Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, are officially parents. Pete shared the joyous announcement on Instagram this week.
The 39-year-old US secretary of transportation is clearly brimming with excitement over his big life change. He wrote, "For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family. We’re overjoyed to share that we’ve become parents!"
He continued, sharing that the two are in the process of adopting a child: "The process isn’t done yet and we’re thankful for the love, support, and respect for our privacy that has been offered to us. We can’t wait to share more soon."
It's such happy news for Pete and Chasten. Pete has paved the way for other openly gay people in politics. In 2020, he became the first openly gay man to run for president of the United States. Now that he's a dad, he'll be doing the same for gay men, both in the political sphere and otherwise, who want to become parents.
Chasten also seems pretty amped about fatherhood. He didn't write his own message on social media, but he excitedly shared his husband's post. He retweeted the message, writing, "Some news!"
We don't know much else about where they are in the process, or when they will physically have their child with them. But we do know that the couple has been trying to adopt for a while now.
In an interview with The Washington Post last month, the couple said they'd been trying to actively adopt for about a year. They shared that they were "on lists that would allow them to receive a baby who has been abandoned or surrendered at very little notice, and through lengthier processes that would allow a prospective mother to choose them in advance." They also said that they had gotten close a few times, too.
Chasten expressed how tough the process of adoption can be. "It's a really weird cycle of anger and frustration and hope," said Chasten. "You think it's finally happening and you get so excited, and then it's gone."
The couple felt especially frustrated after one woman whom they were hopeful to adopt from decided against putting her child up for adoption.
Luckily, the tide seems to have turned for Pete and Chasten. They are now parents, and we can't wait to hear the news that they physically have their child and don't have to worry about the long, tough process of adopting anymore.
Congrats to the new dads!
