--- title: Buttigieg Faces Anti-Gay Hecklers in Dallas, Texas description: Pete Buttigieg was heckled by several anti-gay protesters at a campaign event in Dallas on Friday night. canonical: https://time.com/5583265/pete-butigieg-anti-gay-texas/ author: Tara Law article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-05-04T15:26:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T23:36:58.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Buttigieg Faces Anti-Gay Hecklers in Dallas og:description: Pete Buttigieg was heckled by several anti-gay protesters at a campaign event in Dallas on Friday night. og:url: https://time.com/5583265/pete-butigieg-anti-gay-texas/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2954e2a1c17d238f/69894974db2987dea3262463/pete-buttigieg.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 6720 og:image:height: 3780 og:image:alt: Democratic Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg Campaigns In New Hampshire og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Buttigieg Faces Anti-Gay Hecklers in Dallas twitter:description: Pete Buttigieg was heckled by several anti-gay protesters at a campaign event in Dallas on Friday night. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2954e2a1c17d238f/69894974db2987dea3262463/pete-buttigieg.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 08:28 video:published: 2019-05-02 section: politics topics: 2020 Democratic primary, South Bend mayor record, downtown economic revitalization, Black and Hispanic voters, openly gay presidential candidate, marriage and family, coming out, military service, faith, changing minds, diversity in the candidate field genre: profile, news feature tones: personal, reflective, warm, analytical emotions: hope (medium), empathy (medium), humor (low), gratitude (medium) sentiment: positive audience: political news viewers, Democratic primary voters, general news audience, students of US politics people: Pete Buttigieg, Chasten Buttigieg organizations: Studebaker, Chicago Cubs content_suitability: politics [00:00-08:28]; hate [06:32-07:53] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Mayor Pete Buttigieg Faces Anti-Gay Hecklers in Dallas > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=e3fb639b-ac57-4075-a894-1554b7166804&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Pete Buttigieg’s Unlikely, Unprecedented 2020 Campaign [Watch (HLS stream): Pete Buttigieg’s Unlikely, Unprecedented 2020 Campaign](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oawDDm4R.m3u8) (8:28)  _Published 2019-05-02. The New Guy: How Mayor Pete Buttigieg became a surprise contender in the 2020 Democratic primary_ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video profiles Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, as he campaigns for the presidency. It presents his background, his record as mayor with commentary from a longtime local journalist, and concerns about whether Black and Hispanic residents benefited from the city's economic turnaround. It also covers his marriage to Chasten and his coming-out experience, and ends with remarks on how people change their minds. ## Key points - Pete Buttigieg is the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, 37 years old, openly gay, married, an Afghanistan veteran and a devout Christian running for president. (00:18) - Buttigieg says he explains his case for the presidency in terms of what he seeks to do with the office, and calls the 2020 field historically diverse. (01:39) - A journalist who has covered every South Bend mayor since the 1960s says some mayors after the Studebaker demise were caretakers, while Buttigieg came in determined to get things done. (02:48) - Buttigieg changed downtown traffic directions and widened sidewalks to bring more pedestrians downtown, an economic effort he takes credit for. (03:17) - Many in South Bend credit Buttigieg with turning the city around, but there is concern that Black and Hispanic residents have not felt the same benefits. (04:41) - That gap could hurt Buttigieg as he tries to win the Black and Hispanic voters he needs to get the nomination. (04:46) - His marriage to Chasten is described as a political asset, and Chasten has become a social media star for posting pictures of their two dogs. (05:12) - Chasten describes leaving home after coming out as a teenager, sleeping on friends' couches and in his car, before his parents called him home. (06:44) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:18] Visit to the Buttigiegs' home. The reporters tour the couple's house and comment on how it feels like home. - [00:18 to 01:23] Introducing the candidate. Buttigieg is introduced by his background and he reflects on what he would tell a teenage boy wondering how he could belong. - [01:23 to 02:26] Why another white male president?. Buttigieg answers a question about the demand for a woman or a person of color as president. - [02:26 to 04:18] His record as South Bend mayor. A longtime local journalist and others assess his record, including downtown changes and his learning curve. - [04:18 to 05:12] South Bend as the campaign message. Buttigieg frames the city's turnaround as his message, while concerns about Black and Hispanic residents are raised. - [05:12 to 06:32] Marriage to Chasten. Chasten talks about their first date and his social media presence, and the marriage is framed as a political asset. - [06:32 to 07:13] Chasten's coming-out story. Chasten recounts leaving home after coming out and his parents' eventual acceptance. - [07:13 to 08:28] How people change their minds. Buttigieg discusses coming out in the military and rejects a kill-switch mentality in politics. ## Key quotes - [04:18] Pete Buttigieg: "It's because in so many ways, South Bend is our message. This is the story of a city that changed its future, changed its trajectory." - [02:48] Local journalist: "The difference with Pete was that he came in with a different attitude, a determination to get something done, and he managed to do that." - [07:02] Chasten Buttigieg: "I'm very lucky that my parents took that time to ask questions and called me home and I'm so grateful that they sought to understand." - [05:49] Pete Buttigieg: "It has been wonderful watching him take care of his community." - [08:04] Pete Buttigieg: "and now you're dead to me forever. This idea that we just sort people into baskets of good and evil" ## Questions this video answers - Who is Pete Buttigieg? [00:18] - How does Buttigieg respond to calls for a woman or a person of color as president? [01:23] - What did Buttigieg do to revive downtown South Bend? [03:17] - What concerns exist about South Bend's economic turnaround? [04:41] - How did Chasten Buttigieg's coming-out experience unfold? [06:32] - What does Buttigieg say about how people change their minds? [07:13] ## Content suitability - politics [00:00-08:28]: Profile of a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, including discussion of diversity in the primary field and voter concerns. - hate [06:32-07:53]: Mentions homophobia in the context of coming out, including a family rift, leaving home, and insulting homophobic humor in the military.  by [Tara Law](https://time.com/author/tara-law/)  ## Tara Law Updated: Dec 12, 2023 11:36 PM UTCPublished: May 4, 2019 3:26 PM UTC  Democratic Presidential candidate, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks with attendees during a campaign stop at Stonyfield Farms on April 19, 2019 in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Democratic Presidential candidate, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg speaks with attendees during a campaign stop at Stonyfield Farms on April 19, 2019 in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Scott Eisen—Getty Images  by [Tara Law](https://time.com/author/tara-law/)  ## Tara Law Updated: Dec 12, 2023 11:36 PM UTCPublished: May 4, 2019 3:26 PM UTC Presidential candidate and South Bend, Ind., Mayor [Pete Buttigieg](http://time.com/longform/pete-buttigieg-2020/) was heckled by several anti-gay protesters at a campaign event in Dallas on Friday night. Buttigieg, the first openly gay man to run for President, was speaking at an event hosted by the Dallas County Democratic Party when he was interrupted by multiple hecklers, shouting calls such as “Marriage is between a man and a woman!” and “Repent,” according to CNN’s DJ Judd. > [](https://twitter.com/DJJudd/status/1124475711652335616) As the hecklers were escorted out of the event, Buttigieg acknowledged to the crowd that he had fought for their right to protest, according to journalist Marcus DiPaola. Buttigieg was deployed to Afghanistan for [six months on active duty](https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/local/buttigieg-reflects-on-afghanistan-and-return-to-south-bend/article%5F8f27067e-a123-525e-9bab-4d8c52e479ae.html) as a navy officer. A woman, who event staff said did not have a ticket, was also escorted out of the venue after crying out anti-abortion comments, according to a video tweeted by Judd. > [](https://twitter.com/marcusdipaola/status/1124473681101639682) Buttigieg has been openly gay since 2015, when he published an op-ed about his identity in the South Bend _Tribune_. He married his husband, Chasten Buttigieg, last year. After the event, presidential candidate and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke defended Buttigieg on Twitter. “Texans don’t stand for this kind of homophobia and hatred,” O’Rourke wrote. “Mayor Pete, we are grateful you came to Texas and hope to see you and Chasten back again soon.” > [](https://twitter.com/BetoORourke/status/1124522210234970113) Both Buttigieg and O’Rourke are considered to be serious contenders for the Democratic nomination. The most recent [Quinnipiac poll, from April 30](https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2617), said that Buttigieg is ranking fourth among Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters with 10% of the polls (behind Joe Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders). O’Rourke ranked sixth, with 5% of the vote. Buttigieg [told TIME](http://time.com/longform/pete-buttigieg-2020/) earlier this year that his observation of homophobic behavior has convinced him that people can change and earn forgiveness. “This idea that we just sort people into baskets of good and evil ignores the central fact of human existence, which is that each of us is a basket of good and evil,” said Buttigieg, “The job of politics is to summon the good and beat back the evil.” **Correction, May 4:** _The original version of this story misstated the results of the April 30 Quinnipiac poll. 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