Pop star Chappell Roan, who has declared she is voting for Kamala Harris in November, has an unexpected link to conservative politics.
The singer’s uncle, Darin Chappell, is a Republican state representative from Missouri who, this month, co-sponsored a bill to stop public funds going to abortion facilities in Missouri, according to his voting record.
While public funds were already prohibited from funding abortions in Missouri, the new legislation will now prevent any taxpayer money, including Medicaid reimbursements, from going to any abortion providers or their affiliates in the state. The bill was passed by the Missouri House and Senate, and officially took effect on August 28.
At the time, Missouri’s Republican Governor Michael Parson said in a press release: “Our administration has been the strongest pro-life administration in Missouri history. We’ve ended all elective abortions in this state, approved new support for mothers, expecting mothers, and children, and, with this bill, ensured that we are not sending taxpayer dollars to abortion providers for any purpose. We thank members of the General Assembly for recognizing this important issue and sending this legislation to my desk.”
US singer and songwriter Chappell Roan performs live on stage during a concert at Velodrom on September 23, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. Roan’s uncle is a state Republcian Rep.
Jakubaszek/Redferns/Getty Images
Nearly all abortions were outlawed in Missouri almost two years ago after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The only exception to the law in Missouri is when a pregnancy threatens the life of the mother. There are no exceptions for cases of rape and incest.
In November, Missouri voters are set to go to the ballot box to vote on Amendment 3, which would reverse the state’s near total abortion ban and guarantee the right to an abortion until fetal viability, which usually occurs around the 24-week mark.
Chappell has spoken out against the amendment, revealing in a Facebook post on Thursday that a family member suggested his wife could undergo an abortion when she fell pregnant with their daughter “too young.”
“I cannot imagine life without her with us, and I’m thankful we had the sense to ignore the ‘advice’ we got early on. But beyond my heartfelt love for her…,” Chappell wrote of his daughter. “Look at all the good She’s done, that the world would have missed, if we hadn’t been brave enough to just reject the pressure of a worldly perspective! I want to encourage you all, please, vote ‘No’ on Amendment 3.”
Chappell’s niece, Chappell Roan, who is also known as Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, has not spoken out about her views on abortion or Amendment 3.
Earlier this month, Roan, who grew up in Missouri, told Rolling Stone that she has Republican-supporting family members. “I have family that are very Republican, and they love me and I love them. It’s so hard for kids who grew up on the coast to understand why maybe I can,” she said.
She also spoke about growing up as an LGBT woman in Missouri in a Christian community. “I was scared of flamboyantly gay people because I was taught that,” she said. “[I realized] people hate flamboyantly gay people because it exudes femininity, and people hate women. Just little things like that that you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, this is so f***ed.’ ”
Roan said her parents, who raised her as Christian, have been supportive of her sexuality. “It took a lot of unlearning, and there’s still things I’m still confused about, and [it’s] why I feel so uncomfortable being gay sometimes,” she said. “I don’t get why this is such an issue for me. It shouldn’t be, but something’s just going on and I need to just accept that.”
The singer has also encouraged fans to donate to LGBT organizations like The Glo Center, For The Gworls, or The Trevor Project. She has generated over $160,000 for the Human Rights Campaign and Reproductive Freedom For All, according to GoodGoodGood, a news site that reports on positive stories.
Earlier this year, Roan drew fierce blowback from critics after she declined an invitation to perform at a White House LGBTQ+ Pride event. “We want liberty, justice and freedom for all. When you do that, that’s when I’ll come,” she said.
“That means freedom in trans rights, that means freedom in women’s rights, and … it especially means freedom for all oppressed people in occupied territories,” she added.
In her interview with Rolling Stone she said she made the decision over the White House’s position on the war in Gaza, telling the outlet: “I won’t be a monkey for Pride.”
Meanwhile, in a post on TikTok on Wednesday, Roan announced she would be voting for Kamala Harris, though she noted she does not agree with all the current administration’s policies and stopped short of endorsing Harris.
“I don’t agree with a lot of what is going on with like policies – like, obviously, f*** the policies of the right, but also f*** some of the policies on the left,” she said.
“F*** Trump, for f***ing real, but f*** some of the shit that has gone down in the Democratic party that has failed people like me and you – and more so Palestine, and more so every marginalized community in the world,” she said. “So yeah – I’m voting for f***ing Kamala, but I’m not settling for what has been offered, because that’s questionable.”
Newsweek has contacted Darin Chappell and Chappell Roan for comment via email.
