Dear Mr. Trump,
I am a 52 year old Arizonian. I am writing you this letter seeking clarification on your personal views on an issue that has become very important to me and millions of other Americans this election.
A little background. I have been a small business owner most of my life, or I have worked for other small business owners. Fiscal responsibility, tax equality, control of my own health care and retirement are all very important issues to me. Safety in my home, at a shopping mall, theater, NASCAR race, or any public venue has also become one of my priorities. When I became old enough to vote, I registered as a Republican and stayed that way until George Bush selectively allowed his religious beliefs to influence his decisions. I believe there is no place in any representative government elected by the people for religious influence. That was when I changed to become a registered Independent.
I don't need to tell you the 2016 Presidential election has been one of historical significance and the outcome will have a direct impact on our future and how the history of our country will be written. I don't feel Hillary Clinton is in any way an appropriate choice to run our country. Not because she isn't qualified, because she has shown a history of making conscience choices during her political career that are better for her than our country. Gary Johnson has some great policies and seems to be as qualified as anybody to lead our country, but you know as well as I that he has no chance to win the general election. That leads me to my dilemma, you see Mr. Trump. I am a 52 year old gay man.
Being raised by a Religiously and Politically conservative family from the mid-west in a home town of 1500 people posed some real issues for admitting that I was a gay man. No sane human being would chose to live a life this hard, a life this full of compromise, a life this full of deceit, a life this full of stress, and a life this full of fear this is no choice, I was born this way. Not only was I raised in a conservative family, I am still a very conservative individual, I have very conservative views and values. I am not big on gay pride celebrations or equal rights lawsuits. I take a more personal approach to influencing the people I meet and make as friends that the gay community is nothing to fear, and does not have and agenda that includes taking rights away from others.
I am not a fearful individual. I have been standing outside a gay bar in Louisville Kentucky when somebody drove by in a pickup and shot into the building. I have always believed that I am responsible for my own personal safety. With the growth of Isis, and radical Islamists and their infiltration throughout the world I am no longer so sure that I am completely in control of my own safety. I do not normally patronize gay bars. I never have been a big drinker and never made bars a big part of my life style. Since the shooting in Orlando I find myself very aware of the people around me, the exits, even who sits close to me at restaurants and who is coming in and out of the entrance.
What I am most afraid of though. Is that in the near future, if I am fortunate enough to get married to the 2nd great love of my life. I will come home one day and that marriage will no longer be valid. You see, when I met the first great love of my life, marriage was not legal in the United States. Sadly that relationship ended when my partner died from liver failure due to Alcoholism. 10 years later I have been lucky to find love again. Marriage is a huge step, a huge responsibility, a huge commitment. Not one to be taken lightly. My Parents, and Grandparents have been faithfully, successfully, and lovingly married for over 50 years. At my age, that's not likely, but I do intend to live a long healthy life, married to one partner. I would like to enjoy that marriage without fear that the religious right, and the Republican party will not take that right away from me.
So Mr Trump here is my question for you. I am a serious individual and its a serious question that I believe deserves an honest answer no matter what it is. What are your personal views on equality for the gay community? When you choose Mr Pence for Vice President and you represent the GOP Platform. Which states,
in the words of
the late Justice Antonin Scalia,
was a “judicial Putsch” — full
of “silly extravagances” — that
reduced “the disciplined legal
reasoning of John Marshall and
Joseph Storey to the mystical
aphorisms of a fortune cookie.”
In Obergefell, five unelected
lawyers robbed 320 million
Americans of their legitimate
constitutional authority to define marriage as the
union of one man and one woman
We pledge to defend the religious beliefs
and rights of conscience of all Americans and to
safeguard religious institutions against government
control. We endorse the First Amendment Defense
Act, Republican legislation in the House and Senate
which will bar government discrimination against
individuals and businesses for acting on the belief
that marriage is the union of one man and one
woman.
I fully realize that gay rights are honestly not even a blip on your radar with all the other items on your agenda if you become the next President of the United States. However knowing that does nothing to put my mind at ease. Or the minds of the 3.4 percent of Americans who identify themselves as LBGT. Thats basically 8 million Americans. It is estimated that 22 percent of those 8 million voters are registered Republicans or vote on the Republican side of the ticket.
We don't want preferential treatment. We just want to be treated as fairly as the rest of the population. We are Doctors and Lawyers, Teachers and Bankers, Athletes and Race Car drivers, Farmers and Ministers and we don't have an agenda that seeks to force our beliefs on any body else. We just want to be accepted and respected the way we are.
So Mr Trump please take a moment to address this issue with a direct answer for those of us that would like to know.
Sincerely,
Dan Klaudt
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment