Not all voters on the left grew up in a democratic household.
Sophomore geology student Zi Fehringer grew up in a conservative Republican household. Fehringher is a nonbinary student apart of the GSA at Colorado Mesa University, and they are now a left leaning liberal.
Growing up in a conservative, Catholic and Republican household was difficult for Fehringer. They recounted how having a family that openly hates the LGBTQ+ community has given them low self esteem. They also recounted how their brother expressed racist beliefs, and their parents were openly xenophobic growing up.
“I had the stereotypical strict Catholic upbringing. [Beliefs] like, protect your family specifically, and the general belief that privilege wasn’t a thing. That you just do your best and then you win. Go to college, get a husband and get some kids. Very family oriented [beliefs],” Fehringer said.
Emily Eckland for the Criterion
Fehringer went to a private Catholic school. Being a nonbinary member of the LGBTQ+ community and seeing the church condemn their identity pushed them away from the conservative beliefs that they grew up with.
They originally wanted to vote for Bernie Sanders. However, seeing that he is not the democratic nominee for president, Fehringer plans on voting for Biden.
Fehringer is not excited about voting for Biden. However, they feel like Biden is the best shot at getting Trump out of the White House.
“The only good thing I’ve heard about Biden is that he isn’t Trump. […] Vote for Biden, because he isn’t Trump. If the best thing you have to say about your guy is that he’s not as bad as the other guy, it kind of implies he’s not doing great,” Fehringer said.
Biden doesn’t align with some of their beliefs though, which further withers their confidence in voting for the democratic party. Fehringer tends to lean more liberal and socialist in beliefs, and the democratic party doesn’t always accept those beliefs.
“I’ve seen a lot of people saying that in America, the Democratic Party is actually on the right if you compare it to other democratic parties in other countries. So that’s not great. Our political compass is all the way on the other side of the middle,” Fehringer said.
That doesn’t matter as much to Fehringer moving forward into voting. Fehringer just wants to get Trump out of office. Trump’s politics act as a threat to their identity as a person.
Fehringer is concerned about the future of the supreme court now that Ruth Bater Ginsburg has died. According to a statement released by the whitehouse on Sept. 27, 2020, the Trump administration is rushing in to appoint Amy Coney Barrett to the supreme court before the election. Barrett is a conservative Christian judge, and this move may tip the balance of the supreme court for a generation.
The balance tip of the supreme court into a conservative court could potentially overrule previous court rulings.
“The lady who I’ve heard described as the most far left on the Supreme Court just died. So that’s not great, because the Supreme Court just barely ruled for marriage equality. So, if I decided to get married in the next two years, it may or may not be against the law again,” Fehringer said.
Zi Fehringer said that they’re pessimistic and tired of politics, however, this election is a fight for their right to live and marry freely as an American.
