In the aftermath of President-elect Joe Biden nominating Pete Buttigieg as secretary of transportation, the left and right are at each other’s throats over whether Biden’s pick will be the first openly gay Cabinet official, or if that distinction belongs to former acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell — but one appointee who achieved a historic first for the LGBTQ community says the honor falls to Buttigieg.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg Jim Hormel, who became the first openly gay U.S. ambassador in 1999 after President Bill Clinton gave him the job through a recess appointment, downplayed Grenell on Thursday and said the real achievement “as the first openly LGBTQ member of the presidential Cabinet” goes to