The State theater in downtown South Bend posted the message "Thanks for being you Mayor Pete" Tuesday following Mayor Pete Buttigieg's announcement in The Tribune that he is gay. SBT Photo/SANTIAGO FLORES
SOUTH BEND — Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s announcement Tuesday that he is gay drew a quick and largely positive response in local, statewide and even national political circles.
It also positioned the first-term Democrat as the first openly gay executive in the state, and the highest elected official in Indiana to come out.
“From my perspective … Pete is the same exact guy today as he was yesterday,” Jason Critchlow, chair of the St. Joseph County Democratic Party, said. “We supported him yesterday and we support him today.”
“I sent the mayor a note saying I’m in support of him,” Common Council President Tim Scott, D-District 1, said. “I’m glad he’s able to be who he is, and to me it doesn’t affect the city or change the fact that we have work to do in the city.”
Both men described Buttigieg’s decision to come out as “courageous” in light of still-evolving views on homosexuality.
“Unfortunately, in this overcomplicated world, there can be ramifications for that,” Scott said. “Unfortunately, there are some people that might think of it as a negative.”
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