Part 3 of a seven-part series on political issues whose common ground we find it hardest to discover because of the unbridled passion, shaky rhetoric, and lack of empathy often employed in public discussions.

Today, we turn our attention to Joe Biden’s and Donald Trump’s attitudes toward marriages and personal relationships within the LGBTQ community.  I sometimes despair about people’s prejudices, but then I remind myself that both Donald Trump and Joe Biden have changed their minds on this subject.

As we approach November 3, 2020, allow me to perform an appraisal of our emperor’s new clothes. To paraphrase fashion arbiter Tim Gunn, do Trump’s clothes “make it?”

Trump’s Shirt: When Other People’s Marriages Threaten Your Marriage

Make no mistake about it: the institution of traditional marriage is straining under extraordinary duress: fewer Americans are getting married and more of these people are getting divorced (though Russia is #1 in divorces).

Why aren’t men and women getting and staying married to each other? Some people point at the lesbians, the gays, the bisexuals, the trans folks, or the queers? Let’s examine the some of the most widespread arguments against the way other people not know or related to you get married, raise their children, and live their lives.

Let’s start with the foundational argument: “God didn’t create Adam and Steve, but Adam and Eve,” which Rev. Jerry Fallwell said in 1977.

• Background: Too many people latch on to bumper-sticker sayings to replace actual wisdom.

• To which I say: How dare you, mere mortal with your puny mind, claim to know the mind of God whose wisdom is more infinite than you could possibly comprehend?

What is clearly obvious to some people is that men entering into legal marriage with other men (same for the ladies) is a threat to the traditional model [VIDEO] of men marrying only women (and vice versa).

• Background: Traditional marriages fail because of infidelity, money problems, apathy and laziness, one of the partners is a sociopath, or they never should have gotten married in the first place. Like my former boss once told me, “Who knows what goes on between two people? Sometimes even they don’t know.”

• To which I say: Someone else’s marriage has nothing to do with the issues in your own failing marriage.

Some people will state that marriage is intended to create a framework for the procreation and protection of children. They will tell you that children need to be raised by both a father and a mother.

• Background: Lots of people get married with no intention of having children. Plenty of people get married past the age of menopause. Some married couples cannot have children for medical reasons

• To which I say: The American government is not going to force married couples to procreate.

• Background: Too many children are already raised in homes filled with emotional, physical, and other forms of abuse. Too many children are already being raised in homes with only one parent. Too many children are already abandoned and stranded in a foster-care system that cannot meet their needs.

• To which I say: More than anything else, children need to be raised in loving environments where they can be allowed to thrive.

A lot of folks don’t like and don’t want to think about what other people do in the privacy of their own homes and the sight of two people of the same gender holding hands in public simply offends them.

• Background: Two people expressing affection for each other? Let me share with you a list of public sights and sounds that are actually offensive: that teenage boy picking his nose, off-key buskers who don’t really know how to play the guitar, that guy chewing his food with his mouth open, that dude talking too loudly into his mobile phone, that old man clipping his toenails on the bus, these people, that guy spitting onto the sidewalk 10 feet in front of you, that man dressed in an impeccable business suit with his fly down, a stylish woman with her slip showing, and those kids staging a farting contest in the park.

• To which I say: Stop staring, keep walking, and mind your own business. (Except maybe that guy with his fly down. He would probably appreciate a heads-up.)

For most of his life, Donald Trump adhered to the “live and let live” attitude towards people different than him that is necessary to navigate through the daily life of New York. When it became politically advantageous for Trump to oppose civil rights for LGBTQ folks, he jumped right into that cesspool.

Seriously? Here’s a rundown of the actions the Trump Administration has taken to eliminate or limit the rights of employees, students, soldiers, and first responders – as well as Americans receiving health care.

• What Would Tim Gunn Say about Donald Trump’s shirt? “I believe that treating people well is a lost art.”

And by “treating people well,” I mean not treating groups of people as political pawns. With powerful friends like Trump who are willing to turn on you when it’s to their advantage, who needs enemies?

Joe Biden has changed his mind on this issue. Like all people who learn and grow, he is allowed. He now believes that every human being should be treated with respect and dignity and be able to live without fear no matter who they are or who they love.

Don’t we all want that for ourselves and those we love?

Next: Trump’s Hair: Where the Police are Unfairly Vilified by “Those People”

Previous: Trump’s Jacket: Where the Democrats are Always Coming for Your Guns

Please vote for Joe Biden and encourage others to exercise their right to vote. Thanks for your consideration.

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The author served as Director of Communications for the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities under Republican and Democratic administrations from 2008-2018. His opinions do not necessarily reflect the policies and views of the department or those of current Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf.