WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg announced over the weekend that he and his husband, Chasten, are the new parents to a son and a daughter.
The first-time parents introduced Joseph August and Penelope Rose Buttigieg with a family photo posted on social media Saturday morning.
“Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’re becoming parents,” wrote the former presidential candidate. “We are delighted to welcome Penelope Rose and Joseph August Buttigieg to our family.”
This comes nearly three weeks after the Cabinet member announced that he and his husband had become parents.
“For some time, Chasten and I have wanted to grow our family. We’re overjoyed to share that we’ve become parents!” Buttigieg wrote in a post on Aug. 17.
At the time, the couple did not provide further details.
Buttigieg married his husband, a teacher and author, in 2018.
The U.S. Senate confirmed Buttigieg as secretary of transportation in February, marking a major milestone for LGBTQ+ representation in the government. He’s the first openly gay person to be confirmed by the Senate to a Cabinet position.
President Joe Biden nominated Buttigieg for the role after the Indiana native endorsed his candidacy upon dropping out during the 2020 campaign.
Buttigieg's Senate confirmation is historic, but he's not the first openly gay person to serve in a president's cabinet. Richard Grenell, an openly gay man, served as acting national intelligence director under President Donald Trump, but he did not have to face Senate confirmation as an acting director.
