U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and teacher and author Chasten Buttigieg officially introduced not one, but two new babies to the world over the Labor Day weekend.
The first openly gay man to be confirmed by the Senate to a Cabinet position, 39-year-old Secretary Buttigieg posted a photo of himself and Chasten each cradling one of their children; a son and a daughter.
“Chasten and I are beyond thankful for all the kind wishes since first sharing the news that we’ve becoming parents,” he posted to Twitter. “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 the couple got married in late 2018 and announced Pete’s campaign for president in early 2019.
The couple were inundated with congratulatory messages from LGBTQ+ celebrity friends like Ellen DeGeneres, who said she was “sending love to all 4 of you,” and author Glennon Doyle who welcomed “precious Penelope and Joseph.”
Secretary Buttigieg had announced two weeks ago that the couple had finally become parents, but he said that the “process” wasn’t “done yet.”
The Buttigieg’s have not disclosed whether their children were adopted or born via surrogacy, or whether they are biological twins. But according to the Washington Post, the couple had been trying to adopt for a year.
It is unclear whether the transportation secretary will take paternity leave. Secretary Buttigieg said they “can’t wait to share more soon.”
