Chasten Buttigieg hits RNC chair over LGBTQ comments: ‘Re-visit your party’s platform’

Chasten Buttigieg, the husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, on Thursday took a shot at the head of the Republican National Committee (RNC) over the party’s platform relating to LGBTQ rights. 

“Happy #PrideMonth,” RNC Chairwoman Rona Romney McDaniel said in a tweet posted on Wednesday. “@GOP is proud to have doubled our LGBTQ support over the last 4 years, and we will continue to grow our big tent by supporting measures that promote fairness and balance protections for LGBTQ Americans and those with deeply held religious beliefs.”

Chasten Buttigieg, who is married to the first openly gay Cabinet secretary, responded to McDaniel in a tweet of his own on Thursday. 

“Those with ‘deeply held religious beliefs’ are often the parents who force their LGBTQ children out of the home and onto the street,” Buttigieg said. “I’ve met with those kids. 40% of homeless youth in this country are LGBTQ. Re-visit your party’s platform before you open your mouth about #pride.” 

President Biden earlier this week issued a presidential proclamation recognizing June as Pride Month, something former President Trump largely ignored during his four years in the White House, The New York Times reported.

The Trump administration also rescinded a 2016 regulation that mandated health care protections for transgender patients under the Affordable Care Act. Republican-led legislatures in several states have worked to pass bills limiting access to health care for transgender youth and barring transgender female athletes from competing in women’s sports.

Buttigieg, a teacher, was a front-facing advocate for LGBTQ rights during his husband’s presidential campaign, fundraising for him and attacking Republicans for stances and policies related to LGBTQ issues.