During a Wednesday chat with SiriusXM host Clay Cane, 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg said he “can’t even read the LGBT media anymore.”
“I just am what I am and, you know, there’s going to be a lot of that. That’s why I can’t even read the LGBT media anymore, because it’s all, ‘He’s too gay, not gay enough, wrong kind of gay,’” said Buttigieg, whose husband has been a public-facing staple in his campaign.
He continued, “All I know is that life became a lot easier when I just started allowing myself to be myself and I’ll let other people write up whether I’m ‘too this’ or ‘too that.’”
In July, the New Republic retracted an op-ed that made vulgar comments about Buttigieg’s sexuality and replaced it with an Editor’s Note explaining it was removed “in response to criticism of the piece’s inappropriate and invasive content.”
The op-ed titled “My Mayor Pete Problem” was penned by gay literary critic Dale Peck and it described the South Bend, Indiana, mayor as “the gay equivalent of Uncle Tom.” Peck referred to him as “Mary Pete” throughout the column.
Buttigieg is among the 11 candidates who say they’ve reached the requirements for the upcoming Democratic debate, which is the fourth so far.