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A review by brianlarson
I Have Something to Tell You by Chasten Buttigieg
4.0
A heartfelt, relatable, sincere, and first-gentleman worthy memoir.
Chasten recounts everything from his rural upbringing in Midwestern America to the final days on the campaign trail. He doesn’t varnish the homophobia, bigotry, and vitriolic hate he faced not only growing up but also throughout his time thrust into the national spotlight with his husband, the fabulously presidential Mayor Pete.
While the prose is light and conversational, Chasten describes in candid detail his sexual assault at the hands of “a friend of a friend,” the crippling financial impact of his student debt, the harrowing journey to seek health insurance (pre-Obama Care) for his cancer-stricken mother, and the pressure of striking the right note with the American people as the first potential openly-gay “First Man.”
As an ardent Mayor Pete supporter and a member of the LGBTQ community, I always found it peculiar that Mayor Pete wasn’t greeted more warmly by the greater LGBTQ community. In my experience, it was a common refrain that “Mayor Pete isn’t gay enough” or “Pete is an unrealistic standard for gays” or “Pete is just another privileged cis-white gay dude.”
Chasten doesn’t shy away from diagnosing some of America’s “internalized-homophobia” in addition to the more real acts of hate (bomb threats, hate texts, etc.) experienced on the campaign. Chasten describes trying to find balance on the campaign trail while also staying true to himself. Part of this truth meant visiting over 100 LGBTQ homeless shelters along the campaign trail and visiting hundreds of LGBTQ-owned and/or operated theaters, museums, exhibits, etc. He describes his growing awareness that “presentation” (of being gay) shouldn’t be yet another barometer for equality. Indeed, Chasten points to a deep schism even within the LGBTQ community on how to move the progress needle while not losing swaths of the community along the way in order to fit into the proverbial box of what an “American” is.
I really enjoyed Chasten’s detailing of his growing social media clout and the training the campaign required of him in order to avoid unintended snafus.
This memoir couldn’t have been written a decade ago. Heck, it couldn’t have been written 5 years ago! I’m certainly glad Chasten’s memoir exists and that some day a future LGBTQ public candidate and his/her/their partner will be able to follow a path less sodden with hate yet teeming with limitless possibility.
Chasten recounts everything from his rural upbringing in Midwestern America to the final days on the campaign trail. He doesn’t varnish the homophobia, bigotry, and vitriolic hate he faced not only growing up but also throughout his time thrust into the national spotlight with his husband, the fabulously presidential Mayor Pete.
While the prose is light and conversational, Chasten describes in candid detail his sexual assault at the hands of “a friend of a friend,” the crippling financial impact of his student debt, the harrowing journey to seek health insurance (pre-Obama Care) for his cancer-stricken mother, and the pressure of striking the right note with the American people as the first potential openly-gay “First Man.”
As an ardent Mayor Pete supporter and a member of the LGBTQ community, I always found it peculiar that Mayor Pete wasn’t greeted more warmly by the greater LGBTQ community. In my experience, it was a common refrain that “Mayor Pete isn’t gay enough” or “Pete is an unrealistic standard for gays” or “Pete is just another privileged cis-white gay dude.”
Chasten doesn’t shy away from diagnosing some of America’s “internalized-homophobia” in addition to the more real acts of hate (bomb threats, hate texts, etc.) experienced on the campaign. Chasten describes trying to find balance on the campaign trail while also staying true to himself. Part of this truth meant visiting over 100 LGBTQ homeless shelters along the campaign trail and visiting hundreds of LGBTQ-owned and/or operated theaters, museums, exhibits, etc. He describes his growing awareness that “presentation” (of being gay) shouldn’t be yet another barometer for equality. Indeed, Chasten points to a deep schism even within the LGBTQ community on how to move the progress needle while not losing swaths of the community along the way in order to fit into the proverbial box of what an “American” is.
I really enjoyed Chasten’s detailing of his growing social media clout and the training the campaign required of him in order to avoid unintended snafus.
This memoir couldn’t have been written a decade ago. Heck, it couldn’t have been written 5 years ago! I’m certainly glad Chasten’s memoir exists and that some day a future LGBTQ public candidate and his/her/their partner will be able to follow a path less sodden with hate yet teeming with limitless possibility.