In this special series, LGBT celebrities and public figures talk to Tim Teeman about the Stonewall Riots and their legacy—see more here.

Pete Buttigieg, mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is running to be the Democratic Party’s candidate in the 2020 presidential election. If successful, he would be the first openly gay president of the United States.

Buttigieg did not respond to these four questions sent to him by The Daily Beast: When and how did you first hear about the Stonewall Riots and what did you make of them? What is their significance for you? How far have LGBT people come since 1969? What would you like to see, LGBT-wise, in the next 50 years?

Instead, Buttigieg sent this statement:

“In the 50 years since Stonewall, it’s been extraordinary to see the awakening of the LGBTQ+ community. As the first out elected official running for president, it’s hard to believe how quickly these changes have come to our society, but also hard to live with just how much work remains ahead of us.

“And in those 50 years we’ve seen a remarkable transformation: the awakening of an identity that learned how to exert political force and issue a moral call for our nation to do better when it comes to equality. I’m proud to be a part of that, standing on the shoulders of giants in a tradition that goes back to Stonewall and before, and I’m eager for the gains to be made on the road ahead.”