Buttigieg questions identity politics during speech at LGBTQ fundraiser


NBC News called it a risky speech.
South Bend Mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg spoke at a fundraiser hosted by the Human Rights Campaign, a major LGBTQ rights group, on Saturday. The New York Times writes that Buttigieg directly confronted one of his biggest "vulnerabilities" — that he is a white man of privilege with a mostly-white support base at this juncture in the race — during the speech. Buttigieg, who is gay, spoke about how his own identity doesn't inform him about what it's like to be a "trans woman of color," an "undocumented mother of four," or a disabled veteran.
However, he added that identity politics also exacerbate a "crisis of belonging" in the United States that he says was created by President Trump. But the divisive nature of identity politics exists on both the left and right, he said, and can help drive people apart. Instead, he called for Americans to find common ground.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The wall I worry about most isn't the president' fantasy wall on the Mexican border that will never get built anyway," Buttigieg said during the speech, referring to President Trump's long-talked about border wall. "What I worry about are the very real walls being put up between us as we get divided and carved up."
Buttigieg's speech somewhat echoes comments made by his Democratic primary competitor, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), during his previous presidential run in 2016. Sanders said it was "not good enough" to base a campaign around identity politics, while ignoring other political and economic issues. His words were not immune to criticism, however, and it remains to be seen how Buttigieg's speech will play.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's opposition
The Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
How the woke right gained power in the US
Under the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
By The Week Staff
-
Musk vows DOGE pullback as Tesla profits plunge
Speed Read The Tesla SEO says he will soon step back from government matters to devote more time to the company
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
IMF sees slump from tariffs, Trump tries to calm markets
Speed Read The International Monetary Fund predicts the U.S. and global economies will slow significantly due to the president's trade war
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
DHS chief Kristi Noem's purse stolen from eatery
Speed Read Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's purse was stolen while she dined with family at a restaurant in Washington, D.C.
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Trump stands by Hegseth amid ouster reports
Speed Read The president dismissed reports that he was on the verge of firing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth over a second national security breach
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Hegseth reportedly shared war plans in 2nd group text
Speed Read The defense secretary sent information about an attack in Yemen to a Signal group chat that included his wife and brother
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Judge threatens Trump team with criminal contempt
Speed Read James Boasberg attempts to hold the White House accountable for disregarding court orders over El Salvador deportation flights
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
Biden slams Trump's Social Security cuts
Speed Read In his first major public address since leaving office, Biden criticized the Trump administration's 'damage' and 'destruction'
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
El Salvador refuses to return US deportee
Speed Read President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador said he would not send back the unlawfully deported Kilmar Ábrego García
By Peter Weber, The Week US