Growing up the daughter of a driven politician was hard, and making the decision to “come out” as a lesbian under the spotlight of her father’s second presidential run was even more difficult.
Chrissy Gephardt, daughter of former U.S. Rep. Dick Gephardt, had already told her friends, family and former husband she was gay. Telling the world, then helping her father by speaking out about civil rights during his campaign turned out to be an experience that was more positive than she could have imagined.
“While (coming out) was one of the hardest things I’d ever done in my life, it wasn’t as hard as living a lie all my life,” she said during a presentation at Minnesota State University Monday.
Her father dropped out of the Democratic primaries early in 2004, but that didn’t stop his daughter’s run as an activist.
Chrissy Gephardt said the speaking tours are less frequent and her life isn’t as hectic as it once was — she’s attending law school part time, working part time and trying to adopt a child with her partner — but she still sees herself as an activist.
Doing things as simple as telling someone an offensive joke isn’t funny or just taking time to vote is activism, she said. And anyone who makes the decision to “come out” when they’re gay is an activist, Gephardt added.
“The only way to make sweeping changes is for people to know someone who is gay,” she said.
“They become your friend. They become your roommate. They become the person you sit next to in class. They become a real person.”
In addition to politics, Gephardt and her family are known for the film, “For the Bible Tells Me So.” They were one of five families featured in the film, along with Jake Reitan and his Mankato parents, Phil and Randi, about the challenges of being both gay and Christian.
Stacie Noha, an MSU junior, said she was hoping Gephardt would talk more about her church experience Monday.
“It was still interesting,” Noha said. “It’s always interesting to just listen to somebody who lives as a minority and their experiences, then find out what we can do to make those experiences more positive.”
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