Who Is Chasten Glezman, Pete Buttigieg's Husband?

Pete Buttigieg, 39, more commonly known as "Mayor Pete," was the first openly gay Democratic candidate to ever run for president. But Buttigieg is no stranger to politics.

Before his presidential campaign, he served as the mayor of South Bend, Indiana since 2012, was a management strategy consultant, graduated from Harvard University, served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserve, is a veteran of the War in Afghanistan, and is currently the United States Secretary of Transportation.

But behind every politician is their spouse cheering them on from the sidelines, and sometimes they are a key social media campaigner as Buttigieg’s is.

Who is Chasten Glezman, Pete Buttigieg's husband?

Here are all the details about Chasten Buttigieg (neé Glezman) how the couple met, what role he played in Buttigieg's run for president, and his personal life.

Glezman came out when he was 18 years old.

Glezman is 31 and was raised in a Roman Catholic household in Traverse City, Michigan. He came out to his family at age 18, and moved out shortly after.

“I don’t recall my parents specifically saying I couldn’t live at home anymore, but I was made to believe I needed to leave,” he said. He then couch-surfed from home to home after moving out.

In his memoir, "I Have Something to Tell You: A Memoir," he shares that during the same year, he was a victim of sexual assault by a friend of a friend.

Soon after, he became an exchange student and traveled to Germany. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire in 2011, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts in theater and global studies.

How did Pete Buttigieg and Chasten Buttigieg meet?

The two matched on the dating app Hinge in August 2015, but before they met they FaceTimed one another. In September 2015, Glezman traveled from Chicago to Indiana, where they went on their first date at the Fiddler’s Hearth pub.

Buttigieg said he knew he liked Glezman when he was willing to try a scotch egg. They then watched a minor league baseball game, walked around downtown South Bend, and watched the fireworks.

Glezman moved to Indiana and started living with Buttigieg in 2016. But he continued to complete his master’s degree back in Chicago at DePaul University and traveled to the city three days a week. And, in December 2017, the pair announced they were engaged after Pete Buttigieg proposed at the O'Hare airport.

When did Pete Buttigieg and Chasten Buttigieg get married?

The couple tied the knot June 16, 2018 in a private ceremony, which took place at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. James in downtown South Bend.

After the ceremony, the couple stopped by an LGBTQ Pride Week block party occurring nearby, and made their way to the reception, where they danced to “When You Say Nothing At All” in front of their 200 guests.

The reception had arcade games, tacos, beer, regional cheeses, lattes and coffee, artisanal chocolates, and specialty ice cream! How fun is that?

Did Chasten Buttigieg support his husband's political career?

Once Buttigieg announced his run for president, Glezman continually shared updates about the campaign.

Buttigieg praised his husband for all his help, both before and after the campaign, saying, “Chasten has done a great job of making sure things went well while I was putting in late nights at the office, and he’s got a pretty demanding job as a teacher as well.”

What does Chasten Buttigieg do?

While in Chicago, Glezman worked as a substitute teacher for the Chicago public schools. But once he moved to Indiana, he started substituting at South Bend public schools as a junior high school teacher.

He currently teaches humanities and drama to students at Montessori Academy of Edison Lakes, located a few miles from South Bend. He’s also currently working on his AMS certification.

As a teacher, writer, and a LGBTQ rights advocate, Chasten Buttigieg has quite an impressive resume.

What are Chasten Buttigieg's hobbies?

Chasten considers himself a theater nerd; even when growing up, he loved musical theater. While getting his bachelor’s degree, he worked for First Stage, “one of the nation’s most acclaimed children’s theaters and the second largest theater company in Milwaukee.”

While Pete Buttigieg speaks English, Norwegian, some French, and many more languages, Chasten speaks English and proves to be an impressive writer in his memoir.

Chasten Buttigieg released a memoir in 2020.

Chasten Buttigieg’s memoir, "I Have Something To Tell You," touches on his life as a teacher, what it was like to grow up as a gay man in the Midwest, and, of course, his marriage to Pete Buttigieg.

It debuted at number 12 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover non-fiction.

He's become close friends with Kamala Harris' husband, Doug Emhoff.

At the beginning of March, Buttigieg was spotted hanging out with the Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff. And it's no wonder, considering Harris and Emhoff have become good friends with the Buttigiegs over the last few years.

Harris said, "Along the way, Pete and his wonderful husband, Chasten, have become very dear friends of Doug’s and mine.” So, it shouldn't be a surprise that Emhoff and Glazen have become so close, bonding over both being the spouses of politicians in the spotlight.

Chasten recently spoke out about the Catholic Church banning same-sex union blessings.

On March 15th, the Vatican announced that the Catholic Church will refuse to bless same-sex unions because God “cannot bless sin.” In response, Glezman posted a photo of him and Pete Buttigieg on Twitter.

It's not the first time he's spoken out against bigotry and homophobia.

On February 24, 2021, he took to Instagram and posted a series of tweets, revealing a terrible story of being confronted about being gay at work.

"I’ll never forget when an assistant manager found out I was gay in the break room, marched out onto the floor, came right up to my face and said 'wait, is it true you’re a f**?' Now imagine if my manager didn’t like that about me either. At the time, it would have been legal in far too many places in America for them to simply show me the door. It is time to codify true equality for LGBTQ people and pass the #EqualityAct," he wrote.

After posting on both Instagram and Twitter, others revealed the treatment they experienced in the workplace similar to Glezman's.

Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who has written hundreds of articles about relationships, trending news and entertainment, and astrology. Visit her author profile for more content.