During a recent appearance on CBS' The
Late Show, Pete Buttigieg responded to recent criticism by two
Supreme Court justices on marriage equality.
Justice Clarence Thomas wrote the
voluntary statement and Justice Samuel Alito co-signed.
In the statement, the justices
criticize Obergefell, the 2015 high court ruling that found
gay and lesbian couples have a constitutional right to marry, as
damaging to religious liberty.
(Related: Thomas,
Alito: Same-sex marriage ruling has “ruinous consequences for
religious liberty.”)
“I'm tired of the existence of my
marriage, my family being up for debate,” Buttigieg told host
Stephen Colbert. “This question was settled. And when it was, that
was a step forward in this country. And the idea that these justices
who ascribe to a judicial philosophy, or claim to, that's about
precedent and about not legislating from the bench, to now, as I
understand it between the lines, threatening marriage equality, it's
just a reminder of what's at stake in this election.”
Buttigieg said that “the world became
a lot better ... for a lot of people” when gay couples gained the
right to marry.
“It's not the time to turn
backwards,” he
added.
Buttigieg, who is promoting his latest
book, Trust: America's Best Chance, came out gay before being
elected to a second term as mayor of South Bend, Indiana. His
presidential campaign made history when he became the first openly
gay presidential candidate to win delegates during the Democratic
primary. Since dropping out of the race, Buttigieg has endorsed
former Vice President Joe Biden.
Buttigieg, 38, married Chasten
Buttigieg in 2018.