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Buttigieg 2020
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You are in the Buttigieg 2020 Group. Only members who have selected Pete Buttigieg as their preferred Democratic presidential candidate are permitted to post in this Group.
Pete's coming-out essay, June 2015
https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/south-bend-mayor-why-coming-out-matters/article_4dce0d12-1415-11e5-83c0-739eebd623ee.htmlHere are some excerpts. There's more at the link.
. . .I was well into adulthood before I was prepared to acknowledge the simple fact that I am gay. It took years of struggle and growth for me to recognize that its just a fact of life, like having brown hair, and part of who I am. Putting something this personal on the pages of a newspaper does not come easy. We Midwesterners are instinctively private to begin with, and Im not used to viewing this as anyone elses business.
But its clear to me that at a moment like this, being more open about it could do some good. For a local student struggling with her sexuality, it might be helpful for an openly gay mayor to send the message that her community will always have a place for her. And for a conservative resident from a different generation, whose unease with social change is partly rooted in the impression that he doesnt know anyone gay, perhaps a familiar face can be a reminder that were all in this together as a community.
. . .
Were moving closer to a world in which acceptance is the norm. This kind of social change, considered old news in some parts of the country, is still often divisive around here. But it doesnt have to be. Were all finding our way forward, and things will go better if we can manage to do it together. In the wake of the disastrous Religious Freedom Restoration Act episode here in Indiana earlier this year, we have an opportunity to demonstrate how a traditional, religious state like ours can move forward. If different sides steer clear of name-calling and fear-mongering, we can navigate these issues based on what is best about Indiana: values like respect, decency, and support for families all families.
Like most people, I would like to get married one day and eventually raise a family. I hope that when my children are old enough to understand politics, they will be puzzled that someone like me revealing he is gay was ever considered to be newsworthy. By then, all the relevant laws and court decisions will be seen as steps along the path to equality. But the true compass that will have guided us there will be the basic regard and concern that we have for one another as fellow human beings based not on categories of politics, orientation, background, status or creed, but on our shared knowledge that the greatest thing any of us has to offer is love.
But its clear to me that at a moment like this, being more open about it could do some good. For a local student struggling with her sexuality, it might be helpful for an openly gay mayor to send the message that her community will always have a place for her. And for a conservative resident from a different generation, whose unease with social change is partly rooted in the impression that he doesnt know anyone gay, perhaps a familiar face can be a reminder that were all in this together as a community.
. . .
Were moving closer to a world in which acceptance is the norm. This kind of social change, considered old news in some parts of the country, is still often divisive around here. But it doesnt have to be. Were all finding our way forward, and things will go better if we can manage to do it together. In the wake of the disastrous Religious Freedom Restoration Act episode here in Indiana earlier this year, we have an opportunity to demonstrate how a traditional, religious state like ours can move forward. If different sides steer clear of name-calling and fear-mongering, we can navigate these issues based on what is best about Indiana: values like respect, decency, and support for families all families.
Like most people, I would like to get married one day and eventually raise a family. I hope that when my children are old enough to understand politics, they will be puzzled that someone like me revealing he is gay was ever considered to be newsworthy. By then, all the relevant laws and court decisions will be seen as steps along the path to equality. But the true compass that will have guided us there will be the basic regard and concern that we have for one another as fellow human beings based not on categories of politics, orientation, background, status or creed, but on our shared knowledge that the greatest thing any of us has to offer is love.
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Pete's coming-out essay, June 2015 (Original Post)
MBS
Feb 2020
OP
CaliforniaPeggy
(152,097 posts)1. It took a lot of courage for him to write that.
His last sentence says it all......."...the greatest thing any of us has to offer is love."
That is the heart of the matter!
Thank you for posting this, my dear MBS.
MBS
(9,688 posts)2. Yes, that sentence does say it all.
I got a lump in my throat when I got to that line.
CaliforniaPeggy
(152,097 posts)3. I did too...
grantcart
(53,061 posts)4. Sounds like a Democrat.