Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s husband Chasten Buttigieg on Thursday responded to comments by conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh that Americans would not elect “a gay guy kissing his husband on the debate stage,” saying in an interview that he had been “dealing with the likes of Rush Limbaugh my entire life.”
“This isn’t new. I’ve been dealing with this my whole life. I dealt with a multitude of Rush Limbaughs when I was walking through the hallways of my high school,” Chasten Buttigieg said in an interview with ABC’s Linsey Davis.
“You have to realize that LGBTQ Americans have to come out every single day,” Chasten Buttigieg added. “When somebody asks who we’re married to, asks about our partner, or you feel like you want to share something about yourself, but then you have to second-guess how that person’s going to react if I say ‘well, my husband…’ instead of ‘my wife.'”
“I’ve been dealing with the likes of Rush Limbaugh my entire life,” he continued. “What I’m actually worried about are the young people in this country who are watching the historic nature of this campaign, watching how people talk about it, watching how people react to it and treat it, and wondering if this country is actually a safe place for them to be.”
Chasten Buttigieg made the remarks as part of “Running Mates,” an interview series involving candidates’ spouses. It is set to air Thursday evening.
The former mayor himself had also addressed Limbaugh’s remarks during a CNN town hall Tuesday evening, saying, “One thing about my marriage is it’s never involved me having to send hush money to a porn star after cheating on my spouse with him or her,” seemingly referring to President Trump’s alleged affair with adult-film star Stormy Daniels. “So they want to debate family values, let’s debate family values. I’m ready.”
Limbaugh, meanwhile, has said President Trump advised him to “never apologize” for the comments.