Mayor Pete could be influencing fellow millennials to swipe right.

The 37-year-old from South Bend, Indiana is the first openly gay person to make a serious bid for presidency, bringing greater representation to the LGBTQ community.

Like many young people, Buttigieg met his husband, Chasten Glezman, on the dating app Hinge. And his success story seems to have inspired others in the LGBTQ community to sign up. Hinge has seen a 30% increase in dating profiles created by gay men since April 1, around the same time Buttigieg had been making national news, Fortune reports.

“We’re proud of all of the relationships we’ve helped set up — including Mayor Pete and Chasten!” Hinge founder and CEO Justin McLeod told the magazine. “We’re happy to see that their love story has inspired even more members of the LGBTQ community to find their person on Hinge.” (Hinge did not immediately return a MarketWatch request for comment).

Buttigieg, who came out in an essay he wrote for The South Bend Tribune in May 2015, told the New York Times he joined Hinge in hopes of finding a long term partner. Hinge makes users select and answer three questions about themselves for their dating profile, a more personal touch that can allow singles to get to know someone before they swipe.

“I wanted a platform where you’re not necessarily inundated with hookup culture and sex,” he told the paper in 2018. Buttigieg met Glezman in 2015.

More than 60% of same-sex couples meet online, studies show. And dating experts say having a prominent figure like Buttigieg share his success story brings visibility to underrepresented groups.

“ ‘The more we see diversity in every way, and prominently displayed at the highest levels, the more it makes people feel more like ‘wow I can just be myself and that’s okay’ ” — —Bela Gandhi, a Chicago-based dating coach

“The more we see diversity in every way, and prominently displayed at the highest levels, the more it makes people feel more like ‘wow I can just be myself and that’s okay,’” Bela Gandhi, a Chicago-based dating coach and founder of Smart Dating Academy, tells MarketWatch.

More than 1 million LGBTQ people in the U.S. are married in the U.S. to someone of the same sex. There were more than 547,000 same-sex marriages nationwide in 2917, up from around 491,000 in 2016, data from The Williams Institute shows. Since the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage nationwide in June 2015, same sex couples have spent more than $1.3 billion on their weddings.

Buttigieg vowed to pass federal legislation in April that would make it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation. And he often expresses his favor for the Equality Act, a bill that would ban discrimination in the workplace, education, housing, federal financing and jury service, and protect people from being fired or harassed because of their gender identity or sexual orientation.

For those who are coming out or have recently come out, online dating can serve as a buffer before going public, Gandhi says. “Dating is challenging if you’re a small minority of the population, online is easier when you’re looking for somebody specific,” explains Gandhi, who says she’s had clients come out to her. “Online dating is great for people who might not be sure [about their sexual orientation].”

Same-sex marriage and relationships have increasingly garnered more visibility in pop culture. Last week, the PBS children’s animated television show “Arthur” was praised for its depiction of a same-sex wedding through its character Mr. Ratburn which aired nationally across the U.S.

“PBS Kids programs are designed to reflect the diversity of communities across the nation. We believe it is important to represent the wide array of adults in the lives of children who look to PBS Kids every day,” PBS said in a statement.

Despite big strides, the conversation around equality and gay marriage is still facing backlash and discrimination. Alabama public television refused to air the “Arthur” episode. Alabama is one of several states that has taken issue with the Supreme Court’s 2015 marriage-equality ruling. Several probate judges in Alabama who issue marriage licenses have protested the law.

While the majority of Americans (63%) continue to say same-sex marriage should be legal, a recent Gallup poll found that number has dropped four points from an all-time high of 68% recorded in 2018. However, support for same-sex marriage is more than twice as high as it was when first polled in 1996.

Carol Sugar-Burke, a dating expert at Bespoke Matchmaking, a New York City-based gay matchmaking service, says she understands the challenges the LGBTQ community faces when looking for a partner.

“Finding a safe place to meet a potential partner that shares the same life goals and objectives is hard enough for the heterosexual community, let alone the LGBTQ community,” Sugar-Burke says. “Being able to share and talk about what is most important to you without having to hide who you are is a big step in the right direction.”