Chasten Buttigieg Has Played an Integral Role in His Husband's Life Since They Met
Feb. 3 2021, Updated 12:18 p.m. ET
Over the last few years of his involvement in politics, Pete Buttigieg has effectively become a household name in the U.S. Whether it be for his multi-year mayoral status in South Bend, Ind., 2020 presidential primaries candidacy, or most recently, his appointment as the first openly gay presidential cabinet member serving as Secretary of Transportation.
However, more recently than that, his relationship with husband Chasten Buttigieg has received increased attention, notably as Chasten ramped up involvement in his husband's political efforts. But who exactly is Chasten, and what role has he served in Pete's political ambitions over the years and currently? Here's what we know about the historic secretary's significant other.
Pete Buttigieg's husband, Chasten, had a rough time growing up as a gay man.
During a highly revealing interview with The Washington Post right after Pete announced his 2020 presidential primary candidacy, Chasten explained the details of not only how the duo met, but how he came into his own as a gay man after quite a precarious experience as a child and young adult.
"I would be inside reading Harry Potter or singing Celine Dion at the top of my lungs while my mom and I were dusting the cabinets," he recalled of his childhood, differing from his brothers who were highly involved in sports.
While speaking to The New York Times, Chasten recalled how difficult coming out to his family was at the time. "I don’t recall my parents specifically saying I couldn’t live at home anymore, but I was made to believe I needed to leave," he said, before explaining how his life transitioned to couch-hopping and homelessness until his family finally accepted him some time down the road.
Pete and Chasten Buttigieg met on a dating app in 2015.
Like many modern love stories, Pete and Chasten's began on the internet. Specifically, both swiped right on the dating app Hinge and arranged to meet up. Despite living in different states at the time, they met up, went to a baseball game together, and instantly became hooked on one another.
After only a few years of dating, Pete decided to make the leap and propose to Chasten in the exact same place where he first saw his Hinge profile, Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
The duo was eventually wed at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James in South Bend in June 2018, where they opted to have some of the most eclectic catering of any high-profile wedding in recent history. Their spread was full of local business' offerings with tacos, sliders, beer, cheese, coffee, chocolate, ice cream, and other foods all made nearby their area in Indiana, a major supporting move for the city's economy.
Chasten has helped Pete with his political ambitions whenever he could.
Aside from taking a central role in his husband's attempt to secure the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, Chasten has been beside Pete for all of his political undertakings since they met.
Most recently, the couple was spotted at Joe Biden's inauguration, only two weeks ahead of Pete being confirmed as the next Secretary of Transportation, a historic appointment given that he is the first Senate-confirmed openly gay man to be granted a seat on a president's cabinet.
