Iowa: The question posed to Pete Buttigieg—gay, married and running for president— came from a supporter at an Iowa campaign stop: What should he tell friends who say America isn't ready to elect a gay man as president?

That prompted a woman in the crowd to object with an expletive, igniting cheers from hundreds. On Friday at an LGBTQ forum in Cedar Rapids, Buttigieg framed his experience as a gay man as an advantage.