South Bend, Indiana, mayor announces he's gay in newspaper piece

By Brendan O'Brien

(Reuters) - The mayor of South Bend, Indiana, came out as gay in his local newspaper on Tuesday, saying his decision to go public was based on the growing acceptance of gay rights in the United States.

"Any day now, the Supreme Court will issue a decision on same-sex marriage that will directly affect millions of Americans," Democrat Pete Buttigieg wrote in an essay in the South Bend Tribune.

"It comes at a time of growing public acceptance and support for equal rights. But no matter what the Court does, issues of equality are hardly settled across the country," wrote Buttigieg, whose state was at the center of the gay rights debate earlier this year.

"We’re moving closer to a world in which acceptance is the norm," he added.

Buttigieg, 33, an officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve, has been mayor of South Bend since 2012, when at 29 he became the youngest mayor of a U.S. city with over 100,000 residents.

He said he hoped his announcement might serve as a reminder to conservative Indiana residents that "we’re all in this together as a community."

State lawmakers in March approved a religious freedom bill to protect businesses and individuals who may not want to provide services to gays. The measure was later altered after business leaders condemned the law and vowed to boycott the state.

"In the wake of the disastrous 'Religious Freedom Restoration Act' episode here in Indiana earlier this year, we have an opportunity to demonstrate how a traditional, religious state like ours can move forward," the mayor wrote.

The majority of people commenting on his article voiced support for Buttigieg.

"Our great mayor! Proud of him and our city," wrote Andrew Gould.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Peter Cooney)