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On Tuesday, Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, came out as gay to his constituents. He announced this information in the local newspaper as a way to rally support for the increasing acceptance of gay rights in the United States. The essay he wrote was profound and touching, and it reminded the citizens of South Bend that the Supreme Court is close to making a decision on same-sex marriage.

Knowing this about Buttigieg might make it more likely for the people of South Bend to support marriage equality, even in spite of Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed a bill into law that stated business owners could reject gay customers. Pence signed this bill in March 2015.

In his essay, Buttigieg wrote that no matter what the Court decides about same-sex marriage, there will still be issues of equality in the nation to be addressed and remedied. But he also remarked that this world is moving closer to a place where “acceptance is the norm.” We have a feeling he’s right. After all, the vast majority of people who commented on his article were in his strong support.