New daddies Pete Buttigieg and husband Chasten celebrate birth of son and daughter
Pete Buttigieg and husband Chasten with their newborn children. (Twitter/@PeteButtigieg)
US transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten have happily announced the birth of a son and daughter.
The couple shared the news on social media on Saturday (4 September) with a photo of them smiling as they each hold one of their newborn babies.
“Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’re becoming parents,” Pete wrote. “We are delighted to welcome Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg to our family.”
Joseph is the name of Pete Buttigieg’s late father, a Notre Dame professor who died shortly after Buttigieg announced his exploratory campaign for president in 2019.
Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’re becoming parents. We are delighted to welcome Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg to our family. pic.twitter.com/kS89gb11Ax
— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) September 4, 2021
The happy news makes Pete Buttigieg the first openly gay cabinet secretary to become a parent while in office.
He and Chasten, who have been married since 2018, announced last month that they had become parents after trying to adopt for a year.
“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,” Buttigieg shared at the time.
The Washington Post reported that the Buttigiegs had been “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 (although she wouldn’t know their identities).”
“They’ve gotten close enough, on multiple occasions, to shop for baby gear and discuss names,” the paper added.
The couple received an outpouring of support and well wishes, including from first lady Jill Biden, who tweeted: “Congratulations to you and Chasten! Welcome to parenthood!”
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland also shared the love, tweeting: “Being a parent has been one of the great joys of my life. Congrats to you and Chasten on this terrific news!”
And Lis Smith, who served as Pete Buttigieg’s top communications adviser during his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, wrote: “They will be the best dads.”
