While Pete Buttigieg is an openly gay cabinet member, he is actually the second cabinet member to be openly gay at the time of his appointment. The honor of being the first openly gay cabinet member goes to Richard Greenell.

Richard Grenell was the first openly gay individual to serve as a cabinet member.

Congratulations @PeteButtigieg on becoming the 1st openly gay cabinet secretary in the US. As a gay man I’m proud to witness this historic moment for the #LGBTQ community. As an Israeli I’m proud that @Israel sworn in @AmirOhana, our first openly gay minister, 1.5 yrs ago. 🇮🇱🇺🇸🏳️‍🌈