South Bend Tribune, he noted that LGBTQ+ visibility could help combat bigotry and give hope to young people struggling with questions of sexual identity.
He said he hoped to marry and have children someday, and he looked forward to a time when revealing one’s gayness would be unremarkable.
He won his second term as an out gay man.Another major challenge to limits came in 2019 when he announced he’d seek the Democratic presidential nomination.
He wasn’t given much of a chance — he was not only gay, he was young (37 at the time), and his only experience in public office was being mayor of a city of about 100,000 people.