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.”