I'm Coming Out...

I'm coming out...I'm a registered republican- that’s right I said it!

Last night I watched the GOP debate that took place in Florida.  The candidates looked all shiny and professional, almost like a group of kids on their first day of school.  You know that feeling, we've all had it, and on the first day we promise our parents and teachers that this year were going to do "the right thing" and keep up with our work and grades.  I feel like that’s how these debates are, democrat or republican, all the politicians promise change and betterment; yet somehow when they get to the White House and people are left scratching their heads saying, "um didn’t they say this was going to be different this time around."  Besides all of that, one thing about the debate really bothered me last night: the booing of a gay solider.
I would say half way through the debate, and half way through a bottle of wine, a gay solider asked a question about DADT (Don’t ask Don’t Tell) and his question was met with booing audience members of the debate.  I was in shock!  I had to rewind my DVR because I wasn’t sure if that really happened, or if I had more wine than I thought; it really happened.  The next shocking thing was that the candidate who got asked the question, Rick Santorum, didn’t address the booing and how utterly disrespectful it was, he just went right along answering the question.  The answer he gave didn’t help matters either, not to mention he sounded like a complete fool.  I started thinking to myself as a future educator what the ramifications of this sort of behavior can mean for adolescents.  Let's just say, in my hypothetical classroom, there’s a student who is somewhat homophobic, or on the fence as to whether or not they believe homosexuals deserve the same rights as heterosexuals.  Now, lets say that student watched the debate last night too and saw and heard what the rest of the country did, what do you think that student would think about his/her own thoughts and feelings toward homosexuals?  I think that that student would feel justified in what they believe and would possibly make their feelings toward homosexuals much more negative.  As a future educator, how am I supposed to teach young people about equality and respect if our politicians and elder members of society can’t uphold that?
The people in that audience booed a solider, gay-straight-green or blue, he's a solider.  A man giving his life over in Iraq, day after day for the country YOU live in, for the country YOURE so proud of, for the country YOU stand behind no matter what...well I guess unless you’re talking about a gay solider, because YOU didn’t stand behind that.

To Stephen Hill, my deepest apologies for the ignorance of the American people- to me, you’re not gay or straight, you’re a hero!