Pete Buttigieg in CNN LGBT Town Hall

On Civil Rights: I knew I was different long before I knew I was gay

BUTTIGIEG: What it was like was a civil war, because I knew I was different long before I was ready to say that I was gay and long before I was able to acknowledge that that was something that I didn't have power over. I think you spend so much time as you grow up learning the things that you can control or trying to control things, and there are some things that you don't. Learning to accept that and let alone learning that it didn't have to be a bad thing, that took me a long time. I so admire people who are coming out at young ages, but also recognize that there's no right age or right way or right time to come out. I think people are ready when they're ready. And for me, I was well into my 20s before I was really ready to say even to myself that I was gay. But even [after coming out to friends] I wasn't ready to come out to the world.

On Civil Rights: An Equality Act will fight discrimination on many fronts

BUTTIGIEG: Even if the Supreme Court upholds the idea that the Civil Rights Act applies to discrimination against, for example, same-sex couples in the workplace, we've still got a long way to go when it comes to other forms of discrimination, for housing, public accommodation. That is why we urgently need an Equality Act. I will fight for that, and I will sign it the moment that it hits my desk.

On Health Care: Good care for all and affordable prevention for all

BUTTIGIEG: I propose Medicare for all who want it. But whether you're on that public plan or on a private plan, we require that everyone be treated with equity. That includes not just treatments for HIV, things that can be done to prevent the transmission of HIV. It's why we need a prescription drug plan like the one I'm putting forward that caps the amount that anybody would have to pay.

On Principles & Values: Invest in mental health and build community

On Principles & Values: Religious freedom does not mean the right to hurt others