The "Family Values" Lie

"Family Values", those magic words used by both sides of the political spectrum we've heard for who knows how many years is a deceiving phrase. The more I hear it in the news, the more I hear the word "Republican". It seems, the republican party has a special romantic interest with this word yet I feel the need to quote Inigo Montoya:

I have observed that whenever the words "Republican" and "Family Values" are used in the same conversation, it's not so much about real family values, it's about homosexuals. I believe republicans use family values as a political safety word to protect themselves from outright insulting homosexuals.

So what are REAL family values? I'm gonna stick my neck out and say this: REAL family values are the values that say we treat each other with respect, that no matter someone's lifestyle choices you care for your family. When your brother's boyfriend breaks up with him, you're there to comfort him through those hard times. When your sister has lost her job, home, children, and life savings due to a nasty and public divorce, you stand by her. When your children get in trouble, you discipline them, but you never stop believing that they can be better than you. That your needs do not come before the needs of your loved ones and as a parent, you are responsible for raising your children.

You won't find a single elected official who will say to the contrary (and if you do, they won't be elected for long).

I would love to vote for republicans because some of their ideas are good ones, but so long as they keep using "family values" as a catch all for gay bashing, then no republican shall get my vote. No one deserves to be unjustly discriminated against because of what they do in the privacy of their own home.