Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg responded Thursday on ABC’s “The View” to a woman at the Iowa Caucus who attempted to pull her support for the former South Bend, IN mayor after learning he was gay.
In a video, the woman said, “Are you saying that he has a same-sex partner? Pete? Are you kidding?… Then I don’t want anybody like that in the White House.”
She added, “Why does it say in the Bible that a man should marry a woman, then?”
After the video was played, Buttigieg said, “What I want her to know is that I’m running to be her president too. Of course, I wish she was able to see that my love is the same as her love for those that she cares about, that my marriage means as much to me as hers if she’s married. But if she can’t see that, and even if because she can’t see that she won’t vote for me, I am still, if I am elected president, going to get up in the morning and try to make the best decisions for her and the people that she loves, as I will work to serve every American, whether they supported me or not.”
Co-host Joy Behar asked, “Mayor Pete, it’s about religion with a lot of people. It’s not that they just think you’re gay, so it’s a deal-breaker, they think it says this in the Bible, see, and that’s the thing to overcome. How are you going to overcome religious—I call it religious bigotry, but maybe they don’t see it that way?”
Buttigieg said, “We all come at faith in a different way. This is a country that belongs to people of every religion and of no religion. But I’ve been very open about my faith because I want to remind people that you don’t have to vote a certain way because of your faith. If your faith guides you, I think at a time like this, what about if I was hungry and you fed me? What about if I was a stranger and you welcomed me? What about seeking leaders who walk in humility and decency? Does your faith have anything to say about that?”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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