The New Republic is facing backlash after it published a homophobic hit piece on Pete Buttigieg written by novelist Dale Peck.
The site ultimately took down the post and replaced with an editor’s note: “Dale Peck’s post ‘My Mayor Pete Problem’ has been removed from the site, in response to criticism of the piece’s inappropriate and invasive content. We regret its publication.”
In the piece, Peck repeatedly refers to Mayor Pete as “Mary Pete” and “the gay equivalent of Uncle Tom,” fantasizes about his bedroom behaviors and preferred sexual positions, and suggests he shouldn’t be president because he would be too sexually promiscuous because he didn’t come out until his 30s, and thus would act like a “gay teenager” in the White House.
“The only thing that distinguishes the mayor of South Bend from all those other well-educated reasonably intelligent white dudes who wanna be president is what he does with his d*ck (and possibly his ass, although I get a definite top-by-default vibe from him, which is to say that I bet he thinks about getting f*cked but he’s too uptight to do it),” Peck writes in the since-deleted op-ed.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
“So let’s dish the dish, homos. You know and I know that Mary Pete is a gay teenager. He’s a fifteen-year-old boy in a Chicago bus station wondering if it’s a good idea to go home with a fifty-year-old man so that he’ll finally understand what he is.”
Peck, a former member of ACT UP and the author of one of the acclaimed queer novel, Martin & John, continues: “He’s been out for, what, all of four years, and if I understand the narrative, he married the first guy he dated. And we all know what happens when gay people don’t get a real adolescence because they spent theirs in the closet: they go through it after they come out.”
He adds that “the last thing I want in the White House is a gay man staring down 40 who suddenly realizes he didn’t get to have all the fun his straight peers did when they were teenagers” before concluding that, if all that were to happen, Peck himself “wouldn’t kick him out of bed.”
The op-ed was met with universal outrage on Twitter.
New Republic just published a piece about Pete Buttigieg referring to him as “Mary Pete,” and discussing whether he likes getting fucked up the ass.
What are you doing, @newrepublic? This isn’t pushing boundaries. It’s homophobia worthy of a boycott. https://t.co/KzEVAmMf2H pic.twitter.com/POC1lJjkNk
— John Aravosis ?? (@aravosis) July 12, 2019
WTF is this garbage? Is it #Breitbart takes over the The New Republic day? How in the world did this get published? This is a shameful and disgusting piece attacking @PeteButtigieg that you’d expect Alex Jones to pimp out! https://t.co/eXvlCWrgGa
— Kurt Bardella (@kurtbardella) July 12, 2019
It’s not “fuck you” money but I just donated $25 to @PeteButtigieg because I am so pissed off at how it’s still OK to belittle gay men in particular. Please help. And Dale Peck and The New Republic: FUCK YOU
— Jim Consolantis (@jconsolantis) July 13, 2019
Pete Buttigieg being an openly gay man running for president has exposed just how much homophobia still exists on both sides of the aisle. This New Republic “Mary Pete” article is just the latest example. It’s extremely disheartening but inspiring to see how well he moves past it
— Karl Palenkas (@KarlPalenkas) July 13, 2019
I get satire and appreciate pithy, but this @newrepublic shock piece by Dale Peck on Pete Buttigieg where one gay man tears down another with (among other things) a “Mary Pete” moniker is just pathetic.
To add insult to injury, it’s just terrible writing so I won’t link to it. pic.twitter.com/VLAJDdllvt
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) July 12, 2019
In response, The New Republic yanked Peck’s op-ed for its site and issued an apology within hours of its publication.
“The New Republic recognizes that this post crossed a line, and while it was largely intended as satire, it was inappropriate and invasive,” editor Chris Lehmann said in a statement.
The site’s owner and editor-in-chief, Win McCormack, also issued an apology, writing: “Yesterday The New Republic’s website published an opinion piece about Mayor Pete Buttigieg that should not have appeared there. As The New Republic’s owner, I want to extend our sincerest apologies to Mayor Buttigieg, as well as to our readers, for an article that was both inappropriate and offensive. It has been removed from our site.”
But their apologies did little to quell the outrage.
As a result of the controversy, The New Republic was forced to drop out of a climate forum it was scheduled to co-host with Gizmodo in September. Last week, the two media companies announced a “presidential climate summit,” during which candidates would spend a significant amount of time discussing their plans to combat climate change.
After the Peck’s hit piece was published, three different sponsors threatened to pull out of the forum, prompting Gizmodo to put out a statement saying the op-ed was “an offensive, homophobic attack on Democratic candidate” that was “entirely inconsistent with our values as journalists and with the inclusive atmosphere we intend to foster at the event.”
Speaking to the Associated Press over the weekend, Buttigieg kept it classy, saying, “I appreciated that [the] article was taken down. I don’t think it really reflects the New Republic that I know.”
When the AP reporter asked, “How do you respond to this question whether you’re gay enough?”, the 2020 hopeful replied, “You know, there’s not gonna be an answer for everybody. The best way I’ve found to deal with that is to just be myself and let other people worry about whether it’s enough.”
For his part, Peck didn’t help matters by refusing to shed any light on the situation. How could the long-time activist, educator, and novelist possibly come up with such drivel? Instead of explaining, he responded by announcing that he was celebrating his birthday at the beach and then going out for dinner.
Oh hello! It’s my birthday! I’m going to the beach and then I’m going out to dinner with some friends, and will (mostly) be leaving the internet to its own devices today. I usually try to respond to all the… https://t.co/X23jtBCUBL
— Dale (@dalepeck) July 13, 2019
Read an archived version of Peck’s piece HERE. Or don’t.
ryantbo
How did a POS article like that ever get past an editor. Writer and editor should BOTH be fired.
gayv6q
Ok, so I don’t know anything about this Peck, but if he’s a YA author, then he deals with a lot of kids. If he knows so damn much about what a young gay mind is like, then someone needs to check his browser history… If he fantasizes about Pete buttieg getting it up the ass, what’s he thinking about an actual 15 year old mind, at a Chicago bus stop as he says in the article. It makes me uncomfortable to think about.
Rock-N-RollHS
@ gayv6q Lol, are you for real?? Sounds like me that you have these fantasies.
DP was a great writer back in the day, but, I guess he has Sunset Blvd syndrome now. Always bitchy editorialist though.
tameron1
I will tell you who needs to get “F*cked”, its the New Republic and the gays in America need to put their Nazi asses out of business.
bill
If you’re going to run for office you know that people are going to say nasty things about you and dig or make up dirt about you. Mayor Pete knows/knew that before he ran for president. But I like him, I will vote for him if he gets our nomination. He can read, trump can’t. If he doesn’t win our nomination I hope he can run for the senate. He’s wasted in South Bend. He should run for Governor of Indiana. That would be amazing, I may move back there if that happened. I’m not sure he could beat trump. But you never know.
Yogibearff
I totally agree ryantbo
Wicked Dickie
“The only thing that distinguishes the mayor of South Bend from all those other well-educated reasonably intelligent white dudes who wanna be president is what he does with his d*ck (and possibly his ass, although I get a definite top-by-default vibe from him, which is to say that I bet he thinks about getting f*cked but he’s too uptight to do it),”
He’s not the first white gay to attack Pete over being a white gay. Interesting.
Chrisk
Has nothing to do with race. He’s a smug Trump supporter that’s looking to tear Pete down and get some attention for himself. Nothing more.
Kangol2
@ChrisK, Dale Peck is many things but a Trump supporter he isn’t. He’s a radical gay man who was critiquing Mayor Pete from the left, not the right.
pharaon.em.joe
@kangol your comment makes sense.
Yogibearff
He is neither a writer or critic. He’s a hack that can’t make it any more, and yet is clearly made evidence by his compulsion to discuss someone’s theoretical sexual habits. Whether projecting or not does not matter; but what is clear is his need of a therapist.
notasjw
Gay men tearing each other apart? I am shocked , shocked I tell you!
gayv6q
It’s not even that! This Peck went to a media outlet with the intention of airing imaginary dirty laundry and tear him down. Pete responded by praising the outlet for removing the hateful content. It’s not “tearing eachother apart” when it’s one sided.
Cam
The editors let this one through. Sounds like the issue is more than just the author.
JaredMacBride
Under no circumstances will I vote to elect the mayor of South Bend, IN president of anything.
Under no circumstances is the sex life of the Mayor of South Bend, IN any of my business. I have no idea why a semi-respectable publication would buy or commission such an article.
Chrisk
Uh ok. Not like anyone gives a shit.
dmanhart
I don’t support him either. I also am a gay man.
I love his inspirational philosophy.
But he is way too sensitive for the Presidency. He teared up after being confronted by the black community.
He is not someone who will kick someone in the teeth. Nor someone who will kick his opponent in the face while the guy is down.
Four more years for Trump if he gets the nomination. Same think with Harris, Sanders or Warren.
The last three are just too liberal. Eliminating private healthcare? Wow.
Beachman
Given your illiterate response, I guess you’ll never figure out how to complete a ballot and vote. So it doesn’t really matter what you ‘think’ you might or might not do….
JaredMacBride
Worse still, Gremore accusing someone else of “bad writing.” The irony is thick.
Thad
For me, the shock is who wrote this. The same guy who wrote “Martin & John?” WHAT in blazes happened? Conservatism? Drugs? Bitchiness? Family values? Lack of recent attention (quite likely)?
Invalid
A gay teenager in the White House would be a damn sight more mature than the adult baby that’s in there now.
Doug
Thank you!
Felecia
Ironic AND hysterical that someone named Invalid has the most valid point in this conversation, lol…..short, sweet, TRUE ! Thank you…my skull wanted to explode, lol….
Yogibearff
Well, you know, we thought we could not get any lower than Bush, Jr. But, then, the GOP took that as a challenge and having reached the bottom of the barrel it kept right on clawing its way down to get Trump.
Brian
You really have to wonder what goes through people’s heads when they approve articles like this. Do they really not know how the internet works? The reaction they got couldn’t be any more predictable, what did they think was going to happen?
ericcutspaper
As a Democrat, I keep saying ‘it’s way too early to back any one horse in the Presidential race.’ As a gay man, of course, in the ethos of furthering our march towards true equality amongst ALL, I’m very intrigued with Pete Buttigieg. Just as I was intrigued by, and an eventual supporter of, Hillary, as a woman, and Obama, as a mixed-ethnic offering. Then one needs to get into their policy ethos. These examples, too, were targets using some of the most venial slurs and intents to tear them down. This IS the United States of America, home of the free, yes, yet also the historic home of bigoted slavery, indigenous genocides(still), misogyny of women, and hate culture towards LGBTQ people, etc… The New Republic is being viewed as if it’s had a history of ‘balanced’ reporting and op-eds. NOT! This publication has made great efforts to promote its brand as so, yet it has been a ‘quiet’ rag for those Right-of-Center. This is coupled with a misconception that anyone LGBTQ-ish is Left-of-Center. Again, NOT! Unfortunately, one of the outcroppings of homophobia are those of a ‘self-hating warp’ who, for fame, or infamy, look to tear down their own kind in some bizarre effort to be a part of the ‘country club Republicans’ (Log Cabin types my eye is on you!). These voices, although part of the noise around politics, need to be kept in perspective along with the fact that much of media is of a ‘sensationalizing fervor’; about getting ‘eyeballs’ on their reads, hence, advertising*. Remember, the *money’ is what drives much of these publishing moments. Facts and useful information are way down media’s priority list in our 21st Century cultures.
lovethyneighbor
The article seems to come from a spewing teenager-type of a gay guy, who didn’t get to 2nd base with Pete Buttigieg. Quite often, the feelings of rejection can be misrepresented by placing reasons for the hate onto the victim. I feel sorry for anyone, who feels the need to tear down another gay man to heighten their own status in some type of forum or another.
This is about as satisfying as listening to a log-cabin Republican preach about the amazing aspects of the GOP. Being gay is the epitome of what the GOP hate and move to please their base on. Many of these types of squabbles come from someone, who has been spurned or jilted by some gay guy. Some are written to appease the GOP because these gay men have not learned to bring together their religious upbringing with full-acceptance of who they are inside. I had a friend, who loved getting butted, but ever time commented on how he wasn’t proud of it. He mentioned he would go to the confession and ask to be forgiven. He did this for more than 30 years. It is sad and it is pathetic. If religion doesn’t allow you to merge the two parts of you into one, then walk away or become celibate, so you can enter the Kingdom of God without reprisal (if that’s what you believe).
drumstick
Since when is it a problem to marry the first person you fall in love with? I did. Thirty-one years ago. Attitudes like Peck’s are why gay people cannot have nice things…
pharaon.em.joe
I don’t think there is anything wrong with that. However simple psychology shows that when you don’t have a diverse experience in dating/sex then you will likely end up cheating on your partner. This is true whether you are gay or straight.
Stephen
In Canada this would be looked at possible HATE SPEECH and the author and writer could be sentenced to prison if found guilty. Satire excuse or not … hate speech, minority prejudice is illegal. In Canada.
Brian
Well thank God we aren’t in Canada.
pharaon.em.joe
I don’t think this is hate speech. I am from Canada.
Yogibearff
I agree that it is hate speech. Is this really what the First Amendment is for? No. Intelligent adult discourse is not represented by Peck. How about just simply stating the position and providing meaningful persuasive content?! The reason Peck didn’t was because he couldn’t. Peck = Monumental Fail.
pharaon.em.joe
I think there is an objective truth to what the author of article said. I don’t think it is homophobic in most of its parts. It describes in a rather accurate way how men who come out late from the closet behave. He may have exaggerated with certain words and especially coming from a renowned newspaper. However, i do think that it is almost entirely accurate. If I have to object on something it would be on the sexualization of a presidential candidate and not on homophobia.
Kangol2
Dale Peck isn’t primarily a YA author, he’s a famous gay male author of novels for adult readers. He’s also a notorious book reviewer whose reviews in the 1990s were so harsh that they often provoked quite a backlash. He’s written movingly about the HIV pandemic, growing up gay in an anti-gay home, how divorce affects children, interracial friendship, and more. I read the article on Buttigieg and thought it was far harsher than Peck’s usually sharp critiques, and its satirical edge perhaps went a bit wild, but I don’t think it should been pulled. I mean, let defenders, and Buttigieg if he wants to, respond; TNR, a liberal magazine, should have welcomed responses. In essence, Peck criticized Buttigieg’s neoliberal politics, his very careful negotiation of his life, including coming out late, and what the author thought was Mayor Pete’s privilege and lack of history or a political compass. He wouldn’t be the first careful centrist Democratic, and he most certainly won’t be the last. If it’s him against the racist, alleged rapist lunatic Drumpf, Buttigieg gets my vote without hesitation.
hankscott
I absolutely agree with you. This article was over the top, but it’s horrible that the New Republic pulled it. Gay men should be able to criticize gay men (although the vitriol here was excessive) without being called homophobes, which is what the headline of this article calls Peck. If this is what you view as homophobic, you ought to engage in some conversations on Grindr.
Raymond Saint-Pierre
Queerty, get your damn facts right!! Not that it matters to a clickbait site, Dale Peck isn’t a YA novelist by any stretch of the imagination!!
And don’t think the majority of commenters here even read the Op Ed article before jumping into the shitpile of ignorance displayed in the comments. Dale Peck’s style here is much like Michelle Wolff’s Press Correspondents speech; biting, satirical, and parodically self-referential.
While I admired Buttigieg’s kiss of his spouse, Chasten, at his presidential announcement, I find much of his political stance to be centrist if not to the right of the Democratic center.
Btw, it’s free speech and he’s entitled to his opinion whether you agree with it or not!!
Rock-N-RollHS
Correct, and nothing being centrist, if that’s your thing.
DarkZephyr
I used to think that it was just Conservatives who misuse the concept of “free speech” when its convenient, but people like you have shown me better.
Free speech does NOT mean that you are supposed to be exempt from criticisms and critiques of what you have said. Guess what? Those criticizing him have free speech as well.
OzJosh
If the best “take down” of Buttigieg you can manage is to fictionalise and fantasise about his sex live – based on zero evidence – then you’re lame and pathetic. And it says way more about Dale Peck than it does about Buttigieg.
Karrnal
Dale Peck is famous, no, infamous, for writing hit piece reviews of gay author’s work. And also that of het author’s. Something about the guy is pathological. But this is the worst ever. Perhaps it will seal his fate.
wolfman6
I’ve heard his name before, but I don’t think I’ve ever read anything he has written (books definitely no, but news articles, etc. maybe? I don’t remember). But this has turned me off reading anything he has or will ever write. If you’re going to criticize a presidential candidate, do so on his policies, his speeches, his past experience, his suitability for office, etc. His sex life is no one’s business and it is not Peck’s business to even speculate about it.
As for his assumption that Pete would “go wild” because he never experienced the things his gay peers did as “teenagers” is just stupid. Not all teenagers go through a slut phase, many not until their 20’s or later. Yes it happens. Does it happen to all gay men who come out late? Absolutely not and I am proof. I did not come out until I was 30. I fell in love at first site with the first man I dated, and he fell in love with me at first site as well. We have been together for 26 years now. I never felt the need to “go wild” like a teenager or have a slut phase. He is the only man I have been with my whole life and I have absolutely no regrets. I’m sure there are many others out there who feel the same, and Pete may be one. So he married the first guy he dated. So did I. It sounds like Dale Peck is jealous. While I don’t know anything about the man, just reading this piece tells me he was probably a slut and has never had a long-term partner that lasted. Probably because of what an asshole he is.
Felecia
King Donald the First married the first expensive Ukrainian call-girl that he knocked up….Putin the Pimp wants his money; so THAT’S why the Russians were allowed to tweak the election, lol…and that ‘ho was smuggled into America without the aid of any official paperwork. But Pete Buttigieg’s marriage to a legal citizen is under attack….and the king thinks that all non-born here in America should go home, yet nobody ever mentions HIS foreign wife. Why not…? I say ‘Bye, Melania’ …..lol
RandomGuy
This guy has the nerve to throw around “Mary” he sounds like a stereotypical bitchy queen who is bitter that he’s getting old and becoming irrelevant.
Ed Hawkins
I know, I know. . . it’s FREE SPEECH, just as frump’s tweet about the four congresswomen is free speech. Neither peck nor frump show any concern, in these instances or in the past, for the civility that this country lacks. To me, the problem isn’t a specific tweet or post, it’s our lack of caring about one another. One of the reasons I hope to vote for Mayor Buttigieg is shown in his very classy and considerate remarks about peck’s nastiness. BTW: I didn’t come out until I was 40 (32 years ago), and I NEVER regretted any lack of gay sexual activity in my teens, or in any subsequent time of my life. My personality was circumspect in the closet and remains so today at 72. I love gay sex, but it is only one part of what makes being gay so amazing.
Cam
Free speech simply means the government can’t arrest you for speaking against them. It does NOT guarantee you the right to have a privately owned publication publish your words. If the NR pulled the article, that isn’t them violating free speech as the author still has the right to post that article on any of his private pages. It is simply them making a business decision.
JanDivine
I have not decided who I will vote. But, Mayor Pete, you certainly have my support when it comes to offenses like this. I have to say I am embarrassed for this guy.
QueerTN
Dear Queerty,
I don’t think you should have even posted a link to the original article. F**k them!
Dwight
Hopefully they also had the sense to issue him a more sincere private one as well.
I think Peck is also guilty of projecting. Only one person in that article was guilty of using a tone of an immature teenager and it wasn’t Buttigieg.
winemaker
Really, who cares who sleeps with who? it’s rally none of anybody’s business who Pete B sleeps with? The real issues are more relevant to America tyan this SHIT. Someone has too much free time on their hands
Rex Huskey
just because you can doesn’t mean you should
batesmotel
It’s a little much, but sadly not far off to most political hit pieces on either side.
designdude
Queerty, you are a freakin’ mess. You’re pandering for shit journalism is now beyond reproach. You have lost me and my friends. To feature a man that takes his imagination to depreciate a community leader, civic leader, presidential candidate is negligible at best.
I am done. Queerty needs to take responsibility for the BS they proliferate.