Ah, the Presidential Election. Where do I even begin? First, let me say that politics and I mix together like oil and water. I have to confess that I neither watch the news nor read the paper. Once and awhile I'll catch a snippet here or there about something in particular, but besides that, I am not fully educated as to what this election year's platform is. There are the obvious issues of course: Iraq, Health Care, and my favorite, Gay Marriage. There is the smooth talking, Kerry on one hand and then there is our hoedown hero, W, currently reigning as the Prez on the other. Which to choose, Tweedle dee or Tweedle Dumb? There in fact lies my dilemma, as I have no idea who I am going to vote for come November 2.

I know that this might shock a few people in the Gay/ Lesbian community that I, a Lesbian, am actually contemplating voting for Bush. But I've already come out of the closet as Gay person, so I might as well take that extra step and come out as a non-partisan-unsure-voter as well. There are many of us out there, and as we sort through the mess we have dubbed as the Presidential Election, you will see more of us coming out of our proverbial closets. I know that I am going to vote. I know basically what I need to know in order to help me make my decision as well. Being that most of my close friends are Liberals, I receive plenty of information from them on the prevailing issues. And since I am a firm believer that one should examine both sides before making a sound judgment about anything, I also receive plenty of information on the same issues from my parents who are both conservatives. Bare in mind that this information I receive is somewhat biased. I hear plenty of Bush jokes and more than enough Kerry bashing. Quite frankly, I am just plain sick of it. I want to base my decision on what I believe, on what I feel is important to me.

Just the other night I was at Q, having a drink with a friend. We were discussing the election and she too was confused about whom to vote for. Like me, neither candidate impresses her and she would be just as content voting for a piece of wood. A man sitting next to her started talking about Bush and how he trusted him more than Kerry. This surprised me, being that we were at a Gay bar. "We are in the middle of a war. And like a football game, you shouldn't just switch coaches at half time. It mixes everything up, gets every one confused. At this point we should just stick with who we've got in charge." He made some other comments, and I was impressed with his argument. Before we left, I told him jokingly, "you should watch how loud you say you like Bush in here." He looked at me innocently and said, "Why, is this a Democratic establishment?"

I wondered if he even knew that he was in a Gay bar. Maybe he was just a naïve little man, looking for a place to relax and discuss politics. Who knows? What he did show me though, was that no matter where you are or who you are, you have a right to an opinion, a right to vote and you should always express that right.

While I appreciate Kerry as a change of pace from the Bush administration, there is something about him that I just don't trust. Call it a gut feeling, call it intuition, call it indigestion, for some reason I get an uneasy feeling from him. It's as though he's really only the puppet and someone else is pulling the strings. I also do not like that has been promising certain things that he says he will do for this country but then isn't telling us exactly how he plans on accomplishing them. That irks me. It's like a student council candidate promising longer lunch breaks for the entire school in order to win an election that he only really wanted to win in the first place because it would sustain his current reign as 'most popular stud' and that he could also add it to his college application.

I can appreciate Bush to some extent as well. The fact that he stepped up after September 11, and showed that he was a caring individual (at least this is what he showed me) makes me believe that he does have some good intentions but just hasn't always made the right decisions regarding them. Of course I do not agree with his view on Gay marriage, and that is my biggest concern with him. I would like the opportunity to sit down and have an intelligent conversation (he might be better at this one on one, instead of in front of a large group of people) about how being gay is not a choice because I can't understand his inability to comprehend that we are born this way, and that we have a right to the same legal liberties as any other citizen of this country.

What it really comes down to, for me, is that I am neither a Republican nor a Liberal. I am not going to vote for someone just because they represent a political party. I believe that all political parties have a hidden agenda of some sort and I am not going to vote for someone because my parents want me to, or because my friends want me to, or even because of the simple fact that I am Gay. On November 2, I am going to vote for the person that I feel is prepared for the job, is of sound character, has risen above trials and tribulations, and genuinely cares about the future of this country.

Oprah, I hope you are ready. I've just added you to the ballot.