South Bend Mayor Comes Out as Gay in Newspaper Editorial

South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg (BOO'-tah-juhj) has come out as gay in a newspaper editorial.

The first-term Democratic mayor says in the personal essay published Tuesday in the South Bend Tribune (http://bit.ly/1dHOJza ) that he was well into adulthood before he was prepared to acknowledge that he's gay.

The 33-year-old says it took him "years of struggle and growth" to recognize that his sexuality is "just a fact of life, like having brown hair."

Buttigieg is seeking re-election this year in the city that's home to the conservative University of Notre Dame. The Navy reservist says his sexuality makes him "no better or worse at handling a spreadsheet, a rifle, a committee meeting, or a hiring decision."