As we slowly but surely get closer to the presidential election, one of the presidential candidates has a feel of hope and excitement for the LGBTQ community. Presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg, also former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is openly-gay. This Sunday, he attended a fundraising brunch known as the Victory Fund, which supports the LGBTQ community.
Buttigieg talked about his truth, his husband, and how hard it was to accept his sexuality, sending off a direct message towards Vice President Mike Pence.
In his speech, Buttigieg discussed his truth of being comfortable and accepting his sexuality. He talked about how his husband Chasten helped him to become a better person and get even closer to God, something many homosexuals struggle with every day when coming forward about their sexuality due to being told that being gay is a sin and that it’s an abomination to be who you are. But Pete Buttigieg decided otherwise.
Buttigieg even threw a jab at current Vice President Mike Pence during his speech, saying, “That if you got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me, your quarrel sir is with my creator.”
Vice President Pence is well known for opposing same sex marriage and this is not the first time that Buttigieg has thrown some jabs at Vice President Pence. Recently last month, Buttigieg said that Pence is “at best complicit” when it comes to resurgence of white nationalist groups during President Donald Trump’s election. Being that Vice President Pence is the former governor of Indiana, Buttigieg says that Pence is “consistently horrible”.
As a new presidential candidate, Pete’s faith and openness with his sexuality makes him authentic to his audience. Even the President of Victory Fund is thinking about endorsing Buttigieg once he becomes an official candidate of 2020. We will all see soon enough if America is ready for an openly gay president.