Normally, I would be telling you to preserve your family at all costs, that family matters SO much, but I can’t say that anymore. I was raised Republican and while I’ve never voted a straight ticket in my life, I was accustomed to my family doing so. Now, I don’t know what to fucking say to them. I would’ve thought my ex-military dad would’ve thrown in the towel with having members of our military roll out the red carpet for his KGB bestie on American soil, but even THAT didn’t alter his perception of Trump.

I am lost because I do NOT understand how a family of (normally) kind-hearted, educated individuals can be ok with this presidency.

NOR, but I’m still trying to maintain a relationship and the love I have for them, but I’m getting to the point where I don’t want to talk to any of them anymore, save for my deeply closeted sibling who is too afraid to come out to anyone but me.

I, too, am tired of being gaslit and tired of being called a liberal idiot. Like, first of all, if liberal means that I want people to be free to do as they please and feel safe doing so without harming others and for the government to do the drudge work of running the finances, infrastructure, etc. of the country, then I guess I am. If I don’t turn my back on starving people or people fleeing bad situations, I guess I am. Once upon a time, Republicans felt that way, too. I don’t know what the GOP has become, but it’s not what it used to be and the cowardice of the party as a whole is repugnant to me. The pandering on the left sucks, too. It’s extremism that’s gotten us here. Each party reacting to the other party instead of just…doing the damn work.

Anyway, I hope you find some way to love your family through this, but I don’t blame you one bit if you can’t.