Email
Print
Comments
FeedYou Gotta Have Faith
Congressional daughter Chrissy Gephardt tackles politics and religion and lives to tell the tale.
Perhaps Chrissy Gephardt has been lucky. Her family, unlike many birth families of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, not only purports unconditional love and acceptance, but actually practices it. Certainly we saw this when she came out as a lesbian in 2003, to the nation, while campaigning for her father, then-Congressman Richard Gephardt’s 2004 presidential campaign. Turns out, the politician not only supports his daughter personally, but politically as well.
This fall we got an even more intimate view of how the Gephardts—mother Jane, father Richard, daughter Chrissy—model family values. In Daniel G. Karslake’s high-profile documentary For the Bible Tells Me So, the Gephardts are one of the five American families interviewed about reconciling religious faith with homosexuality.
The topic is an age-old concern for queer women raised in religious or spiritual communities. Many churches still claim homosexuality is a sin or an abomination according to the Bible and which often leave their LGBT members feeling isolated.
With appearences by such esteemed religious leaders including Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson and former Methodist minister Jimmy Creech, For the Bible insists that it is not the word of God, but a climate of hate that truly harms those in the queer community.
Karslake edited down hours of Gephardt home footage and exclusive interviews to share this loving family’s perspective on recognizing, understanding, supporting and honoring the decisions that people make: about gender identity, sexual preference, religious belief, spiritual practice and even their coffee house.
Chrissy Gephardt, a passionate advocate for the LGBT community as well as for youth, homeless and abused women—and her family—takes her place on the silver screen with the ease, candor and clarity of someone who has learned self-love and true family values. Gephardt, who survived political campaigns, The Daily Show and coming out in public, talks about the film.
How did you get involved in For the Bible Tells Me So?
While I was working for my father’s presidential campaign, back in 2003, the creator and director of the film, Daniel Karslake, contacted my father’s campaign headquarters. He said, “We think that Dick and Chrissy would be great for this film because your family really espouses the values of loving your children no matter what, and we would love to have you in the film.” He told me about the movie, and I was just floored. I said, this is something I don’t think I can refuse, given how the church is so oppressive when it comes to issues of homosexuality.”
Are you pleased with the footage he selected?
It’s interesting to watch yourself on film. I think Dan did a great job of capturing the essence of what my family is about, which is acceptance and unconditional love and feeling like you can be yourself and that you don’t have to hide who you are.
What impact will the film have on other children of public families?
I think, first of all, in terms of my story and my family’s story, [the film] is really powerful because when families who aren’t in the public spotlight see this, they say, “Wow, look at Dick and Jane Gephardt, they have quote unquote a lot to lose from a public perspective and they’re willing to stand up on the podium and say, ‘I have a gay daughter and I love her no matter what.’” Love is the most important thing. I think it really says a lot to see a family that is so publicly out there and they are not ashamed of it. That can really help other people along in the process.
People go up to my family and say, “You really do embody what a family is about and that is about love … [about] not disowning your children for something called religion.” I mean, what is that? You know, I mean, it is about love: That is what religion is about. I think [the film] is powerful for people in religious communities.
The deconstruction of abomination in the film is really powerful.
I thought that, too. You know, it is so interesting, when I watched that film it made so much sense to me how you can make religion anything you want it to be. It is all what you make it. You can use it to condemn others. If you use it to justify saying that someone else’s lifestyle or someone else’s life is wrong or someone else’s existence is wrong, you can do that. Or you can use it to do good, to help people, to accept people for love. It is amazing what a powerful thing religion is.
There is tragedy in the film …
Anne’s suicide in the film is absolutely tragic, and so common. As the movie shows [that] kids and teenagers who don’t come from families who are accepting [can] have major mental health issues—depression and suicidal thoughts ...
Maybe bringing that to light is why you are here.
We have to do something about it. Show people that there is a different way of loving and accepting your children.
Love would be part of your platform …
I would say so.
Are you religious?
I very much do believe in God. I have faith.
Are you still a social worker?
Well, they say, once a social worker always a social worker. But, no, I don’t practice it anymore. I go to law school at Georgetown University Law Center, part time, at night. During the day, I work for my father’s company, The Gephardt Group. We do political consulting, labor organizing negotiations, other kinds of business development.
What is your focus in law school?
My interest lies in public interest law.
What kind of work do we need to do as a community?
It is so important to have tight-knit communities of gay and lesbian people who support each other. That is why [for] gay and lesbian people, their [birth] families are not necessarily their primary families. Instead, it is their gay and lesbian friends, because we feel more accepted among people who are like us than among people who are different than us and who have a history of rejecting us, whether that be our families of origin, or the world outside. We need to stick together to empower each other and make each other feel like we do belong somewhere.
I think there is nothing worse than feeling like we don’t belong in the world. But there are places you can go where there are people like you, members of the community you know, who think that you are not an outcast.
I think we need to do a better job of reaching out and asserting our presence. We are here to help, we are a community and we would love for you to be a part of it.
The film is a nice start.
It’s been a ride, it’s been a pleasure, it’s been nothing but a good experience.
Do you like what you read? Subscribe to Curve Magazine »
Reader Comments:
I vey much believe in God...and have strenght today because of God. I dont feel that we as lesbian should be jugded for whom we love...I am in a relationship were my partner is afraid to tell her parents exactly how she feels about things... due to her upbringing... very Christian househould and she was told that what she is doing is wrong, in the eyes of the Bible... so very tough place to be ,, but I on the other hand dont belive we are judged for whom we love
I'm very glad to see that things are changing, if slowly. People like Chrissy and her family are really making a difference. I am heartened to see that some families are courageous in their love and loyalty to their children.
I haven't seen the For The Bible Tells Me So; therefore I can't comment on its content. However, I personally think that our debating whether the bible supports or condemns homosexuality is tragic. It's time for all of us in the gay community to wake up and realize that we are persecuted mainly because of religion -- and religion has shamelessly fostered bigotry and violence against us, even from our own families.
It's time we see religion for what is really is -- an antiquated superstition used by power-mongers to control the populace. Equality and acceptance in society has NEVER been advanced by religion. History has proven that religion has only stood in the way of social progress. Tolerance, equality, and freedom are derived from reason, not irrational belief in mystical beings. Continuing to go to religion to beg for acceptance is like going to a dry well to beg for a drink.
I think it is interesting that when asked if she was religious Chrissy answered "I very much do believe in God. I have faith." not "Yes" It is funny that someone would use the analogy of going to a dry well for water because Jesus seemed to really like that whole well analogy... strange. I completely agree that out of "Religion" nothing good has come. But I would like to point out that if you thinks this article is about trying to justify religion, you have made the same mistake those silly misguided Christian Crusaders made of using "faith" and "religion" interchangeably. They are not interchangeable. I love Jesus like it's my job ( it is, my job that is, by the way.... maybe that explains it!) but I have never even liked religion much less loved it. I grew up in a small episcopal school and remember the horrid feeling of waking up on Thursday mornings and fidgeting into my itchy dress uniform for "Chapel". I, like any good little Christian girl lezi, have tossed and turned over how to reconcile my love for JC and my love for my girlfriend (who also struggles with the same problem). I have been kicked out of working for a camp that I loved with all my heart, been asked to leave churches and youth groups that I lead. Now I could be bitter and take the easy way out and throw out the blanket blame on all Christians and all religious institutions.... but what does that do? who does that help? Just because people can latch on to their ignorance and phobia and hide behind "religion" does not Jesus never existed or that he would turn his nose up at me if he were here... in fact I believe with my whole heart that if He was here and walked up to my girlfriend and I in the mall he would ask us to dinner. He would love us, just as he would love anyone. I think He would be proud of our dedication to loving and serving each other and our friends and families because it is so rare. I think it's time we stop hiding behind bitterness and resentment and chalking...
it all up to religion because it's easy to place the blame there. It is society and people and so called "norms" that are culpable for our persecution. It is fear and insecurity that cause other people to reject love for each other. I think it's time we start loving people first and giving them the benefit of the doubt before we assume that just because they are christian they will hate us. But that's just my opinion...
"For the Bible Tells Me So" is powerful and educational. For anyone feeling they must choose between being a believer or being who they are, I would tell you this: You don't need a "middle man" (a.k.a. religion) to be close to God. God is not condemning you, people with a twisted view of the Bible are.
As Shakespeare observed, the Bible can be made to advocate anything you desire. Want a blatant, wrathful, vengeful god, zapping everything and everyone who doesn't stay out of His way, demanding genocide, infanticide and even slavery? Exodus is the book for you. Want a harsh, strict, angry, meanspirited code for living? Can't do better than Leviticus. Want a quiet, subtle, unknowable god who seldom intervenes but can be known only by sincere prayer and soulful supplication, who is kindly, gentle and forgiving? If so, Paul has written the scriptures you want. It's all there in the same book.
Put God into a sentence and it sounds deep, doesn't it?
It sounds like your not sexualized as a woman at all.
Well, you are. You have been for millennia and are being still, though that sex is different its harmless.
Man, give a heterosexual woman enough alcohol and she could fornicate with another woman while thinking of JC.
Yet, be a lesbian virgin (ie, not owned) and talk about the Goddess, and you will be vilified even by other lesbians.
You will be run out of towns, have a media ban put in place etc. etc. ad infinitum.
You see, Chrissy Gephardt is not challenging anything.
She doesn't love women's totality, and she's been sexualized.
Here's what spirituality is all about,
REAL REVOLUTION!
I know this is an older article but I just logged on for the first time. I read Curve when i can get my hands on it. (Its not always easy to find where I live.) My family is finally coming around to me but it took a long time. I was raised in a strict Pentecostal household and I was disowned for a brief time after I finally came out to my family. It was hard but I had to be true to myself and eventually they started welcoming me back in. Its still hard sometimes. I started crying as I read this because so often the gay community doesn't embrace God, at least from what I've seen. I hold my beliefs close to me and I am thankful for this article.
wow, this is incredible. I am a catholic with a strong foundation of catholic upbringing. My parents are religious and for them to have had accepted me for being a lesbian was a miracle. I've got a four years old relationship with my beautiful partner whose also have the same strong and traditional upbringing. It's a good thing that we can have both religion and our sexuality.
Of course we don't show it when we go to mass every sunday or saturday afternoon that we are gay but, our parents acknowledge it, our friends and families acknowledge it and the fact that, being lesbians didnt draw us away from god was the best thing that could ever happened.
we're proud to be catholic as well as lesbian, to others it might still hard to co-relate both concepts but we believe that god had sent us to each other and that we found each other through our prayers of wanting to be with someone whose ideally the same religions so we can still practice our beliefs as well as not ashame to be lesbians in christian community.
The first thing my brother said to me when I came out was that being Gay is easy its other people who scew it up. Napolean said we create god in our own image not the other way around. Sexuality is so importantant, with regards to sexuality evolution needs multisexualty, in order for a species to survive. Homosexuality, bisexuality and Heterosexuality are needed as well as transsexuality.
We are being victimised due to the fact that we are physiological different, resulting in different forms of sexuality. It does matter were the fuel to stoke the flames of hate and violence comes from, because they threaten us. That is why as a community this has such huge implications.
Religion seeks to pervert nature for its own ends. Sounds like a power struggle to me, The point is, that has consequences in the hate we get. The constant barage of religiouse homophobia is destroying people. What ever the truth everyone of us knows that. When religion has this covert genocidal message about Homosexuality it does matter.
We as a Gay community are not getting it right all the time but we have to learn and we will.
We are alone there is just nothing out there we could debate that for ever, but it is brilliant and scary.
Also as a British Lesbian I am horrified that California has an apartheid law in proposition 8. I find this chilling.
I have a been a Christian for 30 years, and have really struggled with this whole issue, as the church seems so against homosexeculity in any form. For me, I have struggled, to the point to denial for many years and only recently have allowed me to be the lesbain I have been but never been brave enough to say.
Having read the Bible 25 times or more I am now going over it for a fuller depth of study to write up papers so that orthodox christians can see how much God is Love,
I have been to gaychurch, but found its foundation was not built on a tenet of scripture and took wrong passages out of context. So I left soon afterwards.
I am a strong orthodox Christian who has recognised that since God has no gender it is not an issue for Him. So only as humans do we get so hung up about it, because it is a male strong society.
Just to finish in the Old Test, you get the comparision of David and Jonathen who loved each dearly, but inferes it was more a homosexeul love. Then you get Deutonomy, where alot of christian go for where God clearly states that love between two of the same sex is despicable, but in that same context is the fact of men lieing with a woman during her period is just as despicable.
So you can see I think there needs alot more understanding and discussion about the whole thing..
I would really appreciate feedback on this, as both worlds need better understanding on both sides as I see it.
Thanks. This is the first time I have been brave enough to "come out" in any sense of the word.
Yours catchmeifyoucan