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Updated February 25th, 2020 at 19:45 IST

'Help me': 9-year-old boy asks Pete Buttigieg's advice in coming out as gay

Democratic Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg recently shared an emotional moment with a nine-year-old boy who wanted to be as brave as the Afghan veteran.

Reported by: Aanchal Nigam
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Democratic Presidential candidate, Pete Buttigieg recently shared an emotional moment with a nine-year-old boy who wanted to be as brave as the Afghan veteran on February 25. Buttigieg is the first candidate in the White House race who has been open with his homosexuality was addressing the crowd at Denver, Colorado when the conversation took place. This was after the boy, identified as Zachary Ro's question was delivered to Buttigieg in a fishbowl.

Ro said to the former South Bend, Indiana mayor, “Thank you for being so brave. Would you help me tell the world I'm gay, too? I want to be brave like you." 

Read - In SC, Buttigieg Faces Black Voters Wary Of A Gay Candidate

Ro had attended the Democratic candidate's rally with his parents and was later invited to the stage alongside Buttigieg. He reportedly also presented the nine-year-old with a bracelet and a letter that former South Bend, Indiana mayor wrote onstage. Moreover, he also did not think that Ro needed any advice from him because he was already courageous enough to admit his sexuality in a room full of hundreds of unknown people.

"I don't think you need a lot of advice for me on bravery. You seem pretty strong to me," Buttigieg, who is gay, told Ro. "It took me a long time to figure out how to tell even my best friend that I was gay, let alone to go out there and tell the world and to see you willing to come to terms with who you are in a room full of 1,000 people, thousands of people you've never met that's, that's really something.”

Read - Buttigieg Questions 3rd Place Finish In Nevada, Cites Errors

Would Americans vote for gay president?

According to a poll conducted in 2019, it was found out that 76 per cent American voters would vote in support for a gay or lesbian candidate which was reportedly two per cent up from 2015 when 74 per cent said they would choose a candidate from the same community. However, these polls have reportedly suggested that a candidate's sexuality is seen as an issue by nearly one-fourth of the American population. 

Meanwhile, US Senator Bernie Sanders and Afghanistan veteran Pete Buttigieg have emerged as the new Democratic frontrunners in the White House race against the Republican US President Donald Trump. While Sanders claimed victory on February 12 in New Hampshire primary with 26 per cent votes and former mayor of South Bend finished second with 24 per cent votes. Last week, Buttigieg narrowly beat Sanders in the Iowa caucuses and again finishing as the top two candidates among Democrats. 

Read - Buttigieg Congratulates Sanders' Nevada Results

Read - Buttigieg Spells Out Environmental Agenda In Nevada

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Published February 25th, 2020 at 19:45 IST

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