Protesters interrupted Pete Buttigieg in Iowa on Tuesday, as the openly gay mayor of South Bend continued campaigning for president.
“Remember Sodom and Gomorrah!” one protester shouted at Buttigieg, describing him as a “baby killer.”
Supporters responded by chanting, “Pete! Pete! Pete!”
“The good news is the condition of my soul is in the hands of God,” Buttigieg replied to his supporters. “But the Iowa caucuses are up to you.”
In Fort Dodge, a protester shouted that Buttigieg had betrayed his baptism. Iowa supporters booed the protester until he was escorted out by security.
“Coffee after church gets a little rowdy sometimes,” Buttigieg quipped back.
“That gentleman believes that what he is doing is in line with the will of the creator,” he added. “I’d do it differently. We ought to be able to do it differently.”
On the campaign trail, Buttigieg frequently speaks about his husband Chasten and his life as a gay American.
“Our marriage exists by the grace of a single vote on the U.S. Supreme Court,” he said in Des Moines.
The protests were reportedly organized by religious activist Randall Terry of Operation Rescue.
Terry said that Buttigieg “glorifies and normalizes a sinful behavior” and said he would continue heckling his campaign events, according to reporters at the event.
Despite the hubbub, hundreds of Iowa supporters came out to hear Buttigieg’s stump speech. Organizers estimated that 1,650 people appeared at his campaign rally in Des Moines.
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