I'm Coming Out! As a Mugwump

Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren opened the exit door.

I asked AI to create, ”A cute bejeweled rainbow-colored mugwump with a black background in thick oil painting style.” I like it :)

A mugwump is someone that withdraws his/her/their support from a political group or organization : a regular member who bolts a party and adopts an independent position.

A mugwump is born!

I’ve just about had enough with Democrats. I gave up on Republicans a long time ago. Both parties are tone deaf and out of step with the public at large.

What tipped the scales for me? All the behind the scenes back-biting and lack of planning for the last election cycle and then this past week, Hillary Clinton and Elizabeth Warren completely forgot about the queer community in an incredibly personal way.

Hillary posted on blue sky:

There is nothing wrong with her educating and calling to action women who will be disenfranchised from voting if this bill is passed. I am glad she said it.

But why only women?

My guess is she and Senator Elizabeth Warren (who said the exact same thing in this interview with

Jim Acosta

) are seeing this as a way to court older women to join the Democrats. Older women who were expected to change their last name after getting married or face shame for dishonoring their husbands. Of course, many women saw it as a wonderful thing to do and good for them. But back in the day, society expected this whether you wanted to do it or not.

Yes, that was a thing.

Nowadays, you find the younger generations of women not changing their names because the pressure to do so is not nearly as much as with the Boomers and even GenX. Plus, the process is very large in scope and cumbersome and really not necessary.

Again, I am very happy both Clinton and Warren sent out the warning about this bill.

You know what though? What about queer people, like me, who took on our spouses’ names? Queer people who hyphenated their last name to honor both their blood family and their spouses?

I changed my last name out of love. Plus, I didn’t want to have my “maiden” name anymore. My bio-dad dishonored my mom, my brother, and me by abusing and abandoning us.

Not mad, but very disappointed

I am not mad about Clinton and Warren. I respect both women. It was just another glaring example that, at best, Democrats either consciously or subconsciously don’t even consider the LGBTQ+ people in most public policy battles. Or at worst, they purposefully left us out so as not to offend the more conservative older women they are trying to recruit.

This and so many other instances like it led me to this decision; the next chance I get, I am going to take the “D” off my voter registration card. As of right now, I will be voting Democrat because they are closer to my overall beliefs concerning public policy. But I will be doing so as an Independent.

It’s my small little way of sending a message to the Democrats they still have a lot to do in order for LGBTQ+ people to feel at home, as full equals, in their party.

And yes, I will make sure to call my representatives to vote against this bill.

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