WASHINGTON – Pete Buttigieg got a hero’s welcome as he took the stage Sunday at a fundraising brunch for a group that supports LGBTQ candidates. The improbable presidential campaign of the previously little-known, openly-gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has been generating significant buzz, positive headlines, and large crowds in important primary states like New Hampshire. He arrived at the LGBTQ Victory Fund event fresh off an interview with NBC’s "Meet the Press." He was on the front page of that morning’s Washington Post. “In Buttigieg, gay Americans see a symbol of acceptance,” the headline read. Start the day smarter:Get USA TODAY's Daily Briefing in your inbox But as he spoke to a packed hotel ballroom illuminated with lavender lights, Buttigieg shared something that he’s still uncomfortable admitting. "If you had offered me a pill to make me straight, I would’ve swallowed it before you had time to give me a sip of water," he said. "It’s hard to face the truth that there were times in my life when, if you had shown me exactly what it was inside me that made me gay, I would have cut it out with a knife." Opinion:Mayor Pete Buttigieg's countercultural approach to Christianity is what America needs now Fortunately, there was no knife and no pill, Buttigieg said. Because then he would not have met his husband, Chasten, who has made him a better person, he said – and their marriage has moved him closer to God. The message many gay people get that there’s something wrong with them, he continued, “is a message that puts you at war not only with yourself, but with your maker.” “That’s the thing that I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand,” Buttigieg said of the vice president, who has opposed same-sex marriage. “That if you have a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.” It’s unusual for Democratic presidential candidates to talk about faith as often as Buttigieg does. It’s groundbreaking that he uses his marriage to another man to illustrate his personal relationship with God. Buttigieg gets easy applause lines at Democratic-friendly audiences, as he did Sunday, for criticizing Pence when he talks about being gay. (His first mention of Pence on Sunday, when Buttigieg described coming out while Pence was serving as Indiana’s governor, generated boos and hisses.) Buttigieg has also drawn headlines by questioning how President Donald Trump’s professed belief in God squares with his behavior – and by challenging the support Trump receives from many evangelical Christians. “I can’t believe that somebody that was caught writing hush money checks to adult film actresses is somebody they should be lifting up as the kind of person they want to be leading this nation,” he said on "Meet the Press" Sunday. Jack Jacobson, an openly-gay member of the D.C. State Board of Education who attended the Victory Fund brunch, said Buttigieg’s openness about his faith is part of what makes him an authentic candidate. More:Who is running for president in 2020? An interactive guide “He talked about God in a room that’s probably full of atheists. That’s what I am,” Jacobson said. “He does it unabashedly and in a way that doesn’t come across as threatening, dismissive or negative.” Heather Trout, 43, who lives with her wife in a rural county in Virginia, said Buttigieg’s faith is one reason she’s contributed to his campaign. “I’m really very excited about hearing a voice from the Christian left,” she said before Buttigieg spoke. “I think that’s a voice not used in the Democratic Party for too long.” Likewise, Brian Tyler, said he knew he had to come to the brunch when he found out Buttigieg was coming. “I’m a big fan,” said Tyler, 24, a logistics coordinator. “Republicans don’t have a monopoly on faith.” Excitement in his official candidacy – an announcement Buttigieg is expected to make this month in South Bend after spending weeks in an “exploratory” mode – made it easy for the Victory Fund to fill the hotel ballroom with more than 800 people, according to organizers. But as proud as attendees said they would be to see one of their own as a presidential nominee, many said they are excited about other candidates as well. “I would really like to vote for a woman,” said Elizabeth Carswell, a retired federal government worker who appreciates Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s work for economic justice. “But he brings a lot that is making me look at him.” The Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay rights advocacy group, has said Buttigieg is one of many pro-equality candidates in the race. California Sen. Kamala Harris and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker recently spoke at a major HRC dinner in Los Angeles. Buttigieg’s husband, Chasten – who has been getting a lot of media attention of his own lately – addressed an HRC gathering in Houston on Saturday. “Never underestimate what can happen when you agree to go on a date with a cute guy from South Bend, Indiana,” he said, calling his marriage to Pete “the adventure of a lifetime.” “I now live in a world where people take photos of me in the deodorant aisle in the grocery story,” he said. “I could be the first man in history to pick out the White House china.” The Victory Fund had planned to stay focused on candidates for 2019 races before wading into the presidential contest. (The group is on track to help triple from two to six the number of openly-lesbian mayors leading major cities.) But Victory Fund President Annise Parker hinted Sunday that the group will make an exception and endorse Buttigieg after he officially becomes a candidate. “We are not going to look over 2019 and jump to 2020 – except in maybe one instance,” Parker told the crowd. “We knew he was something special. Now the rest of the world is catching up.”<doc-sep>Openly gay Democratic 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg gave an emotional speech Sunday about his struggles with coming out and how he "would have done anything to not be gay" when he was younger. He singled out Vice President Mike Pence, a conservative Christian who has openly discussed his opposition to same-sex marriage. Buttigieg, a former Catholic who converted to the Episcopalian Church, said that marrying his husband, Chasten, moved him "closer to God." He also slammed President Donald Trump's policies on transgender troops by citing his dubious medical exemption from the Vietnam War. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. Pete Buttigieg, the openly gay Democratic presidential candidate, told Vice President Mike Pence in a fiery speech on Sunday that his marriage to his husband moved him "closer to God." Pence, a conservative Christian, has openly discussed his opposition to same-sex marriage and LGBT rights. In 2006, he argued on the House floor that being gay was a choice and that keeping gay people from marrying was not discrimination but a fulfillment of "God's idea." Read more: Who is Pete Buttigieg? Key stats about the candidate Speaking at the LGBTQ Victory Fund Champagne Brunch in Washington, DC, on Sunday, Buttigieg, an Episcopalian Christian who used to be Catholic, discussed his own struggles with his identity. Buttigieg said: "I would have done anything to not be gay ... It's hard to face the truth that there were times in my life when, if you had shown me exactly what it was inside me that made me gay, I would have cut it out with a knife." Buttigieg in New York on April 4, 2019. He spoke emotionally about his struggle to reckon with his sexuality in a Sunday speech. Associated Press He also discussed his personal experience coming out in 2015, saying: "If I had not deployed to Afghanistan I would never have found the courage to come out. "There's something that happens to you when you write a letter and put it in an envelope and write 'just in case' on the outside, leave it where your family can find it if they have to. It forces you to realize that you only get one life." "My marriage to Chasten has made me a better man. And yes, Mr. Vice President, it has moved me closer to God," he added, prompting applause. Buttigieg, who regularly discusses his faith, was baptized and raised Catholic but is now an Episcopalian. It’s not clear when he converted. The Episcopalian Church welcomes LGBT members, and in 2003 consecrated its first openly gay bishop. Pete Buttigieg's husband, Chasten Buttigieg, speaking in Houston on April 6, 2019. Pete Buttigieg said his marriage to Chasten has made him "a better man." Anthony Rathbun/AP Images for Human Rights Campaign "Speaking only for myself, I can tell you that if me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far, far above my pay grade," he said. "And that's the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand ... If you've got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator." Watch Buttigieg's full speech here: Buttigieg also slammed President Donald Trump's administration for their lack of protection for transgender service members by taking a swipe at Trump's Vietnam War record. Trump received a medical exemption from the Vietnam War for having bone spurs — a diagnosis that has been subject to skepticism, as the president appears not to have them now. Buttigieg said: "The struggle is not over when transgender troops, ready to put their lives on the line for this country, have their careers threatened with ruin one tweet at a time by a commander in chief who himself pretended to be disabled to get out of serving when it was his turn." Read more: Trump biographer examined his feet for bone spurs that helped him avoid Vietnam but 'didn't see anything' Pence has been vocal about his opposition to same-sex marriage. Sara D. Davis/Getty Images Pence has a long history anti-LGBT remarks. During his first run for Congress, in 2000, Pence suggested that federal money used to fund HIV/AIDS research should be diverted "conversion therapy" programs, which attempts to change people's sexual orientation. Read more: The Irish prime minister brought his boyfriend to meet Vice President Mike Pence In 2010, he voted against repealing "don't ask, don't tell," a policy that would have allowed LGBT Americans serve openly in the military.<doc-sep>Pete Buttigieg called out the society's "Mike Pences" for being unable to accept his sexual orientation. Buttigieg is an openly-gay mayor of South Bend, Indiana, and a potential Democratic candidate for the 2020 election. The 37-year-old presidential hopeful appeared at the LGBTQ Victory Fund on Sunday to speak about how he struggled with his sexuality. "It's hard to face the truth that there were times in my life when, if you had shown me exactly what it was inside me that made me gay, I would have cut it out with a knife," said Buttigieg. "If you had offered me a pill to make me straight, I would've swallowed it before you had time to give me a sip of water." Buttigieg then slammed the vice president and others who have vocalized their opposition to the LGBTQIA community by pushing this "message that puts you at war not only with yourself but with your maker." Buttigieg claimed his marriage with husband Chasten Buttigieg has allowed him to draw closer to God. "That's the thing that I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand," he continued. "That if you have a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator." "Mike Pence" became a trending topic on Twitter following Buttigieg's speech. While many users shared their initial reaction for trying to determine why Pence's name was spelled incorrectly in Twitter trends, several others used the "Mike Pences" trend to spark memes identifying the "Pences" within society. There was a meme that showed sheep with MAGA hats uttering hateful language in thought bubbles and another showed controversial shirts worn by President Donald Trump supporters—deemed as "Mike Pences"—at a rally. One person called out the Pences of the world's opposition by arguing how they "hide behind religion bc they are straight up bigots, racists, homophobes, xenophobes." Another user suggested the "Pences" phrase was good because it "places the VP square in the group of dismissible bigots." There were some who came to Pence's defense. One woman tweeted about how "we Mike Pences of the world don't care about your sexuality" and how their "sin" is "between you and God." Another user noted Buttigieg's speech was "eloquent," but claimed the mayor's sentiment was "arrogant and dangerous." Pence, 59, boasts a history of discrimination toward the LGBTQ community. He voted in 2007 against the "Employment Non-Discrimination Act" law, which aimed to ban discriminatory behavior toward LGBTQ people within the workplace. When Pence was in Congress debating against marriage equality in 2006, he said in a speech that gay marriage would negatively impact society. According to Time, he cited a Harvard researcher while arguing that "societal collapse was always brought about following an advent of the deterioration of marriage and family."<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON — Pete Buttigieg may not become president or win the Democratic primary, but he's already broken a barrier by delving publicly and intimately into his struggle with his own sexuality in a way no other serious presidential candidate has. In a speech before an audience of LGBT rights supporters on Sunday, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, did not describe being gay as something he always believed was acceptable. Nor did he dismiss lingering questions about his viability as a presidential candidate in a country in which three in 10 adults still say they have some reservations or would be very uncomfortable with a gay candidate, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll in February. Instead, he described wrestling with his sexual orientation as “a kind of war” — one he said he was only able to win when he came home from serving in Afghanistan. As a youngster in high school and college, he said, the situation was very different. “If you could have offered me a pill that could make me straight, I would have swallowed it before you could give me a swig of water,” Buttigieg said at the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s annual brunch. “It’s a hard thing to think about now. If you had shown me exactly what it was that made me gay, I would have cut it out with a knife.” He added later: “Thank God there was no pill. Thank God there was no knife.” Although he is not yet a full-fledged candidate — the Democrat has teased an announcement on April 14 — there are already indications that his party is taking him seriously as a presidential contender. He announced a $7 million fundraising haul for the first quarter of 2019, and his campaign events have been packed with growing crowds hoping for a firsthand look at the young mayor from the industrial Midwest. On the trail, Buttigieg has emphasized how he and his husband are similar, not different, from heterosexual couples across the country, hoping to defuse an issue that evangelicals and other opponents of same-sex marriage could raise if he becomes the nominee. Taking direct swipes at Vice President Mike Pence, he said his marriage last year to schoolteacher Chasten Buttigieg had made him a better man, “and yes, Mr. Vice President, it has moved me closer to God. “That’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand: That if you have a problem with who I am, your quarrel is not with me,” Buttigieg said. “Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator.” Pence, who has opposed gay rights policies such as legalizing same-sex marriage, was governor of Indiana when Buttigieg came out as gay after returning from serving in Afghanistan — at the same time as he was seeking re-election as South Bend's mayor. For young voters who came of age in an era when same-sex marriage is legal and the gay rights movement has notched significant other victories, the prospect of a gay White House candidate may not seem far-fetched, or even unusual. But the majority of America’s voters grew up at a time when gays and lesbians were barred from serving openly in the military and state laws were on the books outlawing sexual acts between adults of the same gender — which the Supreme Court reversed in 2003. Running for president as an openly gay person — and speaking emotionally about sexuality — would have been unthinkable, said Richard Rosendall, a 63-year-old from Washington who said he’s been a gay rights activist since 1973. “For somebody my age and older, it’s something that many of us certainly would have hoped for, but never expected to happen,” Rosendall said.