Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegButtigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice Hillicon Valley: FBI, DHS warn that foreign hackers will likely spread disinformation around election results | Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day | Trump to meet with Republican state officials on tech liability shield Facebook takes down Chinese network targeting Philippines, Southeast Asia and the US MORE, the openly gay mayor of South Bend, Ind., on Sunday slammed Vice President Pence while saying that his marriage to Chasten Buttigieg has brought him "closer to God."

"Being married to Chasten has made me a better human being because it has made me more compassionate, more understanding, more self-aware and more decent," he said at the LGBTQ Victory Fund's annual brunch.

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"My marriage to Chasten has made me a better man. And yes, Mr. Vice President, it has moved me closer to God," he added, prompting applause.

Pence has opposed legalizing gay marriage, something he says stems from his Christian faith. Pence is evangelical, and prior to the White House attended a church affiliated with the Evangelical Free Church of America, while Buttigieg is Episcopalian.

Buttigieg, who is seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination for president, added Sunday that if Pence and others have a "problem" with who Buttigieg is, then their problem is not with Buttigieg but with his "creator."

"Speaking only for myself, I can tell you that if me being gay was a choice, it was a choice that was made far, far above my pay grade," Buttigieg said.

"And that’s the thing I wish the Mike Pences of the world would understand," he continued. "If you’ve got a problem with who I am, your problem is not with me. Your quarrel, sir, is with my creator."