Rufus Gifford Talks Being Gay U.S. Ambassador to Denmark

[Behind the Aegis]

Gifford opened up about his personal experiences as a gay man in an environment where the only way to happiness was to get a wife, kids, and a dog.


US ambassador Rufus Gifford (right) and his partner Stephen DeVincent | Photography by Krestine Havemann

When President Obama nominated Rufus Gifford to be U.S. Ambassador to Denmark, it was big news to have an openly gay man serve his country in the European nation. Now, more than six months later, Danish gay publication Out and About, has featured Gifford, 39, and his partner, 54-year-old Stephen DeVincent, on its cover.

In the four-page story, which is only available in PDF format (and in Danish), Gifford, talks with writer Henrik Salling about his personal experiences as a gay man and how tough it was coming out in an environment where the only way to happiness was to get a wife, kids, and a dog.

He also Rufus Gifford reveals how his family had to face their son and brother being gay and how the family decided to enter therapy, realizing that it wasn’t their son who had a problem, but themselves.

more: http://www.out.com/news-opinion/2014/02/04/rufus-gifford-talks-being-gay-us-ambassador-denmark-partner-dog

[merrily]

1. Stories like this show how ridiculous it is that people

"life a gay lifestyle by choice." And, while there is a long way to go, it's even more ridiculous to think that anyone chose to be gay when coming out voluntarily was unthinkable and cause for imprisonment.

Some people are so sick and/or so evil they can't think straight.

ETA: Luxembourg stuck up for the US's first openly gay ambassador!