Out congressional candidate Rufus
Gifford appears in a new ad with his husband, veterinarian Stephen
DeVincent.
Gifford, who is running as a Democrat
to represent the people of Massachusetts' 3rd
Congressional District, in 2013 became the U.S. ambassador to
Denmark. While in the post, he married his husband, and the pair
became the subject of a reality series, I Am The Ambassador.
The series is currently streaming on Netflix.
In the 60-second ad, Gifford says that
growing up he struggled with his sexuality and that those struggles
made him who he is today.
“Anyone who can look in the face of a
gay kid who grew up in the 80s and tell them that they haven't
struggled a day in their life is fooling themselves,” Gifford
says. “Those struggles are so meaningful to me and they made me
who I am.”
“[The struggles] made me initially
want to fight for the 15-year old version of me,” he added. “I
didn't want to be judged for who I was. And I know I wanted to live
in a world that was going to treat me equally. And that's what I want
to fight for, always, every day. We gotta do everything we can to
fight for people who are struggling.”
DeVincent appears near the end of the
video. The couple is seen walking their dog Argos, then peering off a
bridge.
LGBTQ Victory Fund President & CEO
Annise Parker called the ad “powerful.” “[The ad] represents
an evolution in how candidates talk about their sexual orientation to
voters.”