Thanksgiving is an American holiday during which families and friends come together to give thanks, indulge in delicious foods, and connect with one another. Of course, bringing family members with extremely different viewpoints together under one roof can easily create the foundation for a confrontation. In fact, members of the LGBT community often express how difficult it is to sit down with family members who have bigoted ideologies or feel the need to make comments on how they do not “agree” with the “choices” homosexuals make. If this sounds familiar, then you might not look forward to Thanksgiving in the way you’d like. To get past all of the confrontations and arguments, you need to approach the holiday from the right perspective. Here’s some tips on how to avoid a confrontation this Thanksgiving and how to handle the holiday.

Dinner Politics

Thanksgiving dinner can be a minefield for many people. While members of the LGBT community struggle with outspoken family members, there are plenty of straight people who also feel like Thanksgiving is a never-ending battle. Members of the same family who rarely see each other often use Thanksgiving dinner as the time to discuss world events, local news, and politics. Unfortunately, political discussions at the dinner table always seem to end in the same way. If you’re looking to avoid a shouting match over turkey, you need a bit of help.

The biggest thing to keep in mind is the fact that no one ever looks good when arguing over dinner. While it might be quite common for Americans to begin screaming at each other over which political party is superior, everyone walks away from the table looking foolish. The best way to keep yourself in good spirits and avoid a confrontation is by disengaging. When a drunk uncle starts rambling about how “gays are the downfall of civilization,” keep as quiet as possible. This will make the uncle look foolish without dragging you down as well.

No One Is Alone

Some family situations can be far more difficult than others. If you feel like you are alone when with your family, then you might need outside help for dinner. Inviting a close friend or ally to Thanksgiving dinner might be a good choice. When someone is in your corner during dinner, it can help to keep your head in an even and cool place. If things start to get heated before dessert, then you and your friend can excuse yourselves and head out to do something less stressful for the night.

Having a friend with you can also make it easier to disengage altogether. While you might want to fight with an uncle or aunt about political matters or LGBT issues, you know that it is only going to lead to disaster. If a friend is with you, then you might find it is not as difficult to get up from the table without saying a word. The more comfortable you get with walking away, the easier it is going to become to avoid a confrontation during Thanksgiving dinner with your family.

Thanks for the Memories

Family members can be some of the more difficult people to deal with when it comes to personal matters. Your family is supposed to be there for you, and bigotry can easily make it seem like that is not the case. To get through the upcoming holiday season somewhat unscathed, try to keep yourself calm and disengage from hateful conversations whenever possible. Though you might want to argue your point, you’ll come out looking much better when you learn how to walk away without sinking to the same level.