The gay husband of a Democratic presidential candidate, a born-again Christian pastor and a GOP-voting Army veteran: it doesn't take much to spot the odd brother out.

Few were surprised, therefore, when Pete Buttigieg's spouse Chasten Glezman claimed he was disowned by his conservative older brothers and forced to flee his home after coming out at 18.

But while the poignant backstory resonated with liberal voters and helped the South Bend, Indiana, mayor stand out among the crowded democratic 2020 field, it's now being denounced as a lie by Chasten's siblings.

'He was never shunned. He was never homeless. He had a home,' Dustin Glezman, 32, told DailyMailTV. 'When I read all this stuff, it's like I'm reading about someone else's family. I don’t recognize any of it.’

Dustin supplied DailyMailTV with an exclusive photo of himself, Chasten and eldest brother Rhyan, taken in 2010, about two years after Chasten supposedly alienated his family by revealing he was gay.

'Can’t you just see the hatred in our eyes?' scoffed Dustin. The three are sat on a couch, smiling broadly and Dustin has his arm around the then 20-year-old Chasten.

Presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg's husband Chasten, 29, has claimed he became homeless after coming out to his family as gay at age 18. The couple are pictured together on the campaign trail in Las Vegas last month

Chasten's older brother Dustin Glezman, 32, said the claims are false and provided this photo of the Glezman brothers (l-r: Dustin, Chasten, Rhyan) seated on a couch in 2010, just two years after Chasten was allegedly shunned by his family for being gay

Mayor Pete Buttigieg (far right) attended Dustin's wedding with Chasten last year with the Glezman family. 'I like Pete. He's a great guy. But everything went south when this Presidency thing came about,' Dustin says. (Pictured l-r : Erin Glezman and husband Rhyan, parents Terry and Sherri Glezman, Dustin Glezman and wife Diana, Chasten and Pete Buttigieg)

Another photo taken at Dustin's wedding in February of last year, shows the three brothers, their parents Sherri and Terry, all posing happily with Buttigieg.

Dustin Glezman tells DailyMailTV that his younger brother's account of being shunned by the family for coming out as gay is 'a sob story to sell to the voters'

'You can see the love we have for one another. This is why I find this whole rift thing so frustrating,' added father-of-two Dustin, who joined the Army at 20 and still serves in the reserves.

'I like Pete. He's a great guy. I went to their wedding. But everything went south when this Presidency thing came about.'

Buttigieg, 37, a fellow veteran, in his case as a United States Navy Reserve officer, has emerged from obscurity in recent months to establish himself as the first ever openly gay nominee for President.

His marriage to 29-year-old junior high school teacher Chasten has been a key component of his Pete for America campaign and the focus of much media attention.

'Chasten Buttigieg has been a homeless community college student and a Starbucks barista,' the Washington Post declared on May 1. 'Now, he could be first gentleman.'

The article praised Chasten, 29, for overcoming 'bullying, estrangement, homelessness and sexual assault.’

It described how he was forced out of his family home in Traverse City, northern Michigan, when he revealed his was gay, suffering the further indignity of his mother questioning whether he had AIDS.

'A stalemate took hold of the house. There was a lot of silence, Chasten says, but he remembers hearing one of his brothers utter, ''No brother of mine …''' the Post reported.

'Chasten packed his bags. ''I felt like I just could not be there,'' he says. ''So, I left.'''

In spite of the apparent turmoil, Chasten went on to graduate from the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire with a degree in theater and global studies.

After studying for a Masters in education, he worked as a teacher in Illinois before moving to South Bend, where his spouse has been mayor since 2012.

The Glezman family are pictured at Dustin's (center) wedding in February 2018. 'You can see the love we have for one another,' Dustin said of the photo (l-r, Rhyan, father Terry, Dustin, Chasten, mother Sherri)

Dustin, an Army veteran, tells DailyMailTV that there were times in high school where he 'confronted people who called [Chasten] gay and put him down'

Eldest brother Rhyan Glezman, 34, was quoted last week saying he loves his brother but doesn't approve of the 'gay lifestyle.' He and his wife Erin worship at the church he runs in Clio, Michigan

The couple met on dating app Hinge in 2015 and married in the Episcopalian Cathedral of St. James in South Bend on June 16 last year in front of Chasten's parents as well as Dustin and his wife Diana.

The only members of the family not to attend the nuptials were 34-year-old Rhyan, who is pastor of a small evangelical church in Clio, Michigan, 80 miles north of Detroit, and his wife Erin.

In an interview last week with the Washington Examiner, Rhyan said he chose not to attend because gay marriage is not compatible with his Christian beliefs.

He denied any suggestion he was bigoted or had shunned his brother, stating that since the Post’s article was published he had been the target of abusive emails and messages.

Dustin, who is also a born-again Christian, told DailyMailTV: 'I can wholeheartedly tell you that Rhyan loves our brother.

'Just because he doesn't agree with everything Chasten does, doesn't mean he loves him any less.'

Speaking at his home in a northern suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, Dustin added: 'For me, he's my brother so I was always going to be there for him.

'There was no way I was going to miss my own brother's wedding. People are people, I don't care if they are gay.

'There was a gay guy in my unit in Afghanistan, my wife has a transgender best friend.

'Honestly, I think it's Pete and my brother who are making this such a talking point. Nobody else cares.'

Chasten's mother Sherri and father Terry are close to him and Mayor Pete, pictured attending a Notre Dame football game together. Chasten's parents gave him away at his Episcopal church wedding to Buttigieg

This is the Glezman family refrigerator, which prominently displays photos of Chasten and Buttigieg as well as the other brothers

Dustin said their mother Sherri never quizzed Chasten about having AIDS when he came out to the family, which runs in contrary to his account

The older Glezman siblings also dispute reports suggesting Chasten had an impoverished upbringing.

Their 55-year-old dad Terry - according to the Washington Post, 'so poor that in high school he wore his letterman jacket every day to hide his unwashed clothes' - owns his own construction company.

Mom Sherri, 54, had a small business making Christmas wreaths.

The Glezmans still live in the five-bedroom, $175,000 house where their three sons were raised.

The boys shared jet skis, four-wheelers, a pontoon boat and enjoyed vacations to Disney World and the Bahamas.

'We were not poor, we were not rich, I considered us middle class,' is how Dustin puts it.

They were nominally Catholic but attended church services infrequently.

He and Rhyan were into sports, the outdoors and hunting. Chasten enjoyed fishing trips and shot guns with his siblings but refused to kill an animal.

They all attended Traverse City West Senior High School, where Chasten says he was bullied and subjected to homophobia because of his love of theater.

'There were a couple of times that I confronted people who called him gay and put him down. That's what big brothers do,' Dustin went on.

'When he came out I wasn't surprised. No-one cared, nothing changed - it's all cool man. That "no brother of mine" stuff, that never happened. My mom never quizzed him about AIDS.

'Chasten was never shunned or kicked out. If Chasten left and slept in his car for two weeks that's because Chasten wanted to do that.'

Chasten has been a key component of his husband's Pete for America campaign and the focus of media attention with his quirky tweets and outgoing personality

Pete Buttigieg was featured on the cover of Time Magazine's May issue with husband Chasten

Dustin last saw his younger brother in person in summer 2018 at the funeral of their maternal grandmother, Wanda Fehrenbach.

He texted him in January to offer his condolences after the death of Buttigieg's father Joseph but didn't hear back.

'I just assumed they were busy. You know I really am proud of what they're doing, it takes a lot of hard work,' he said. 'Hats off to them. But when I read the articles, yes, I was hurt.'

It is unlikely that Dustin will be casting a ballot for his brother-in-law because he typically votes GOP.

But if a candidate shared his views on strengthening border controls and preserving the Electoral College, Dustin insists he would happily vote for them - Republican or Democrat, gay or straight. Buttigieg has spoken in favor of abolishing the electoral college.

Dustin said he wants to build bridges with his baby-faced younger brother - but says that has to start with the truth.

'My family has been put under the microscope, all for the sake of having a sob story to sell to the voters,' Dustin added.

'Chasten and Pete are great people, there's no reason to make things up. They should just be themselves.

'We had amazing parents who gave us everything. We had a loving childhood. I love my family dearly, all of them.

'I had the best parents anyone could ask for and the best brothers anyone could ask for - and that's the truth.'