If you don't think white, Christian, photogenic Pete Buttigieg is a radical enough LGBT candidate for 2020, consider this

Buttigieg leans into each facet of his life that makes him out of the ordinary, casting it as a positive before his opponents get a chance to cast it as a negative

The rise of the far-right has divided politics across the world — though for every force, there is an opposite reaction. The 2016 election of President Trump, for instance, prompted people from all walks of life to become involved in politics. Youth turnout surged in November 2018’s midterm elections and the results were sprinkled with monumental firsts. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest congresswoman ever, Deb Haaland and Sharice Davids became the first Native American women elected to congress and, for the first time, over 100 women sit in the House of Representatives.

Despite this, LGBT+ people are still underrepresented in American politics. In 2018, bisexual senator Kyrsten Sinema joined lesbian Tammy Baldwin as America’s openly LGBT+ senators. Lori Lightfoot became Chicago’s first black, openly lesbian mayor on 2 April, though change is extremely slow. In 2019, just 0.1 per cent of US elected officials identify as openly LGBT+. With this in mind, the idea of a gay president, particularly during the Trumpian era, seems like a pipe dream.

But a mayor from South Bend, a city in the north of Indiana – the conservative state previously governed by Mike Pence – is changing that.

Democrat Pete Buttigieg started off as an unknown candidate, though a string of impressive media appearances have seen his poll numbers skyrocket. A recent poll put Buttigieg in third place, above Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren and California’s Kamala Harris. The latest round of fundraising figures reveal Buttigieg’s campaign has raised over $7m.

Democrat activist Sarah McBride, who in 2016 became the first trans person to speak at a National Convention, tweeted last month: “I’ve lost count of the number of texts and comments I’ve received the last few days saying some variation of ‘I love Pete Buttigieg.’ They’re across all identities and age. It’s pretty stunning. Don’t know that I’ve seen anything like it.”

So what is behind the unexpected popularity of “Mayor Pete”? After all, as a former army veteran who is open about his Christian beliefs and how they influence his politics, Buttigieg seems to fit a conventional political mould that was roundly rejected when almost 70 million Americans decided a billionaire reality star with a penchant for openly lusting after women should be their president.

Buttigieg leans into each facet of his life that makes him out of the ordinary, casting it as a positive before his opponents get a chance to cast it as a negative. Referencing his Christianity, for example, he talks about helping the poor, or siding with the silently oppressed, rather than controlling what women can do with their bodies or who should be allowed to marry. The View’s Joy Behar recently described Buttigieg as “the exact opposite of Trump” — but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s not what Americans want. What Americans want, it seems, is something new, something beyond the usual conservative expectations — and Buttigieg offers that in a much more morally upright way than the current president.

While Trump pays off porn stars that he’s had affairs with and treats his wife like a trophy, Buttigieg and his husband are openly affectionate and, quite frankly, adorable. Politico even observed that Buttigieg’s husband Chasten is “winning the 2020 Spouse Primary”. Rather than hiding their relationship, the Buttigiegs flaunt their love. As a gay man watching powerlessly as Trump tries to ban trans people from the military and roll back LGBT+ discrimination protections, seeing a gay candidate talk candidly about life with his husband is indescribably powerful to me. It’s something I never thought I’d see.

But is America ready for an openly gay president? A new poll revealed that 68 per cent of Americans are “enthusiastic or comfortable” about a gay candidate. Primary elections are not the same as general elections. But if an extremely religious country like Ireland can elect a gay head of state, there’s no saying the US can’t. When Barack Obama ran for president, there were plenty of voices saying that the possible was impossible.

Ultimately, whether Mayor Pete wins or not is irrelevant. His campaign, which has already created such buzz, is bigger than that. It’s about people accepting — and ultimately looking beyond — his sexuality.

In politics and public life, who gets to be “likeable” is strictly policed. We see this with female candidates like Hillary Clinton being held to different social standards of likeability to her male opponents. While Clinton’s unsuccessful candidacy was a blow for women, it ultimately it inspired others, such as gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, to run for office.

Whether Buttigieg wins or not, his legacy will likely be a “queer wave” of LGBT+ candidates who no longer fear that their sexual orientation or gender identity are a barrier to their dreams. He might seem like a conventional white guy, but his campaign will open a door that others in the queer community can walk through. Victory in 2020 remains unlikely, but thanks to LGBT+ candidates like him, victory in the bigger fight – over the “normal” of tomorrow – will be ours.