Pete Buttigieg Becomes First Openly Gay Cabinet Member Confirmed By Senate

By
Carlos Santoscoy
| February 03, 2021

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed the nomination of Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary, making him the first openly gay Cabinet member confirmed by the Senate.

Buttigieg's nomination cleared the chamber with bipartisan support. Thirteen Republican senators voted “no,” including Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.). Cruz, Blackburn and Scott had voted against advancing Buttigieg's nomination in the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

Republicans who joined with united Democrats in approving the nomination included Senators John Cornyn of Texas, Joni Ernst of Iowa, Roger Wicker of Mississippi, John Kennedy of Louisiana, and Rob Portman of Ohio.

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, applauded Buttigieg's historic confirmation.

“Congratulations to Secretary Pete Buttigieg on his historic confirmation,” HRC President Alphonso David said in a statement. “This confirmation breaks through a barrier that has existed for too long; where LGBTQ identity served as an impediment to nomination or confirmation at the highest level of government. Let this important moment for our movement serve as a reminder to every LGBTQ young person: you too can serve your country in any capacity you earn the qualifications to hold. President Biden promised to deliver an administration representative of the diversity of this nation, and this confirmation is a significant achievement toward that goal. I look forward to working with Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the entire Biden cabinet.”

Buttigieg, who served two terms as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, achieved another LGBT first when he won delegates in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.