US President-elect Joe Biden has nominated openly gay politician Pete Buttigieg, as his transportation secretary. If elected, Buttigieg will become the first LGBTQ person to get into cabinet in the US.
Although Buttigieg has not been officially announced as a cabinet member and will have to wait for confirmation, has expressed his gratitude towards the President-elect.
The former mayor of South bend shot into national fame after he got nominated for the presidential nomination from the Democrat party. He went against presidential giants, Biden, a former vice-president then, and Senators Harris, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. He became the first openly gay person to win a presidential primary/caucus, picking up Iowa.
In a tweet, Buttigieg said, “This is a moment of tremendous opportunity—to create jobs, meet the climate challenge, and enhance equity for all.”
“I'm honored that the President-elect has asked me to serve our nation as Secretary of Transportation,” he added.
With the election of Buttigieg, Joe Biden has been keeping up with his promise to set up a diverse cabinet that reflects the diversity of the country. The president-elect has already nominated, Neera Tanden, the first Indian American named cabinet secretary to head the budget department; Janet Yellen, the first woman treasury secretary; Lloyd Austin, the first African American nominated for defence secretary; Katherine Tai, the first Taiwanese American named US Trade Representative; and Xavier Becerra and Alejandro Mayorkas, the first Latinos to head the departments of health and homeland security respectively. And Kamala Harris, the first black, woman and Indian American vice-president.
