Okay, how do we combat THIS? Rural, openly gay supporting Trump.

[hamsterjill]

I have an old friend who came out to me about 35 years ago. We grew up together and lived in a small town. We both moved away when we finished high school and have interacted sparingly over the years. Kept in touch but not really close any more.

He found his significant other and has been in a long relationship with his partner for probably 30 years. About ten years ago, he and his partner moved back to the small town. Very rural area.

He has Trump crap all over his Facebook page. Trump supports the country. Trump supports the police. Democrats don’t fly the flag. Democrats want to take away your guns. And so on and so on.

How do we as a party combat this type of stupidity? Does he, can he, not see that the party he supports sees HIM as an abomination whose choices in life they would destroy if they could? How can someone believe that their value as a person is so little that he supports his enemies? I just don’t get it…

[samnsara]

1. some people are just too broken to fix

[Raster]

2. Sorry, but you don't.

Sounds like your friend is over-compensating for his rural lifestyle choices, and joined in on the tRumpworld hatefest.

Also sounds like your friend has some internal homophobia issues.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

3. Stupid is stupid, and there is no greater stupid than Republican stupid. nt

[dutch777]

10. So sadly true. Gay, women, POC & on & on that vote Repug against their own long term best interest

Goes against rationale thought but the data is clear. My theory is they have one or two pet peeve issues like abortion, guns, taxes or whatever and the Repugs play to their issue better than the Dems and they go Repug despite the broader facts.

[hlthe2b]

4. I don't want to be condescending to rural gay men with my hunch, but having grown up around

family in rural towns and having seen how very difficult it was to fit in if one deterred one inch from local tradition (which includes conservative politics), I see this as their attempt to "fit in" and somehow buy acceptance in spite of that which divides them.

For this reason alone (assuming I am right), I see this as a nearly lost cause. The old influential locals might refer to the occasional gay man in the community as "well that's ole Joe's boy" --accepted, despite the obvious because he embraces that which he does politically.

[Phoenix61]

18. I think you're right.

Go along to get along. We are social creatures.

[Wingus Dingus]

23. I agree--it's an easy way to fit in and avoid scrutiny, harassment, shunning.

An easy way to feel like you belong. However, everything I know of human nature, especially GOP nature, suggests that minority groups, races, religions can be tolerated, even befriended, right up until they piss someone off or say or do the "wrong" thing. And then the slurs and nastiness come out. You're a great guy or gal one day, and the next you're reduced to a (insert slur here). I have seen this happen with various people in my life.

[Oneironaut]

5. You can't fix stupid.

This person is in the “Leopards ate my face” category. Nothing can save them from their self-destructive foolishness.

[70sEraVet]

6. Were there any black men who approved of George Wallace?

Probably.

[hamsterjill]

8. Oh good grief.

Get off of your high horse. I’m not even going to respond further.

[JustAnotherGen]

14. This is a strong tell

I thought progressives welcomed and encouraged free will and choice.

Newbie has a lot of thoughts about 'progressives' - that sound like a lot of right wingers -

Who try to 'school' us on being tolerant of the intolerant - because we are supposed to be doormats and let them tread on us.

[hamsterjill]

16. You got it!

I looked up the profile and I’m betting it will be a short stay.

[Crunchy Frog]

42. Gone finally.

[bluestarone]

9. I'd say YOU are on the wrong forum!

[niyad]

11. What flavour pizza do you like?

[ChazII]

37. We are dating ourselves with the pizza

reference. I miss the Tombstone pizza posts.

[niyad]

46. As do I.

[JustAnotherGen]

13. You are a Democratic Party member -correct?

A Liberal or a Progressive or a Pragmatic Moderate (my flavor).

You are typing like someone outside of the party who looks down on us.

[bbernardini]

15. Oh, hello, new account spouting right wing talking points. nt

[Torchlight]

25. No one is denying anyone else free will and choice

Commenting a choice is irrational and unlearned is not denying them that choice.

[shrike3]

26. Six posts. Heh.

[stopdiggin]

28. we generally see Trump supporters (gay or otherwise)

as deplorable. About our kindest interpretation here (which I think the OP, with her personal connection, was reaching for) - is sadly misguided and misinformed.

Most of us are well aware that the gay community is not any sort of monolith. But that is about the only thing you have to say that makes any sense. Progressives would support the 'free will' and choice - of a white nationalist? A Nazi?
----- -----

[AZLD4Candidate]

30. Well, apparently you thought wrong. But the RW talking point about progressives

is duly noted.

[Caliman73]

31. Your argument appears to be in bad faith.

It has nothing to do with "live as he wishes" or being "happy". It is about logical inconsistency. If a Jewish person was participating with the SS in rounding up Jewish people, would you say that was a "happy life" and they should "live as they wish?"

The policies of Conservatives and their proxy, the Republican party are antithetical to the existence of gay people. The question from the OP is how to make this gay man understand that while there aren't any outright attempts by Conservatives at this time, to harm his existence, ultimately, he will not be spared.

Progressives encourage personal freedom which is not harmful to others. If you are gay, living your life, and not harming others, then that is fine. If by your actions (voting Republican) you are making it difficult for others to simply live their lives, that is not something that should be tolerated.

This is one thing you conservatives don't understand, is the tolerance and open mindedness have limits. You do not understand that because you are actually not open minded at all. You have a completely closed worldview and only use "tolerance" and "open mindedness" as a cudgel or to sneak the horrible ideas the conservatism espouses into the discourse.

[hamsterjill]

33. Thank you.

For your absolutely PERFECT response!

[albacore]

38. Well... you thought wrong.

Progressives have standards. Progressives hate evil. Progressives tend not to tolerate things like voting against self interest.
I don't believe you understand progressives.... because you aren't one.

[Maru Kitteh]

39. Enjoy. Your. Stay.

[JustAnotherGen]

12. Nothing

You do nothing. He can't be helped.

[Wounded Bear]

17. Never understood Log Cabin Repubs, either...

[SoonerPride]

19. Well his pal trump appointed a SCOTUS that will not only upend same sex marriage

but recriminalize being gay.

He can support that.

I don't.

[Demsrule86]

20. It is one guy...why bother?

[Tickle]

21. Did you ever ask him why?

After he tells you sit him down and have a talk

[AntivaxHunters]

22. I'll tell you how

As much as Bernie is loathed on here, his public town hall's were some of the best things that ever happened. They were broadcasted live on MSNBC and he did several titled "Bernie in Trump country". I believe the best one was filmed in West Virginia (IIRC).
It was truly amazing watching these town halls. He literally flipped voters right there on the spot & he did so by talking to them about working class issues along with opioids. These communities were largely impacted by the opioid crisis and the figures were just astonishing.

Let me see if I can find it. It's wild to watch.
Ok I can't find the one from West Virginia, but I did find the one from Kenosha, Wisconsin. The video is flipped backwards to avoid being taken down for © but is it ever good!

[stopdiggin]

24. I USE to be surprised

when I heard my local gay community openly jonesing about their 'next' opportunity for Chick-fil-A run. (and then realized they weren't joking) And MAGA crap (anti-immigrant, anti-gov'munt) is also relatively common. Being LGBTQ - does not translate to having any kind of ethics, or brains.

[Aristus]

27. You can't. It fights itself.

Every time an openly gay rural American gets smacked down by Trump, his other deluded followers, or the policies they support, it’s its own punishment.

Try to point out how antithetical Trump is to LGBTQ people, rural people, and really, all people, and they’ll just double down on their idiocy.

[Midnight Writer]

29. Vote.

[Xoan]

32. Ignore him ...

and make sure he knows it.

[Emile]

34. He must be one of those Log Cabin Republicans.

They're as crazy as Blacks for Trump. They must enjoy someone spanking them. Beyond kinky..

[hatrack]

35. Log Closet Republicans . . .

[Mr.Bill]

36. I know a transgender woman on another website

who acts like Trump is the second coming of Christ. When she was a man she served in the Marines. She can't grasp that Trump would have kicked her out of the Marines.

In her case, she is a one-issue voter. It's all about guns.

[Crunchy Frog]

40. One of the ringleaders in the Jan 6 insurrection was a transgender woman.

Last edited Fri May 6, 2022, 04:19 PM - Edit history (1)

There's more diversity amongst the fascists than we'd like to think.

We can't assume anything about anyone's politics based on their belonging to any racial, ethnic, gender, or sexual orientation category.

[Hortensis]

41. He's conservative. He and 150M other Americans to various degrees

and mixes. We've had, and have, gay conservative friends, fewer than before this vast, pathological political intolerance developed. But in any era they were and will continue to be sympathetic to many conservative positions, and oppose many liberal ones.

A pluralistic form of government doesn't "combat" all but one faction's ideology. It is the way we've developed to protect the rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of everyone. And critical to that is protecting everyone's rights to representation in our democratic republican government.

I imagine this person does not agree that he is too stupid to understand the problems of conservative homosexuals.

[beaglelover]

43. There's plenty of LGBTQ+ Republicans. I don't get it, but there's no changing their minds so I

don't bother to try anymore.

[Behind the Aegis]

44. Gay people come in the "stupid variety" too.

Sadly, most of the time, 'stupid' just can't be fixed. Ignorance, yes; stupidity, rarely. These outliers really aren't worth our time. Just like "not all that glitters is gold", it is important to remember "not all peoples of a minority will be an ally".

"How can someone believe that their value as a person is so little that he supports his enemies?"

Years and years....and YEARS of homophobia. It becomes so internalized that one doesn't even know it is affecting them. This isn't to say some aren't just greedy, hate-filled, or just the run-of-the-mill assholes; we have those too! But just like other bigotries, when it predominates in a culture, some of those affected by it are worn down, defeated, humiliated, and debased to such a point the come to ignore their own self-interests, even survival. It is almost a form of the "Stockholm Syndrome".

[a kennedy]

45. Shocked that two women who are a couple in our extended women's group went to tRump's

inauguration!!!!! AND STILL love him. Needless to say I’ve been appearing less and less with that group. 🤮 🤮 🤮