Speaking with the Washington Blade, out presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg called President Donald Trump's record on transgender rights “extremely disturbing.”

Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, last month announced his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination.

Buttigieg came out gay in a 2015 op-ed and married Chasten Glezman, a teacher, in June.

When asked about Trump's handling of LGBT issues, Buttigieg answered that Trump's record on transgender rights and his selection of Vice President Mike Pence, who is strongly opposed to LGBT rights, shows that he was not sincere in his promise to support LGBT rights during the 2016 campaign.”

“Obviously the attack on trans rights and the trans military ban is extremely disturbing,” Buttigieg said. “When I was in the military, the people I served with could not have cared less whether I was going home to a girlfriend or boyfriend. They just wanted to know that I was going to be someone they could trust with their lives and vice-versa.”

“Trans members of the military who are willing to put their lives on the line in order to defend this country deserve to be supported by their commander in chief, and it’s extremely disturbing, especially for someone who, let’s face it, kind of pink-washed his campaign early on and portrayed himself as somebody who might change the way the Republican Party related to the LGBT community to turn around and do this demonstrates that he was never serious about that, not to mention the elevation of Mike Pence to one heartbeat away from the presidency.”

Buttigieg added that while Trump is unpopular, winning the White House will require a compelling message “that's different and better” from the Democratic nominee.