Ten years later, being openly gay or lesbian and in politics is hardly out of the ordinary, though it is far more common among Democrats than Republicans. Buckley was one of two gay men, in fact, who ran for national party chairman in 2017. The other was Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana.
Buttigiegâs campaign for president, which he made official this month, underscores how much easier it is for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people to hold public office today. But it also calls attention to the fact that while there are senators, representatives, state legislators and mayors who are gay, there is one office that has seemed out of reach: the presidency.
I spoke with Buckley about what Buttigiegâs candidacy says about America in 2019, and whether the mayorâs sexual orientation will matter in New Hampshireâs pivotal primary next year. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: Has the rest of the country changed as fast as the Democratic Party and the mostly liberal cities and regions where itâs no longer a big deal to be elected as openly LGBT?
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A: Having started working within the community in 1985, Iâve been able to witness the transformation. And it truly hit high speed around 2008-09. Thatâs when both Iowa and New Hampshire [which hold the first two presidential nominating contests] made marriage legal. And I said at that point we will never have a Democratic nominee again who doesnât support marriage equality.
The polling in New Hampshire shows that a majority of Republican voters support marriage equality. And Iâve seen enough polling that shows even the evangelical youth support marriage equality. They donât see it as an issue as much as their elders.
Q: Over time this has become a nonissue for most Americans, and even for many groups that youâd consider socially conservative. The issue, as you know, is who actually votes. And on the right the most reliable voters are overwhelmingly anti-gay marriage. Could we see a backlash to Buttigieg?
A: While the far right does have a significant power within the nominating process, I donât think itâs going to be too many years from now that youâre going to see the dam breaking and there will be out Republican candidates for major offices. Itâs only a matter of time. And once that starts, I think youâre going to see the wall crumble.
As we move forward, what is fascinating about this year is that while in theory people support marriage equality, youâre seeing it with Chasten [Buttigiegâs husband] and Pete. And the visual from last weekend â for it to be absolutely normal as the spouse to come out, hug, embrace, kiss, hold hands â for the generation over 30, that was an amazing thing to witness. I talked to some folks in New Hampshire who are in their 20s, and it was nothing to them. Because their adult life has been marriage equality. They canât imagine the sort of sense that we all felt. But there was still a tremendous sense of progress and pride with that picture.
Q: A lot of the younger generation grew up with kids who were out in high school, or in middle school even. So they wouldnât see that as extraordinary. But does that make you worry about losing perspective on the progress that has been made?
A: Itâs worthy of celebration that they lived their adolescence and young adulthood in a far different culture than I did. Itâs what we worked so hard for all these decades. I try talking to them about what it was like growing up in the â70s. And I never even fantasized or dreamed of getting married, of having kids, of having job protection, of being able to be open and in politics. I never dreamed that I would be anything but fearful and hide. Or the alternative was to move to Greenwich Village or San Francisco.
Q: For people who are not quite there yet, do you think that in order for them to support a gay candidate they need to see something else first, something other than gay? Like small-town mayor or veteran, as is the case with Buttigieg?
A: But isnât that true of any candidate that isnât a straight white male? The women candidates, the African-American candidates, the Latino candidates, Asian candidates. We all have to prove ourselves as worthy of being elected rather than simply saying, âOh, I have this difference, so elect me.â You donât see candidates start off with whatever their diversity is. What they talk about is what their experience is, what they bring to the office.
Q: Thereâs no question the âfirstâ aspect of Obamaâs 2008 campaign motivated people, especially African-Americans, in historic numbers. Do you expect something similar with Buttigieg, or are there not enough people who will think that the first gay president is an equivalently significant milestone?
A: In the studies Iâve seen, the most LGBT people per capita are in D.C., Vermont and New Hampshire. Is that big enough to make a difference in New Hampshire? Maybe. But I do know that when Chris Pappas ran [Pappas, who is gay, was elected to Congress from New Hampshire last year], it was never brought up. Not one person that I know of said, âOh, Iâm voting for him because heâs gay,â or, âIâm voting against him because heâs gay.â That is such a victory, such a huge leap.
Q: Can Buttigieg win the presidency?
A: Obamaâs victory proved everyone can dream of becoming president; Donald Trumpâs victory proved anyone can become president. Buttigieg has just as much the ability to win as anyone else.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.