“We’re All Fired Up About Pete”: For Many New York’s Gay Scene, Buttigieg’s Sexualy Is the Most Unexceptnal Part of His Candidacy | Vany Fair

Contents:

• PETE BUTTIGIEG MAK HISTORY AS 1ST OPENLY GAY CABET MEMBER NFIRMED BY SENATE
• MEET PETE BUTTIGIEG: A GAY MAYOR, AFGHAN WAR VET AND LENNIAL WHO'S NNG FOR PRINT
• “WE’RE ALL FIRED UP ABOUT PETE”: FOR MANY NEW YORK’S GAY SCENE, BUTTIGIEG’S SEXUALY IS THE MOST UNEXCEPTNAL PART OF HIS CANDIDACYDONORS ARE “SPIRED AND VALIDATED” AND OPENG THEIR CHECKBOOKS—NOT BEE MAYOR PETE IS GAY, BUT BEE HE’S A STELLAR NDIDATE, FULL STOP.BY TA NGUYENAPRIL 3, 2019BY ALLISON ZCHA/THE WASHGTON POST/GETTY IMAG.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEIT TOOK NEARLY AN HOUR FOR PETE BUTTIGIEG TO WALK THE SHORT DISTANCE OM THE BENCH ON WHICH HE’D BEEN STANDG, THE MIDDLE OF A PACKED CHELSEA RTRANT, TO THE BAR UPSTAIRS. THE TABL HAD BEEN CLEARED FOR HIS FIRST MAJOR FUND-RAISER AS A POTENTIAL PRINTIAL NDIDATE, BUT WHEN HE FISHED LIVERG HIS STUMP SPEECH, HE ULDN’T GET PAST THE HOR OF NEW SUPER-FANS WHO CLTERED AROUND HIM, ASKG QUTNS AND POSG FOR SELFI AND G MPAIGN STAFF TO WORRY THAT HE MIGHT MISS HIS FLIGHT TO SOUTH CAROLA. BY AND LARGE, THE CROWD BOMBARDG BUTTIGIEG WAS YOUNG AND DIVERSE—A REFLECTN OF THE DEMOCRATIC ALN THAT HAS UNEXPECTEDLY VLTED THE YOUNG SOUTH BEND MAYOR TO THIRD PLACE SOME POLLS—BUT THE HEART OF QUEER-IENDLY CHELSEA, WAS ALSO FULL OF WEALTHY GAY DONORS, RRYG RDS WH CHECKS AND HANGG ON HIS EVERY WORD.NEW YORK CY COUNCIL SPEAKER COREY JOHNSON, WHO HAD TRODUCED BUTTIGIEG EARLIER, POSTED A PHOTO OF THE TWO OF THEM AT THE EVENT. WH MUT, HE TOLD ME, “I WAS LERALLY UNDATED WH TEXT MSAG, AND FOLKS ON INSTAGRAM AND SOCIAL MEDIA SAYG TO ME, ‘OH MY GOD, I DIDN’T KNOW THERE WAS A FUND-RAISER. I’M SO UPSET I WASN’T ABLE TO ATTEND.’ THAT WAS OM BOTH L.G.B.T. PEOPLE AND NON-L.G.B.T. PEOPLE, BUT WAS PECIALLY AS TE AMONG GAY MEN OF MY AGE AND PETE’S AGE”—BOTH MEN ARE 37—“WHO, I THK, FELT CREDIBLY SPIRED AND VALIDATED BY HIS NDIDACY.”BUTTIGIEG’S DRAW IS EPER THAN THE NOVELTY OF A YOUNG GAY MAN NNG FOR PRINT, AS EVERYONE I SPOKE TO FOR THIS STORY EMPHASIZED. “HIS APPEAL IS VERY SIMPLE: HE’S THE ANTI-TMP EVERY NCEIVABLE WAY,” SAID CHARL KAISER, THE ACTG DIRECTOR OF THE THE L.G.B.T. SOCIAL SCIENCE & PUBLIC POLICY CENTER AT HUNTER COLLEGE AND THOR OF THE GAY METROPOLIS, TICKG OFF THE REASONS: “HE’S A HAPPILY MARRIED, MONOGAMO TELLECTUAL WHO WENT TO HARVARD AND OXFORD, AND THKS VERY SERLY ABOUT ALL THE ISSU OF OUR TIME. AND REALIZ THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVERYTHG ELSE.” PERHAPS MOST NOTABLE, KAISER SAID, IS THAT BUTTIGIEG “HAS ALREADY MA SEEM ALMOST IRRELEVANT THAT A PRINTIAL NDIDATE IS GAY. BEE PEOPLE WERE TALKG ABOUT HIM FOR EVERY OTHER REASON, REALLY, EXCEPT THAT ONE.” EVEN THE CHATTER AROUND BUTTIGIEG’S HBAND, CHASTEN GLEZMAN, CENTERS OVERWHELMGLY ON THEIR CHARMG AFFECTN FOR EACH OTHER. ALEX HALPERN LEVY, A FORMER STAFFER FOR CHUCK SCHUMER WHO NOW NS A POLIL SPEECHWRG FIRM, SCRIBED AS AN IAL THAT TRANSCENDS ANY ORIENTATN. “IT’S SORT OF LIKE GAY CAMELOT.”JOHNSON, THE CY-UNCIL SPEAKER, HAS NOT FORMALLY ENDORSED BUTTIGIEG YET, NOR HAVE OTHER POWERFUL GROUPS LIKE THE VICTORY FUND, WHICH SUPPORTS L.G.B.T.Q. NDIDAT NNG FOR OFFICE. BUT AS THE SOUTH BEND MAYOR PALIZ ON THE FLUX OF MEDIA ATTENTN AND OPENS HIS NEW HEADQUARTERS, THE EXCEMENT FOR HIS NDIDACY HAS REACHED A FEVER PCH. ON MONDAY, BUTTIGIEG ANNOUNCED THAT HE RAISED AN EYE-POPPG $7 LN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2019 OM ABOUT 150,000 DONORS—THE AVERAGE DONATN WAS JT $36.35—AND HE HASN’T EVEN FORMALLY LNCHED HIS MPAIGN. THE FASCATN SURROUNDG HIS PERSONA—A LENNIAL! A MIDWTERNER! A VETERAN! A POLICY WONK WH A GIANT BRA AND CHARISMA TO BOOT!—IS ONLY GROWG, WH THE L.G.B.T.Q. MUNY AND BEYOND.“I N’T SAY NCLIVELY WHAT THE TREND LE IS, BUT I WILL SAY FEELS CREASGLY NATNAL,” SAID LEVY. “IT ED TO BE THAT THERE WAS A GAY POLIL SCENE TO HELP OUR GAY ELECTED OFFICIALS LOLLY. I THK NOW ’S A FORCE NATNALLY.” IT’S ALSO BIG ENOUGH TO BE NOTICED THE NATNAL MEDIA. LAST MONTH, CNBC GOT A HOLD OF THE VE TO A BUTTIGIEG FUND-RAISER LEVY IS HOSTG WH BROADWAY POWER DUO RICHIE JACKSON AND JORDAN ROTH, WHICH WAS THEN FEATURED AT THE TOP OF THE DDGE REPORT. (SUGGTED DONATNS START AT $250.)NATNAL POLICS, AFTER ALL, HAVE CHANGED DRAMATILLY THE SCE 2008, WHEN THEN-SENATOR BARACK OBAMA WAS STILL PUBLICLY AGAST GAY MARRIAGE. DURG THE 2018 MIDTERM ELECTN, L.G.B.T.Q. NDIDAT WON HUNDREDS OF SEATS ON THE STATE AND NATNAL LEVEL—CLUDG EIGHT HOE RAC AND TWO SENATE RAC— WHAT ANNISE PARKER, THE PRINT AND C.E.O. OF THE VICTORY FUND, LLED THE “RABOW WAVE”. A RECENT POLL OM NBC/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL SUGGTED THAT MOMENT MAY ARRIVE SOONER THAN EXPECTED: 68 PERCENT OF RPONNTS SAID THEY WOULD BE FORTABLE OR ENTHIASTIC HAVG A GAY OR LBIAN PRINT, CLUDG 75 PERCENT OF VOTERS BETWEEN 18 AND 34, AND A STUNNG 56 PERCENT OF SENR VOTERS “NOW SAY THEY HAVE NO OBJECTNS”—A HUGE SWG OM 2006, SHORTLY AFTER MASSACHETTS LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, WHEN ONLY 31 PERCENT OF OLR VOTERS SAID THEY WOULD ACCEPT A GAY PRINT. “EVERYBODY I’VE TALKED TO THE L.G.T.B.Q. MUNY IS JAZZED ABOUT PETE’S RACE,” SAID PARKER, “BUT THE IMPORTANT THG IS THAT LOTS OF THE PEOPLE WHO AREN’T THE L.G.T.B.Q. MUNY, EVEN IF THEY’RE NOT NECSARILY AT THIS POT SAYG THEY’RE GONNA VOTE FOR HIM, ARE SAYG, ‘WOW, HE’S A REALLY GREAT GUY. HE’S REALLY TERTG. I’M SO GLAD HE’S NNG.’”PART OF THE REASON FOR THE ENTHIASM, JOHNSON SPECULATED, IS AN ATTUDAL SHIFT THAT TOOK PLACE AFTER OBERGEFELL V. HODG, THE LANDMARK SUPREME COURT SE THAT LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. “FOLKS THE L.G.B.T. MUNY DON’T SUPPORT A NDIDATE JT BEE THEY’RE GAY,” HE SAID. “I THK DOWN MORE TO IOLOGY, MSAGE, AND THENTICY, THAT THOSE THREE THGS OVERRI INTY POLICS, A GRAVATNAL PULL THAT EXISTED THE PAST.” BUTTIGIEG’S “CROSSOVER APPEAL,” HE PREDICTED, WILL SERVE HIM WELL THE MONTHS TO E. “WE SAW [THE OTHER] NIGHT AN AIN-AMERIN LBIAN BEG MAYOR OF THE THIRD-LARGT CY AMERI,” HE SAID, REFERRG TO LORI LIGHTFOOT, NOW MAYOR-ELECT OF CHIGO. “I MEAN, THAT IS HUGE, HUGE NEWS. BUT AGA, HER NDIDACY WAS NOT FOCED OR CENTERED AROUND BEG L.G.B.T., AND SHE DIDN’T W JT BEE OF L.G.B.T. VOTERS.”BUTTIGIEG RECENTLY TABLISHED A MPAIGN HEADQUARTERS AND BEGAN A HIRG SPREE, A SURE SIGN THAT HE WILL SOON MAKE HIS NDIDACY OFFICIAL—AND, FOR PARKER, A SIGN THAT VICTORY FUND MIGHT NSIR BREAKG A LONG-STANDG NORM. “WE TRY NOT TO DO 2020 RAC 2019, BEE WE DON’T WANT TO STEP OVER THE GREAT MPAIGNS AND NDIDAT WE HAVE NOW,” SHE SAID. “BUT I’M HAVG TO HOLD BACK OUR ENDORSG BOARD A LTLE B, BEE WE’RE ALL FIRED UP ABOUT PETE’S NDIDACY. I SPECT THAT ONCE HE MEETS THE DEMOCRATS’ MIMUM [FOR THE BAT] AND FORMALLY ENTERS THE RACE, WE’LL ENDORSE HIM IMMEDIATELY, SPE OUR POLICY, BEE ’S SUCH A HISTORIC OPPORTUNY.”MORE GREAT STORI OM VANY FAIR—THE IVANKA E-MAIL BOMBSHELL— THE KEY TO UNRSTANDG THE DARK HEART OF THE MUELLER REPORT IS UNTER-TELLIGENCE— WHY SOME OF THE BIGGT NAM PUBLISHG ARE RISTG APPLE’S PULL— THE ART WORLD’S ULTIMATE GE MATCHLOOKG FOR MORE? SIGN UP FOR OUR DAILY HIVE NEWSLETTER AND NEVER MISS A STORY.MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERTA NGUYEN
• MAYOR PETE IS PLENTY GAY
• SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, MAYOR ANNOUNC HE'S GAY
• WILL PETE BUTTIGIEG BE THE FIRST GAY PRINT? OLR LGBTQ AMERINS CELEBRATE HIS N

PETE BUTTIGIEG MAK HISTORY AS 1ST OPENLY GAY CABET MEMBER NFIRMED BY SENATE

Former 2020 printial ndidate and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg has ma history as the first openly gay Cabet member U. "I n remember watchg the news -- 17-years-old Indiana, seeg a story about an appotee of Print Clton named to be an ambassador attacked and nied a vote the Senate bee he was gay -- ultimately able to serve only by a recs appotment, " he said.

Eric Fanng served as Secretary of the Army durg the Obama Admistratn, the first openly gay dividual to hold an armed service's top civilian posn.

MEET PETE BUTTIGIEG: A GAY MAYOR, AFGHAN WAR VET AND LENNIAL WHO'S NNG FOR PRINT

In the Tmp admistratn, Richard Grenell served as actg director of Natnal Intelligence, the first openly gay dividual to serve a Cabet-level posn an actg pacy, but his posn was not 's Cabet also clus the first female treasury secretary, first female director of Natnal Intelligence and first Black fense secretary. By now, you may have heard that some queer people thk that Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and a current ntenr for the Democratic Printial nomatn, is not gay enough. ” I am here to notn that some of thk Buttigieg is not gay enough has an intifiable relatnship to the facts, which are that, for the purpos of this discsn, people who grew up queer this untry fall to two distct tegori of experience.

“WE’RE ALL FIRED UP ABOUT PETE”: FOR MANY NEW YORK’S GAY SCENE, BUTTIGIEG’S SEXUALY IS THE MOST UNEXCEPTNAL PART OF HIS CANDIDACYDONORS ARE “SPIRED AND VALIDATED” AND OPENG THEIR CHECKBOOKS—NOT BEE MAYOR PETE IS GAY, BUT BEE HE’S A STELLAR NDIDATE, FULL STOP.BY TA NGUYENAPRIL 3, 2019BY ALLISON ZCHA/THE WASHGTON POST/GETTY IMAG.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEIT TOOK NEARLY AN HOUR FOR PETE BUTTIGIEG TO WALK THE SHORT DISTANCE OM THE BENCH ON WHICH HE’D BEEN STANDG, THE MIDDLE OF A PACKED CHELSEA RTRANT, TO THE BAR UPSTAIRS. THE TABL HAD BEEN CLEARED FOR HIS FIRST MAJOR FUND-RAISER AS A POTENTIAL PRINTIAL NDIDATE, BUT WHEN HE FISHED LIVERG HIS STUMP SPEECH, HE ULDN’T GET PAST THE HOR OF NEW SUPER-FANS WHO CLTERED AROUND HIM, ASKG QUTNS AND POSG FOR SELFI AND G MPAIGN STAFF TO WORRY THAT HE MIGHT MISS HIS FLIGHT TO SOUTH CAROLA. BY AND LARGE, THE CROWD BOMBARDG BUTTIGIEG WAS YOUNG AND DIVERSE—A REFLECTN OF THE DEMOCRATIC ALN THAT HAS UNEXPECTEDLY VLTED THE YOUNG SOUTH BEND MAYOR TO THIRD PLACE SOME POLLS—BUT THE HEART OF QUEER-IENDLY CHELSEA, WAS ALSO FULL OF WEALTHY GAY DONORS, RRYG RDS WH CHECKS AND HANGG ON HIS EVERY WORD.NEW YORK CY COUNCIL SPEAKER COREY JOHNSON, WHO HAD TRODUCED BUTTIGIEG EARLIER, POSTED A PHOTO OF THE TWO OF THEM AT THE EVENT. WH MUT, HE TOLD ME, “I WAS LERALLY UNDATED WH TEXT MSAG, AND FOLKS ON INSTAGRAM AND SOCIAL MEDIA SAYG TO ME, ‘OH MY GOD, I DIDN’T KNOW THERE WAS A FUND-RAISER. I’M SO UPSET I WASN’T ABLE TO ATTEND.’ THAT WAS OM BOTH L.G.B.T. PEOPLE AND NON-L.G.B.T. PEOPLE, BUT WAS PECIALLY AS TE AMONG GAY MEN OF MY AGE AND PETE’S AGE”—BOTH MEN ARE 37—“WHO, I THK, FELT CREDIBLY SPIRED AND VALIDATED BY HIS NDIDACY.”BUTTIGIEG’S DRAW IS EPER THAN THE NOVELTY OF A YOUNG GAY MAN NNG FOR PRINT, AS EVERYONE I SPOKE TO FOR THIS STORY EMPHASIZED. “HIS APPEAL IS VERY SIMPLE: HE’S THE ANTI-TMP EVERY NCEIVABLE WAY,” SAID CHARL KAISER, THE ACTG DIRECTOR OF THE THE L.G.B.T. SOCIAL SCIENCE & PUBLIC POLICY CENTER AT HUNTER COLLEGE AND THOR OF THE GAY METROPOLIS, TICKG OFF THE REASONS: “HE’S A HAPPILY MARRIED, MONOGAMO TELLECTUAL WHO WENT TO HARVARD AND OXFORD, AND THKS VERY SERLY ABOUT ALL THE ISSU OF OUR TIME. AND REALIZ THAT CLIMATE CHANGE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVERYTHG ELSE.” PERHAPS MOST NOTABLE, KAISER SAID, IS THAT BUTTIGIEG “HAS ALREADY MA SEEM ALMOST IRRELEVANT THAT A PRINTIAL NDIDATE IS GAY. BEE PEOPLE WERE TALKG ABOUT HIM FOR EVERY OTHER REASON, REALLY, EXCEPT THAT ONE.” EVEN THE CHATTER AROUND BUTTIGIEG’S HBAND, CHASTEN GLEZMAN, CENTERS OVERWHELMGLY ON THEIR CHARMG AFFECTN FOR EACH OTHER. ALEX HALPERN LEVY, A FORMER STAFFER FOR CHUCK SCHUMER WHO NOW NS A POLIL SPEECHWRG FIRM, SCRIBED AS AN IAL THAT TRANSCENDS ANY ORIENTATN. “IT’S SORT OF LIKE GAY CAMELOT.”JOHNSON, THE CY-UNCIL SPEAKER, HAS NOT FORMALLY ENDORSED BUTTIGIEG YET, NOR HAVE OTHER POWERFUL GROUPS LIKE THE VICTORY FUND, WHICH SUPPORTS L.G.B.T.Q. NDIDAT NNG FOR OFFICE. BUT AS THE SOUTH BEND MAYOR PALIZ ON THE FLUX OF MEDIA ATTENTN AND OPENS HIS NEW HEADQUARTERS, THE EXCEMENT FOR HIS NDIDACY HAS REACHED A FEVER PCH. ON MONDAY, BUTTIGIEG ANNOUNCED THAT HE RAISED AN EYE-POPPG $7 LN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2019 OM ABOUT 150,000 DONORS—THE AVERAGE DONATN WAS JT $36.35—AND HE HASN’T EVEN FORMALLY LNCHED HIS MPAIGN. THE FASCATN SURROUNDG HIS PERSONA—A LENNIAL! A MIDWTERNER! A VETERAN! A POLICY WONK WH A GIANT BRA AND CHARISMA TO BOOT!—IS ONLY GROWG, WH THE L.G.B.T.Q. MUNY AND BEYOND.“I N’T SAY NCLIVELY WHAT THE TREND LE IS, BUT I WILL SAY FEELS CREASGLY NATNAL,” SAID LEVY. “IT ED TO BE THAT THERE WAS A GAY POLIL SCENE TO HELP OUR GAY ELECTED OFFICIALS LOLLY. I THK NOW ’S A FORCE NATNALLY.” IT’S ALSO BIG ENOUGH TO BE NOTICED THE NATNAL MEDIA. LAST MONTH, CNBC GOT A HOLD OF THE VE TO A BUTTIGIEG FUND-RAISER LEVY IS HOSTG WH BROADWAY POWER DUO RICHIE JACKSON AND JORDAN ROTH, WHICH WAS THEN FEATURED AT THE TOP OF THE DDGE REPORT. (SUGGTED DONATNS START AT $250.)NATNAL POLICS, AFTER ALL, HAVE CHANGED DRAMATILLY THE SCE 2008, WHEN THEN-SENATOR BARACK OBAMA WAS STILL PUBLICLY AGAST GAY MARRIAGE. DURG THE 2018 MIDTERM ELECTN, L.G.B.T.Q. NDIDAT WON HUNDREDS OF SEATS ON THE STATE AND NATNAL LEVEL—CLUDG EIGHT HOE RAC AND TWO SENATE RAC— WHAT ANNISE PARKER, THE PRINT AND C.E.O. OF THE VICTORY FUND, LLED THE “RABOW WAVE”. A RECENT POLL OM NBC/THE WALL STREET JOURNAL SUGGTED THAT MOMENT MAY ARRIVE SOONER THAN EXPECTED: 68 PERCENT OF RPONNTS SAID THEY WOULD BE FORTABLE OR ENTHIASTIC HAVG A GAY OR LBIAN PRINT, CLUDG 75 PERCENT OF VOTERS BETWEEN 18 AND 34, AND A STUNNG 56 PERCENT OF SENR VOTERS “NOW SAY THEY HAVE NO OBJECTNS”—A HUGE SWG OM 2006, SHORTLY AFTER MASSACHETTS LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, WHEN ONLY 31 PERCENT OF OLR VOTERS SAID THEY WOULD ACCEPT A GAY PRINT. “EVERYBODY I’VE TALKED TO THE L.G.T.B.Q. MUNY IS JAZZED ABOUT PETE’S RACE,” SAID PARKER, “BUT THE IMPORTANT THG IS THAT LOTS OF THE PEOPLE WHO AREN’T THE L.G.T.B.Q. MUNY, EVEN IF THEY’RE NOT NECSARILY AT THIS POT SAYG THEY’RE GONNA VOTE FOR HIM, ARE SAYG, ‘WOW, HE’S A REALLY GREAT GUY. HE’S REALLY TERTG. I’M SO GLAD HE’S NNG.’”PART OF THE REASON FOR THE ENTHIASM, JOHNSON SPECULATED, IS AN ATTUDAL SHIFT THAT TOOK PLACE AFTER OBERGEFELL V. HODG, THE LANDMARK SUPREME COURT SE THAT LEGALIZED SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. “FOLKS THE L.G.B.T. MUNY DON’T SUPPORT A NDIDATE JT BEE THEY’RE GAY,” HE SAID. “I THK DOWN MORE TO IOLOGY, MSAGE, AND THENTICY, THAT THOSE THREE THGS OVERRI INTY POLICS, A GRAVATNAL PULL THAT EXISTED THE PAST.” BUTTIGIEG’S “CROSSOVER APPEAL,” HE PREDICTED, WILL SERVE HIM WELL THE MONTHS TO E. “WE SAW [THE OTHER] NIGHT AN AIN-AMERIN LBIAN BEG MAYOR OF THE THIRD-LARGT CY AMERI,” HE SAID, REFERRG TO LORI LIGHTFOOT, NOW MAYOR-ELECT OF CHIGO. “I MEAN, THAT IS HUGE, HUGE NEWS. BUT AGA, HER NDIDACY WAS NOT FOCED OR CENTERED AROUND BEG L.G.B.T., AND SHE DIDN’T W JT BEE OF L.G.B.T. VOTERS.”BUTTIGIEG RECENTLY TABLISHED A MPAIGN HEADQUARTERS AND BEGAN A HIRG SPREE, A SURE SIGN THAT HE WILL SOON MAKE HIS NDIDACY OFFICIAL—AND, FOR PARKER, A SIGN THAT VICTORY FUND MIGHT NSIR BREAKG A LONG-STANDG NORM. “WE TRY NOT TO DO 2020 RAC 2019, BEE WE DON’T WANT TO STEP OVER THE GREAT MPAIGNS AND NDIDAT WE HAVE NOW,” SHE SAID. “BUT I’M HAVG TO HOLD BACK OUR ENDORSG BOARD A LTLE B, BEE WE’RE ALL FIRED UP ABOUT PETE’S NDIDACY. I SPECT THAT ONCE HE MEETS THE DEMOCRATS’ MIMUM [FOR THE BAT] AND FORMALLY ENTERS THE RACE, WE’LL ENDORSE HIM IMMEDIATELY, SPE OUR POLICY, BEE ’S SUCH A HISTORIC OPPORTUNY.”MORE GREAT STORI OM VANY FAIR—THE IVANKA E-MAIL BOMBSHELL— THE KEY TO UNRSTANDG THE DARK HEART OF THE MUELLER REPORT IS UNTER-TELLIGENCE— WHY SOME OF THE BIGGT NAM PUBLISHG ARE RISTG APPLE’S PULL— THE ART WORLD’S ULTIMATE GE MATCHLOOKG FOR MORE? SIGN UP FOR OUR DAILY HIVE NEWSLETTER AND NEVER MISS A STORY.MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERTA NGUYEN

And then there is the other experience, the life of blendg , only to surprise your classmat—or, more likely, former classmat who follow you on social media—wh the revelatn that you are gay.

Recently, a iend mentned that, after thirty years of teachg, she had mentned her wife class for the first time, surprisg her stunts wh the revelatn that she was gay—and I found myself momentarily marvellg at havg the optn to e out to one’s stunts or part of his mpaign, and velopg his polil persona, Buttigieg has repeatedly told a pellg story about his g out. He also waed until after attus toward homosexualy had changed and same-sex marriage had bee legal more than half the stat and was regnized by the feral ernment—all thanks to the urage and work of people who me out before Buttigieg did. ”What mak Buttigieg an easy and reassurg choice for the olr, whe, straight people, and a disturbg possibily for the queer people who seem to be cricizg him for not beg gay enough?

Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, beme the first openly gay ndidate the 2020 printial race Wednday, jog an already crowd field of Democratic hopefuls. “I’m om the Midwt, so the issu of makg sure that we have a posive way forward for workers and fai the dtrial Midwt — this is not theoretil for me, ’s my home, ” Buttigieg Buttigieg were to overe the long odds and bee the Democratic nomee for print, he would be the first openly gay nomee and the first veteran of the Afghanistan War, where he served a tour as a Naval Rerve officer. “I was well to adulthood before I was prepared to acknowledge the simple fact that I am gay, ” Buttigieg wrote at the time.

MAYOR PETE IS PLENTY GAY

By and large, the crowd bombardg Buttigieg was young and diverse—a reflectn of the Democratic aln that has unexpectedly vlted the young South Bend mayor to third place some polls—but the heart of queer-iendly Chelsea, was also full of wealthy gay donors, rryg rds wh checks and hangg on his every York Cy Council Speaker Corey Johnson, who had troduced Buttigieg earlier, posted a photo of the two of them at the event. People, but was pecially as te among gay men of my age and Pete’s age”—both men are 37—“who, I thk, felt credibly spired and validated by his ndidacy.

”Buttigieg’s draw is eper than the novelty of a young gay man nng for print, as everyone I spoke to for this story emphasized.

Social Science & Public Policy Center at Hunter College and thor of The Gay Metropolis, tickg off the reasons: “He’s a happily married, monogamo tellectual who went to Harvard and Oxford, and thks very serly about all the issu of our time. ” Perhaps most notable, Kaiser said, is that Buttigieg “has already ma seem almost irrelevant that a printial ndidate is gay.

SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, MAYOR ANNOUNC HE'S GAY

)Natnal polics, after all, have changed dramatilly the sce 2008, when then-senator Barack Obama was still publicly agast gay marriage.

A recent poll om NBC/The Wall Street Journal suggted that moment may arrive sooner than expected: 68 percent of rponnts said they would be fortable or enthiastic havg a gay or lbian print, cludg 75 percent of voters between 18 and 34, and a stunng 56 percent of senr voters “now say they have no objectns”—a huge swg om 2006, shortly after Massachetts legalized same-sex marriage, when only 31 percent of olr voters said they would accept a gay print. Buttigieg me out publicly as gay an op-ed published by the South Bend Tribune on June 16, 2015, amid his re-electn mpaign, and he told Oprah Magaze last year that the cisn followed his return om Afghanistan, when he beme “sudnly urgently aware that you only get one life. Harvard UniversyTHE LONG RUNAnd why took him until he was 33 to e Buttigieg as a senr at Harvard UniversyJuly 14, 2019The closet that Pete Buttigieg built for himself the late 1990s and 2000s was a lot like the on that other gay men of his age and ambn hid si.

WILL PETE BUTTIGIEG BE THE FIRST GAY PRINT? OLR LGBTQ AMERINS CELEBRATE HIS N

Buttigieg’s class, relled that “ was still a time where volizg anti-gay sentiments was not only mon, but I thk pretty accepted. ”The thought that 15 years later someone they might have shared a dorm or sat a lecture hall wh would bee the first ser openly gay ndidate for print of the Uned Stat never crossed their mds. But no one would have found the possibily more implsible than the young man everyone on mp knew as Buttigieg, now the mayor of South Bend, Ind., stggled for a after leavg Harvard to overe the fear that beg gay was “a reer ath sentence, ” as he put his his generatn and his llege class cid to e out as young adults, whether they were nfint they would be accepted or not, and had their 20s to navigate beg open about their inty — a procs that helped make Amerins more aware and acceptg of their gay iends, fay members and -workers.

Attus toward gay rights changed immensely durg that perd, though he acknowledg that he was not always able or willg to see what broar social and legal shifts meant for him personally. ‘Someone Who Would Run for Print’He took a longer journey than his peers did, he has said, bee of the ner turmoil he experienced over whether fact he wanted to be known as the “gay” polician. Also known as “Mayor Pete, ” he is vyg to bee the first openly gay Schar for The New York TimHis rerd of acplishment durg those years the closet is impossible to separate om the isolatn and anxiety he felt as he weighed the st of tellg his fay, iends and nstuents who he really was.