If Democrats prefer to destroy their own chances of winning back the White House before the 2020 primaries even begin, that’s their prerogative. And if they continue attacking candidates based on their identities — or apparent lack thereof — rather than their policies, Donald Trump could very well secure the Oval Office for a second term with a substantial victory.

But hey, that’s their choice.

If the left enjoys a circular firing squad as much as it seems, they got their wish in recent months. The most diverse pool of presidential candidates in American history are throwing their hats into the ring, seeing the president’s attacks on immigrants, minorities, the working class and traditionally bipartisan ideas (like providing asylum to refugees arriving at the nation’s borders) as an unprecedented opportunity to upend the status quo and connect with voters who may have outright ignored their platforms in past elections.

However, rather than pressing candidates on their records or encouraging them to adopt new stances — as some voters admittedly have — a faction of the left is hell-bent on massacring anyone they do not view as diverse enough to serve as the next face of the Democratic Party.

Take, for example, Pete Buttigieg. The millennial mayor of South Bend, Indiana could become the first openly gay presidential candidate to be featured on a major party’s ticket. He’s catapulted into the limelight as one of the top fundraisers to explore a presidential bid this year. His once long-shot campaign is receiving attention and donations from across the country. He captured the hearts of American voters with a message of freedom, bipartisan unity and progress, while denouncing “the Mike Pences of the world” who attack his sexuality as a sin in a viral speech this week, which will likely serve as a benchmark for when most voters became aware of his candidacy.

And yet some have decided, essentially, that Mayor Pete is "not gay enough" to represent the LGBTQ+ community in American politics. Recent weeks have brought a string of bad takes from commentators opining about how minority individuals should present themselves on the public stage, including one extraordinarily awful angle titled “Why Pete Buttigieg is bad for gays.”

That article derides Buttigieg’s decision to marry his husband, Chasten, in a traditional setting, mocking the pair for their choice of matching attire during the occasion and suggesting that he is “a very circumscribed sort of gay” receiving “a conditional membership to the club.” The astounding level of such blatant hypocrisy here deserves to be noted; by condemning how the mayor expresses his sexuality and celebrates his love, is the author not perpetrating the same injustice our community has fought against for centuries?

Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Show all 23 1 /23 Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Joe Biden The former vice president - poised to be a frontrunner - has announced his run. He recently faced scrutiny for inappropriate touching of women, but was thought to deal with the criticism well AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Bernie Sanders The 2016 runner-up has announced that he will be running again in 2020 Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Hillary Clinton The 2016 Democratic presidential candidate and former Secretary of State says she is “still considering” whether she will run again. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Pete Buttigieg The Indiana mayor and war veteran will be running for president. If elected, he would be the first openly LGBT+ president in American history. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kamala Harris The former California attorney general will be running for president in 2020. Introduced to the national stage during Jeff Sessions’ testimony, she has endorsed Medicare-for-all and proposed a major tax-credit for the middle class. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Elizabeth Warren The Massachusetts Senator has formally launched her bid for president in 2020. A progressive Democrat, she is a major supporter of regulating Wall Street. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Beto O’Rourke The former Texas congressman told Oprah Winfrey that he “has been thinking about running for presidency”, but stopped short of formally announcing his bid to run in 2020. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Wayne Messam Mayor of the city of Miramar in the Miami metropolitan area, Wayne Messam has announced his bid. He intends to run on a progressive platform against the "broken" federal government. He favours gun regulations and was a signatory to a letter from some 400 mayors condemning President Trump's withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord. Vice News Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Kirsten Gillibrand The New York Senator formally announced her presidential bid in January, saying that “healthcare should be a right, not a privilege.” Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Cory Booker The New Jersey Senator has announced that he will be running for the presidency in 2020. If he secures the nomination he said finding a female vice president would be a priority. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Delaney The Maryland congressman was the first to launch his bid for presidency, making the announcement in 2017. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Julian Castro The former San Antonio mayor announced his candidacy in January and said that his running has a “special meaning” for the Latino community in the US. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Tulsi Gabbard The Hawaii congresswoman announced her candidacy in January, but is likely to face tough questions on her past comments on LGBT+ rights and her stance on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Andrew Yang The entrepreneur has announced his presidential candidacy, and has pledged that he would introduce a universal basic income of $1,000 a month to every American over the age of 18. AFP/Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Marianne Williamson The author and spiritual advisor has announced her intention to run for president. She had previously run for congress as an independent in 2014 but was unsuccessful. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? John Kerry The former secretary of state has said he is still thinking about whether to run. Getty Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Michael Bloomberg The entrepreneur and former New York mayor– with a net worth of around $50bn – has said he will decide by the end of February whether to seek the presidency. AFP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Howard Schultz Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz has not yet ruled out running for president in 2020, despite criticism that his bid could help re-elect Mr Trump by dividing the Democrat vote. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Holder The former attorney general has said he will decide in “the next month or so” whether to run as a 2020 presidential candidate. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Eric Swalwell The California congressman said he is “ready to do this” and will decide before April whether to run. MSNBC Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Terry McAuliffe The former Virginia governor, who worked to elect Democratic governors during 2018 midterms, said there was a “50 per cent” chance he would run. AP Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Sherrod Brown The Ohio senator is still undecided about whether to run for president in 2020. Who could be running against Trump in 2020? Mitch Landrieu The former New Orleans mayor said he doesn’t think he will run for president, but “never say never”. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin

Another (since-changed) headline read “Is Pete Buttigieg just another white male candidate, or does his gayness count as diversity?”

“With momentum comes backlash, currently in the form of frustration that the well-qualified female and black candidates in the race are getting shoved aside for another white guy,” that article reads.

There is an understandable point these pieces are trying to make: Mayor Pete’s ability to blend into mainstream society might produce unrealistic expectations for all gay men in America to act or look a certain way. Because the most prominent gay man in American politics possesses a certain “straightness” in his character, we won't be taken seriously if we're flamboyant. Because he is of strict religious faith, and a veteran, and being that he did not meet his husband on "the app you may have been thinking of", that means most of us will still be constrained by rigid requirements, rather than accepted for who we really are. Such requirements have long existed in society for gay men, calling on us to essentially suppress our queerness in order to conform. Pete’s candidacy only reinforces those attitudes, according to his newfound critics.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Who knows whether Mayor Pete actually has a shot at winning the 2020 elections — or even the Democratic nomination? Maybe America isn’t ready for a gay president. As he says, “there’s only one way to find out.” But should he not receive the same attention as other diverse candidates because he isn’t enough of a minority? If the argument here really is that female candidates are being “pushed aside” to make way for “just another white guy,” that theory is disproven by the fact that Kamala Harris out-raised Pete Buttigieg by $5m (£3.8m) in their first announced hauls. When identity politics turns on itself, we can end up ignoring a lot of people who have struggled to get where they are today, only to be told that they aren't oppressed enough for their struggles to count.

We’re at a point where it seems voters may be willing to look past a candidate’s queerness, or their blackness, or anything that deems them to be “other” in mainstream society. And it's important to note that Mayor Pete appears to be an ally to intersectional minorities. “We've got to end the war on trans Americans and we need a federal Equality Act that would say that you cannot be fired just because of who you are or just because you love,” he recently said.