Dear Bianca,
I’m a diehard pro-choice, anti-gun, gay rights-supporting, liberal Democrat. So is pretty much everyone in my life. My parents have voted Democrat in every election. Their parents were Democrats. All my friends are liberals. Even my boyfriend supports the Democratic ticket.
But I recently discovered that the rest of his family are staunch Bush supporters (even after all we’ve been through with that asshole) and they’re voting for McCain/Palin. I almost got into a political debate with his dad, but my boyfriend stopped me before things got ugly.
Now, every time I’m with his parents, I get very tense. I can’t even stand to be around them. My boyfriend thinks I’m overreacting, but I’ve even considered leaving him over this. I definitely can’t marry into a Republican family. What’s a left-leaning, Republican-hating girlfriend to do?
Seeing Red, Not Liking It
Dear Seeing Red,
As a fellow pro-choice, anti-gun, gay rights-supporting liberal Democrat, I feel your pain. I’m not fond of Republican ideals either, but that’s no reason to dump your Democrat boyfriend!
If anything, you should love him more coming to his own political conclusions rather than following the path of his parents. He’s an independent thinker. That’s hot.
Since you say you’ve never met a Republican, you should take this as an opportunity to try and understand the thinking behind their conservative ways. Are they fiscal Republicans? Or does it have more to do with the values of the religious right?
If their beliefs have more to do with money than “protecting the sanctity of marriage,” you can likely get along just fine. Sure, you’ll have some differences, but there’s no reason to get into big fights over tax policies.
If they are “values” conservatives, I’d advise keeping your mouth shut about your left-leaning views so long as they agree to do the same. Be the bigger person and reach out your bipartisan hand to your boyfriend’s family. If you really love him, you’ll put up with his parents’ beliefs.
Got a problem? Send your questions to Bianca at bphillips@memphisflyer.com.
