Buttigieg Explains LGBTQ Media Remark

Pete Buttigieg, Mayor of Bend, Indiana and current democratic presidential candidate, made a remark last week on LGBTQ media. In an interview, he had expressed his frustration with queer media to Clay Cane, the host on SiriusXM, because of the criticism on his identity.

“I can’t even read the LGBT media anymore, because it’s all, ‘He’s too gay, not gay enough, wrong kind of gay,’” said Buttigieg. 

Buttigieg is a self-identified gay man, and while he is queer himself, the remark upset the LGBTQ community as a whole. LGBTQ rights are one of the candidate’s focus areas; his website even highlights his key policies which will directly affect the LGBTQ community, including plans to “pass the Equality Act, reverse the ban on transgender military service, enforce the nondiscrimination provisions of the Affordable Care Act and key federal civil rights laws, and protect LGBTQ refugees and asylum seekers.”

After receiving backlash on his remark about queer media, the presidential candidate went on AM2DM to clarify the comment. He first made a point to focus the part LGBTQ media plays, saying, “Just to be clear: LGBTQ media plays an increasingly important role, especially at a time like this.”

Mayor @petebuttigieg tells @AM2DM that he was having a “grumpy moment” when he criticized LGBTQ media and said his frustration was about coverage that “seems to tell people how to be gay” pic.twitter.com/Daxd9KFADC

— AM2DM by BuzzFeed News (@AM2DM) September 21, 2019

Buttigieg blamed his remark on a “grumpy moment” that was caused by certain media outlets giving him the impression that they “seem to tell people how to be gay.”

The AM2DM host questioned the remarks made, asking presidential candidate Buttigieg if the backlash was unfair. 

Taking responsibility for his actions and recognizing his position, Buttigieg said, “No, look, when you’re a politician, you’re fair game. Even though I don’t think of myself as a politician, I’m running for political office. Everything you say is on the record; everything you say has an impact. It’s important to make sure that you’re saying things in the right way, and that they’re having the right effect.”