During an interview with Washington Post contributor Jonathan Capehart before an audience at the 92nd Street Y in New York City this week, 2020 hopeful Pete Buttigieg was asked about remarks made by antigay activists Franklin Graham and Mike Pence about his sexual orientation.
“Franklin Graham said that being gay is ‘something to be repentant of, not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized,’” Capehart said. “What would you say to the Franklin Grahams of the world, the Mike Pences of the world, that have an issue with the LGBT community?”
Buttigieg wasted no time in formulating his response.
“I guess, I would say that we all have a lot to repent for,” he replied. “I have a lot to repent for when it comes to my marriage–moments when I have not been as caring as I should be, moments when I’ve been selfish, moments when I’ve said a harsh word that I wish I could take back.”
He continued: “But one thing that I absolutely should not be repentant for in the context of my marriage is the fact that I’m in love with my husband.”
The response was met with thunderous applause from the audience.
In April, Buttigieg and Pence butted heads in the media after the 2020 hopeful gave an impassioned speech at the Victory Fund’s LGBTQ brunch in Washington, D.C., where he said:
Both Pence and his wife, Karen, responded to the remarks by accusing Buttigieg of attacking their faith, to which Buttigieg responded by telling Ellen Degeneres on her show, “I’m not critical of his faith. I’m critical of bad policies.”
He continued: “I don’t have a problem with religion. I’m religious, too. I have a problem with religion being used as a justification to harm people and especially in the LGBTQ community.”
