As a member of a generation well versed in manipulating their public images on social media, I have a heightened awareness and appreciation for people who are truly able to be themselves. I admire the courage of Pete Buttigieg, the first openly LGBTQ+ person to run in a primary for President in the United States, for his courage in overcoming “the inner turmoil he experienced over whether in fact he wanted to be known as the ‘gay’ politician” and for deciding to be open about his sexual identity while running for re-election for mayor in 2015 in South Bend, Indiana (Peters). While he did not succeed in his run for presidency, he is now serving as the first openly gay Cabinet member, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation in the Biden administration. In the face of pressures from opponents as well as advocates of LGBTQ+ rights to be something other than himself, Buttigieg stands out as a role model, particularly to future American voters like myself, by leading with authenticity.
In Profiles in Courage, John F. Kennedy explains that elected officials often fail to demonstrate acts of political courage because they give in to pressures to please constituents or their political party and increase their likability and, in turn, their chances of being re-elected. However, Kennedy reminds the reader of the critical importance of “the call of personal responsibility. For the party which, in its drive for unity, discipline, or success, ever decides to exclude new ideas, independent conduct or insurgent members, is in danger” (Kennedy, page 13). During his historic presidential primary campaign, Buttigieg overcame this pressure and took a riskier path by being open about his sexual orientation. At the time Pete Buttigieg was running for re-election as the young Mayor of South Bend, Indiana, Mike Pence was the conservative Governor of Indiana and openly opposed same-sex marriage. In 2015, Buttigieg boldly chose to come out in an editorial in the local newspaper, knowing that it would be uncomfortable for him and that it would upset some of his constituents: “[issues] of equality are hardly settled across the country. Today it remains legal in most parts of Indiana…to fire someone simply for being gay” (Buttigieg, South Bend Tribune). But he hoped that by coming out and telling his story in a thoughtful way, this openness would ultimately benefit many people. Despite the apparent risks of his coming-out announcement, he was re-elected Mayor of South Bend with 80% of the vote.
As a presidential primary candidate, Buttigieg continued to be outspoken as an advocate for LGBTQ rights. As a gay veteran, he argued that the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell” (a policy in place for 17 years until 2011 that ended the WWII-era ban on LGBTQ+ citizens from serving in the military as long as they did not disclose their sexual orientation) did not go far enough. In response to the proposed transgender ban in the military during the Trump administration, Buttigieg took it a step further during his presidential primary campaign (and went well out of the comfort zone of many voters) insisting that we must fight for and honor the service of transgender troops putting their lives on the line for this country (Buttigieg, Keynote address at the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner, 28:55-29:00).
Buttigieg campaigned for LGBTQ+ rights during the presidential primary without making it the center of his campaign, but in doing so he faced criticism from the LGBTQ community. Despite winning the acceptance of many mainstream voters, he alienated some members of the LGBTQ+ community who did not identify with him, some of whom objected that his “middle of the road message” was not progressive enough and even voiced that “it’s truly embarrassing to have the first gay presidential candidate of this magnitude be this conservative” (Scher). Buttigieg however stayed true to his multifaceted identity. As an openly gay Christian, a Harvard-educated Rhodes Scholar, and an Afghanistan war veteran, he defied easy categorization and challenged stereotypes (Kornhaber). His courage helped people to see him as a worthy candidate embracing his own uniqueness and individuality and helped pave the way for future candidates to be themselves.
In Buttigieg’s 2015 op-ed in the South Bend Tribune, he made clear that his battle for “what is best about Indiana: values like respect, decency, and support for families – all families” – extended to issues of equality beyond LGBTQ+ rights (Buttigieg, South Bend Tribune). Using his personal story and his vulnerability to connect with voters as a parent, Buttigieg has been open about the difficulty and joy of raising a child as a same-sex couple, even in the face of criticism for taking a brief parental leave from his Cabinet-level job. Defending his decision to take family leave and normalizing it for others, he responded to criticism: "It is long past time to make it possible for every American mother and father to take care of their children when a new child arrives in the family" (Hider). As U.S. Secretary of Transportation, he has continued to challenge opponents of equality. Taking on Republican opposition to the Respect for Marriage Act, which codified same-sex marriage and interracial marriage into federal law, he stated, "This is really, really important to a lot of people. It's certainly important to me [...] Our marriage deserves to be treated equally, and I don't know why this would be hard for a senator or a congressman" (Balevicjul).
Despite the ultimate failure of his presidential candidacy as he exited the primary in 2020, Annise Parker, former Mayor of Houston and the first openly LGBTQ+ mayor of a major city in the United States, noted the significance of Buttigieg’s accomplishment in being the first openly gay candidate to win delegates in a presidential primary, “Pete’s candidacy represents a revolution in American politics, forever transforming what is possible for an LGBTQ candidate and making clear America will elect an openly LGBTQ president” (Scott). It is possible that the broad acceptance of Buttigieg merely signaled a profound shift already going on in the public mindset, but the dramatic recent change in public opinion of LGBTQ+ candidates was evident in the recent 2022 midterm elections, “where for the first time LGBTQ+ candidates ran for election in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and where Oregon’s Tina Kotek and Massachusetts’ Maura Healey ensured that the US will have an out lesbian governor for the first time” (Smith). Buttigeig certainly was a trailblazer normalizing the expression of sexual orientation and helping to give future political candidates the freedom to be more open about who they are.
In Profiles in Courage, Kennedy asks, “Must men conscientiously risk their careers for principles only for which hindsight declares to be correct, in order for posterity to honor them for their valor?” (Kennedy, page 220). Pete Buttigieg took the risk of sharing his personal experience of exclusion and otherness in the hopes that it might foster empathy and unity at a time when few politicians are willing to act in ways that might lose an election. I hope that my generation of voters will have the wisdom to reward acts of political courage and to recognize the value of authenticity in bringing people together.
Works Cited
Balevic, Katie. “Buttigieg Says He Doesn’t Get Why Some House Republicans Voted against Gay Marriage Bill and Tells Senate to “Vote Yes and Move On.”” Business Insider, 25 July 2022, www.businessinsider.in/politics/world/news/buttigieg-says-he-doesnt-get-why-some-house-republicans-voted-against-gay-marriage-bill-and-tells-senate-to-vote-yes-and-move-on/articleshow/93096753.cms. Accessed 1 May 2023.
Buttigieg, Pete. “South Bend Mayor: Why Coming out Matters.” South Bend Tribune, 16 June 2015, www.southbendtribune.com/story/news/local/2015/06/16/south-bend-mayor-why-coming-out-matters/45761773/.
Hider, Alex. “Buttigieg “Won’t Apologize” for Taking Paternity Leave, Calls It “Joyous” and “Important” Work.” KSBY News, 19 Oct. 2021, www.ksby.com/news/national-politics/buttigieg-wont-apologize-for-taking-paternity-leave-calls-it-joyous-and-important-work. Accessed 1 May 2023.
Kornhaber, Spencer. “The Shame of Pete Buttigieg.” The Atlantic, 29 Feb. 2020, www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2020/02/why-policing-pete-buttigiegs-gayness-essentialist/607129/.
“Mayor Pete Buttigieg Speaks at 2019 HRC Las Vegas Dinner.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuCKSFtNhRQ. Accessed 1 May 2023.
Peters, Jeremy W. “Pete Buttigieg’s Life in the Closet.” The New York Times, 14 July 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/07/14/us/politics/pete-buttigieg-gay.html. Accessed 1 May 2023.
Scher, Avichai. ““Being Gay Is Not Enough”: Buttigieg’s Candidacy Divides LGBTQ Democrats.” NBC News, 20 Feb. 2020, www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/being-gay-not-enough-buttigieg-s-candidacy-divides-lgbtq-democrats-n1139156. Accessed 1 May 2023.
Scott, Eugene. “Pete Buttigieg’s Historic Candidacy Is Over. Where Do Gay Rights Groups Want to Go from Here?” Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2020, www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/02/pete-buttigiegs-historic-candidacy-is-over-where-do-gay-rights-groups-want-go-here/. Accessed 1 May 2023.
Smith, David, and @smithinamerica. ““I’ve Got to Get out and Tell People”: Pete Buttigieg on His Road Ahead.” The Guardian, 31 Dec. 2022, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/dec/31/pete-buttigieg-interview-gay-president. Accessed 1 May 2023.
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