Pete Buttigieg reflects on how Biden 'stepped out ahead of this party' in endorsing marriage equality in DNC speech

Former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg's presidential run probably couldn't have happened even 10 years ago.

Buttigieg ran probably the most successful presidential campaign of any openly gay man in history, and recognized the history he made in his Democratic National Convention speech on Thursday. "The day I was born ... the idea of an 'out' candidate seeking any federal office at all was laughable," Buttigieg said. "Yet earlier this year I campaigned for the presidency, often with my husband Chasten at my side, winning delegates to this very convention." And he went on to thank Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden for helping make that happen.

From the spot where he and Chasten were married, Buttigieg talked about how when he joined the military, "firing me because of who I am wsan't just possible, it was policy." That's now illegal across the U.S., and "the ring on my finger ... reflects how this country can change," Buttigieg said. "Love makes my marriage real, but political courage made it possible, including the courage of Joe Biden, who stepped out ahead of even this party when he said that marriage equality should be the law of the land."

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Buttigieg then went on to remind viewers that "if this much can change between 2010 and 2020, imagine what could change between now and 2030." Kathryn Krawczyk