South Bend, Indiana Mayor Comes Out

South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg came out as gay in a column in the South Bend Tribune on Tuesday morning. “Being more open about it could do some good,” Buttigieg wrote. “For a local student struggling with her sexuality, it might be helpful for an openly gay mayor to send the message that her community will always have a place for her. And for a conservative resident from a different generation, whose unease with social change is partly rooted in the impression that he doesn’t know anyone gay, perhaps a familiar face can be a reminder that we’re all in this together as a community.” The 33-year-old Navy veteran who served in Afghanistan cited the impending Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage and a desire to one day have a family and children as other motivating factors.