'I’m proud of my husband': Pete Buttigieg slams Rush Limbaugh's criticism of his homosexuality
Democratic presidential pace-setter Pete Buttigieg found his sexual orientation turning out to be a major target for his Republican opponents, following his two impressive finishes in the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary. While the former South Bend mayor topped the list in Iowa, he finished second in New Hampshire with the results in both states going down to the wire. Buttigieg now has 22 delegates against Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’s 21 though the former is not predicted to be among the top finishers in the next two states going to the polls this month -- Nevada and South Carolina.
Conservative radio personality and Republican firebrand Rush Limbaugh, who was recently conferred the Medal of Freedom by President Donald Trump, attacked the 38-year-old Buttigieg’s homosexuality. He said "America was still not ready to elect a gay guy kissing his husband on the debate stage for president". The remark came just days after Trump awarded him the top civilian award during the State of the Union Address. The 69-year-old Limbaugh recently revealed that he is at an advanced stage of cancer in the lung but did not find universal sympathy.
Buttigieg was unmoved when asked about Limbaugh’s remarks on his sexual orientation. Speaking to Chris Wallace on Fox News on Sunday, February 16, he said: “I am in a faithful, loving and committed marriage. I’m proud of my marriage. And I’m proud of my husband.” Buttigieg got married to his partner Chasten Glezman in June 2018 after the duo dated for almost three years.
Won't learn family values from Limbaugh, says Buttigieg
Buttigieg then took on Limbaugh, saying he won’t take lectures on family values from someone like Limbaugh or somebody who supports Trump as the “moral as well as political leader of the United States”.
“America has moved on and we should have politics of belonging that welcomes everybody. That’s what the American people are for. And I am saddened for what the Republican Party has become if they embrace that kind of homophobic rhetoric,” the Democrat said.
He also said that his sexual identity did not harm his cause when he contested for the mayoral post in South Bend and ended up garnering more support from voters than he did in his maiden race.
On another occasion, Buttigieg spoke to CNN’s Dana Bash where he said he usually hugs his husband rather than kissing on stage.
Iowa woman wanted to take back vote learning Buttigieg is gay
The Buttigieg campaign faced an awkward moment over the candidate’s homosexuality when a woman supporter in Iowa who voted for him before knowing he was gay. She told the campaign that she would want to withdraw her vote for she did not want somebody with his sexual orientation in the White House.
Meanwhile, Limbaugh’s criticism of Buttigieg’s sexual identity drew backlash from across the political spectrum. Former vice-president Joe Biden, one of Buttigieg’s rivals in the Democratic race, slammed the conservative commentator on ABC News’s ‘The View’. Michigan’s lesbian Attorney General Dana Nessel posted a picture of her kissing her wife on Valentine’s Day and targeted Limbaugh while backing Buttigieg.
The Democratic candidate, however, found sympathy in Trump and his former aide Steve Bannon. Trump, who appeared in an interview with Fox’s Geraldo Rivera last Thursday, February 13, said he thought it is possible that American voters could one day elect a gay candidate as their president. He even said that he would not be in the group that did not vote for Buttigieg because he is gay. He was convinced that Buttigieg’s sexual orientation would not be a factor.
Former White House chief strategist Bannon also felt the same way. He told TMZ that Buttigieg’s sexual orientation is no talking point.