​Pete and Chasten Buttigieg Post Heartfelt Messages on Father's Day

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten, celebrated Father’s Day this year with adorable messages to their children and to each other.

The two are dads to twins Penelope and Gus, which makes Pete the first out cabinet member who is a parent.

Chasten took to Medium to write a post to the twins about becoming their father and about meeting them for the first time.

“You are so, so wanted and loved and celebrated. I will always do my best to make sure you know that,” he wrote in a post reflecting how fatherhood has changed him for the best. “I love being your Dada. I am so lucky to be your Dada. And I love getting to be your Dada with Papa at my side.”

In a tweet, Pete not only gave a shout-out to his other half but also wrote about his own dad.

“Happy Father’s Day!” Pete wrote. “Thinking today about all I learned from my father and how much I miss him, about the kind of dad I try to be for our son and daughter every day, and about how lucky I am to be parenting alongside the amazing dad that is [Chasten].”

Gus, whose fully name is Joseph August Buttigieg, was named after Pete’s father.

The couple first announced they were first set to become fathers in August 2021. The news came after the pair had previously explained their adoption struggles. In early September 2021, the two announced the birth of their first children.

Chasten once described their journey through navigating adoption as a "weird cycle of anger and frustration and hope." In an interview, he explained that the couple, on multiple occasions, had been given prospects that seemed fruitful only for it not work out in the end.

Check out some sweet photos of Pete and Chasten with their kids below.