Pete Buttigieg: I 'Stand on Shoulders' of Stonewall 'Giants'

[DonViejo]

Pete Buttigieg: I’m Proud to Be Standing on the Shoulders of Giants in a Tradition That Goes Back to Stonewall

Pete Buttigieg tells Tim Teeman: ‘It’s hard to believe how quickly (positive) changes have come to our society, but also hard to live with just how much work remains ahead of us.’

Tim Teeman
Senior Editor And Writer
Published 06.25.19 4:39AM ET

In this special series, LGBT celebrities and public figures talk to Tim Teeman about the Stonewall Riots and their legacy—see more here.

Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is running to be the Democratic Party’s candidate in the 2020 presidential election. If successful, he would be the first openly gay president of the United States.

Buttigieg did not respond to these four questions sent to him by The Daily Beast: When and how did you first hear about the Stonewall Riots and what did you make of them? What is their significance for you? How far have LGBT people come since 1969? What would you like to see, LGBT-wise, in the next 50 years?

Instead, Buttigieg sent this statement:

“In the 50 years since Stonewall, it’s been extraordinary to see the awakening of the LGBTQ+ community. As the first out elected official running for president, it’s hard to believe how quickly these changes have come to our society, but also hard to live with just how much work remains ahead of us.

“And in those 50 years we’ve seen a remarkable transformation: the awakening of an identity that learned how to exert political force and issue a moral call for our nation to do better when it comes to equality. I’m proud to be a part of that, standing on the shoulders of giants in a tradition that goes back to Stonewall and before, and I’m eager for the gains to be made on the road ahead.”

more
https://www.thedailybeast.com/pete-buttigieg-im-proud-to-be-standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-in-a-tradition-that-goes-back-to-stonewall?ref=home

[cwydro]

1. Good answer.

I’m unable to remember when I heard about Stonewall, and I’m much older than him.

Probably in my late teens early 20s when I finally figured out my sexual identity. Then I began reading all the history I could about the movement.

Radcliffe Hall’s book, The Well of Loneliness, was one of the first books i read while learning our history.

[murielm99]

4. As a straight person,

I remember hearing about Stonewall early on. It took me a while to learn to be understanding and accepting of gay and trans people, I am ashamed to say. I got a start on that in the 1970s. I will be seventy-one years old in a couple of months. I hope other hetero people my age can be accepting, too.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

2. I'm always interested in why candidates don't answer quesitons sent to them.

[marylandblue]

6. In this case, the questions seems vague or meaningless.

"When and how did you hear about the Stonewall Riots?"


My answer would have been: I don't remember and what the hell does that have to do with anything?

Pete was more polite.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

7. That question came across as quite specific to me.

The answer could indicate a person's depth and breadth of involvement in the community, for example -- did they hear about it from their parents? A book? Did someone tell them about it last week? Specific answers are more interesting to me than polite ones.

[marylandblue]

8. That one was mostly meaningless

First, a lot of people might not remember where they heard about it, second, if they remember, they might not have thought much about it, third, regardless of what he thought then, he probably thinks something different now and, fourth, there is only one acceptable answer to give, so it invites a rather boring politically correct response. And that's pretty much what they got.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. Okay.

[bluewater]

3. K&R

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Buttigieg has the proper perspective on this entire issue when he says...

I’m proud to be a part of that, standing on the shoulders of giants in a tradition that goes back to Stonewall and before, and I’m eager for the gains to be made on the road ahead.”

I am so proud of him, of his courage, his willingness to face anyone's anger and his ability to change with the crazy times we live in.