that having your own opinions and views is ok. The difference of opinion doesn’t make you a bad person. It doesn’t make anyone a bad person, but in a relationship, please be sure to find someone who values you and who advocates for you and your rights. Always. Not just when it’s convenient for them, but enough so that they prove it at the polls with policy and rhetoric that builds bridges, not walls! I beg you to think long and hard before committing yourself to a person or relationship where your rights may be dissolved, your marriage may not be protected, Hell - you may not even have the right to marry.

Ok, back to denying marriage to LGBTQIA+ members...WHY?!?! I’ll never understand why ANY marriage (other than child marriages and marriages between direct relatives) matters to anyone aside from the people choosing to celebrate their love of one another by tying the knot. This literally does not affect anyone else, nor should their opinions matter, and to be honest, politics have no place in the validity of love or marriage.

If you identify as heterosexual and assume you need not advocate for your LGBTQIA+ friends, family, etc., respectfully, this is a damaging belief. We need you. We are pleading for your votes and your help. For example, just because we aren’t all affected by cancer, doesn’t mean we should neglect the issue, not make donations to research to find a cure, dismiss patients that are battling cancers, etc. It means we all do our part and do it now! We eliminate the overuse of plastics, we eat healthier, we exercise more, we donate to research, we become healthcare providers, we beg for cleaner air and fewer emissions, we say no to Monsanto, we do what we can to help those in need and help ourselves at the same time. Just because you are straight and your marriage is “valid” and protected, don’t let that fool you into thinking our LGBTQIA+ members are “fine” or have “equal” rights. Can you make medical decisions if your spouse is incapacitated? That is a privilege, just as your marriage is. Not everyone gets to reap these benefits of America the not-so-great-yet after all...PLEASE VOTE BIDEN/HARRIS 2020, they care and they can make sure we are all protected, equally! We need to Make America Gay Again. It’s ok, we aren’t trying to hurt anyone, do anything shady, or wreak havoc on this Nation. We just want our love to matter and our marriages to be taken seriously and treated just the same as heterosexual marriages are.

Please get your votes in however you choose to do so in the next few days. Please read the proposed bills, please understand what your vote is for or against. Please consider the damages that can be done to beautiful humans if Trump is re-elected. Protect your loved ones - I guarantee there is at least one, dare I say, GAY/non-hetero person in your family. Think of those who are too afraid to “come out” and are suffering in hiding, those suffering out loud, and those that are contemplating ending their relationships or even their lives because of voters not taking them and their valid love into account when voting.

Peace and Love, Sinners XXX,

Sindy