Politics

GOP politician calls Buttigieg “Pete Buttplug”

Pete Buttigieg, Tucker Carlson, homophobia, breastfeeding, anti-LGBTQ, childcare
Pete Buttigieg Photo: Shutterstock

A Republican elected official has come under fire for calling gay Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg a homophobic name during a Facebook Live show, Conservative Conversations with Friends Around the World.

Waynesboro, Virginia Vice Mayor Jim Wood (R) made the comments on his February 15, 2023 show, where he was attacking Buttigieg for the train derailment in Ohio. Conservatives have chosen to blame Buttigieg for the train derailment, arguing that he should have reacted to it faster, while Buttigieg has said that the rollback of a train brake rule during the Trump administration may be to blame.

“Look at Ohio right now at this train derailment,” Wood said. “You know the staff that ol’ Pete Buttplug or whatever his name is, is telling everybody, you know, don’t pay attention to that over there, that’s no big deal, oh wait a minute, that’s Trump’s fault.”

Wood said that he didn’t mean to make fun of Buttigieg’s sexuality, that he was just making fun of his Maltese family name.

“It was a play on his name only,” Wood, who also has a name that one could make childish jokes about, told the Staunton News-Leader. “His lack of action in helping people affected by the train derailment in Ohio was the topic of conversation. Nothing was said about his personal life.”

Two days before he made the comments about Buttigieg, Wood was asking Buttigieg for money on behalf of Waynesboro. Wood seconded and voted in favor of a resolution to support a U.S. Department of Transportation grant for the Waynesboro Western Portal Trail. Waynesboro Mayor Lana Williams signed a letter to Buttigieg in support of the grant and Wood’s name was included, as well as those of the other Waynesboro City Council members.

On Twitter, Buttigieg’s husband Chasten Buttigieg called out Wood.

“His most recent post on Facebook is about Rush Limbaugh,” Chasten Buttigieg wrote. “I think we all know where he stands on homophobia.”

Last week, conservative political cartoonist Ben Garrison made a similar joke by drawing a picture of Buttigieg with a giant butt.

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