Why I Can’t Vote Republican ... For Now, Anyway

By the time the next election in 2012 comes around, I will be able to practice the right guaranteed to me by the 26th Amendment—voting, of course! As both sides of the political spectrum continue to wage fierce war against each other (with lots of civilian casualties), I've been watching carefully and taking notes. But as time slowly trickles down, I begin to wonder if taking notes is even necessary, because I don't think I could vote for a Republican regardless of how good the candidate is.

Why, you ask? The answer is simple: I support gay rights. Furthermore, I am an extremely vocal proponent of gay rights. I have friends who are gay, friends who have been discriminated against, friends whose constitutional rights have been stolen simply because of the way they were born.

And all of my friends have one thing in common, apart from their sexual orientation: They are good, law-abiding human beings. The Republican party has always been known for their promotion of “family values,” which is hypocritical considering an anti-gay Republican congressman just got caught screwing around with men in a hotel room.

Family values does not equate to living by the strict rules of a radical religious system. It means doing good things and spreading the message of goodwill along generations. As far as I've seen, none of the current Republican candidates agree. And that’s a shame. I do like Mitt Romney, and I would definitely consider giving him my vote in an election against President Obama. It’s too bad that he was a coward and renounced his liberal views on gay rights solely to gain the support of his divided party.

Maybe one day, the Grand Old Party will change, and I’ll be more willing to give them an equal shot at the presidency. But for now, I stand firm in my beliefs; the party that wants to strip away the rights of normal Americans is not the party for me.