The New Republic on Saturday retracted a homophobic op-ed about presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg and the editor issued an apology.
The op-ed was published Friday, title “My Mayor Pete Problem,” penned by openly gay literary critic Dale Peck.
Peck reportedly described Buttigieg as “the gay equivalent of Uncle Tom,” and he referred to the South Bend, Indiana mayor as “Mary Pete” throughout the column.
New Republic’s editor in chief Win McCormack issued an apology on Saturday afternoon, saying the op-ed should not have been published. “We have high standards at The New Republic, but sometimes we fall short,” McCormack said in the statement, which included an apology to Buttigieg and readers.
Peck reportedly questioned the 37-year-old Buttigieg’s priorities since he did not come out as gay until his 30s. Peck then speculated that Buttigieg would be too preoccupied with sex and drugs to be an effective president.