Buttigieg Isn’t First Openly Gay Cabinet Member

Drew Fossen

Politics

5th February 2021

Buttigieg Isn’t First Openly Gay Cabinet Member

Richard Grenell was the first (Getty Images).

The Claim

Pete Buttigieg is the first openly gay member of a presidential cabinet.

News posted on

Emerging story

On February 2nd, 2021, NBC News posted on Facebook that Pete Buttigieg became “the first openly gay member of a presidential cabinet.”

The post was shared over a thousand times with many people celebrating or congratulating Buttigieg on his accomplishment.

Misbar’s Analysis

Misbar’s investigation found this claim to be fake. According to ABC News and the Washington Blade, the first openly gay member of a Presidential Cabinet was actually former acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell. He was appointed by former President Trump in 2020.

The difference between Richard Grenell and Pete Buttigieg is that Grenell was never sworn in by the Senate. He served in an “acting” position, meaning his term was limited by law to 210 days. This makes Buttigieg the first openly gay member of a Presidential Cabinet to be sworn in by the Senate, but technically not the first openly gay member of a Presidential Cabinet.

Richard Grenell tweeted after the news broke, congratulating Pete Buttigieg on being the “second openly gay member of a President’s Cabinet.” He added, “Welcome to the club!”