When word quietly spread earlier this month that Pete Buttigieg wasn’t planning to attend a major LGBTQ event Friday in Iowa, it reinforced a nagging perception among some in a community that otherwise has largely been excited by the rise of a credible, openly gay candidate for president.

Why, some activists wondered, did Buttigieg seem so reluctant to discuss their issues?

As other Democrats RSVP’d yes, organizers publicly announced confirmed candidates and waited for a firm answer either way from the mayor of South Bend, Indiana.

“I would have thought that instead of seeing Cory Booker and Joe Biden and Julián Castro — these people are coming — well, where’s Buttigieg? I thought he’d be the first on the list,” said Elizabeth Medina, an LGBTQ leader in Iowa. “That infuriates me. You don’t want to come to something that’s part of your community?”

Eventually, according to an email obtained by BuzzFeed News, a top campaign official sent Buttigieg’s regrets: “I’m afraid Pete won’t be able to make it.”

Buttigieg, who will participate in an MSNBC climate change program earlier Friday in Washington, quickly changed his mind and fit the Iowa event into his schedule. He is now among 10 Democrats expected to speak that night at the LGBTQ Presidential Forum in Cedar Rapids. But his hesitation, to some, is a red flag. Advocates who spoke to BuzzFeed News said they feel he is falling short on key LGBTQ rights issues. They are waiting, they said, for Buttigieg to focus more forcefully and explicitly — especially in televised debates — on issues of employment discrimination, violence, and transgender rights.

Advocates say it’s not just Buttigieg who has fallen short in addressing the unique constellation of issues affecting queer people, and particularly queer people of color, who are often the first people impacted by discriminatory policies. So far, few candidates have released detailed plans that speak explicitly to LGBTQ rights.