Once again, I have found myself in the madding position of having to defend my political viewpoints. Time after time, after time, after time... friends express shock and dismay at my perceived political leanings. "How can you support a party", they ask, referring to the hot-button issue of gay-marriage, "that wants to take away your civil rights?" Please accept this post as my final statement on the matter.

In general, people assume I am a liberal Democrat. I assume they assume so due to the fact that I am a gay man, living in Boston, Massachusetts. In all fairness, I generally keep my opinions to myself and rarely speak up at times when the conversation turns to politics. However, when I do, and it becomes clear that I am not a liberal Democrat, I am often faced with the inevitable comments such as "Now you sound like a Republican!"- meant as an insult. It is usually an attempt to shut me up, because, as a Republican, I clearly can't be taken seriously. I have, in fact, lost friends simply because I expressed a viewpoint in direct contradiction to their own.

I am not a liberal Democrat. I am not a Republican. Strictly speaking I am an independent. I have voted for Democrats and I have voted for Republicans. In most cases, I find myself supporting the candidate who I feel will do the least damage to my personal freedom. In most cases, that is the Republican candidate. I can assure you that my life will not be ruined if I am never granted federal protection for my marriage. I will always fight for equal protection, but I will not allow my true civil liberties to be eroded as a result. (For the record, I don't believe the federal government should be in the business of sanctioning any relationship at the expense of others.)

On the other hand, there are several very real threats to my well being and to those I love: national security, taxation, the welfare state, expansion of the federal government into our personal lives, government corruption, local and state politicians who pass laws that abridge our freedoms, etc. All of these are real problems that have a serious impact on our lives.

And to my liberal friends who ask how I can support a party that would deny me equal protection of my marriage, once again, I ask the same of you:

Defense of Marriage Act- Signed into law by William Jefferson Clinton

Don't Ask, Don't Tell- Signed into law by William Jefferson Clinton

And John Kerry?

"If the Massachusetts legislature crafts and appropriate amendment that provides for partnership and civil unions, then I would support it. I personally believe marriage is between a man and a woman"

Barack Obama?

"I should say that personally, I do believe that marriage is between a man and a woman."

Meanwhile, Dick Cheney:

"Lynne and I have a gay daughter, so it's an issue that our family is very familiar with. ... With respect to the question of relationships, my general view is that freedom means freedom for everyone. People ought to be able to free  --  ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want to."

Mr. Cheney made this statement on national television during a campaign season. Mr. Cheney's statement is the perfect expression of a philosophy that includes everyone and excludes no one. If gay marriage is such an important issue, it looks like a lot of liberals are on the wrong side.