POLITICS
Jean-Pierre Is First Black Lesbian to Lead WH Briefi ng
Biden administration spokesperson acknowledges historic presser
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
Karine Jean-Pierre, the
White House principal
deputy press secretary,
made history on May
26 as the fi rst out Black lesbian
woman to deliver a White House
press briefi ng.
Nearly 30 years ago, Judy Smith,
the deputy press secretary to President
George H.W. Bush, became
the fi rst Black woman to issue
statements in the James S. Brady
Briefi ng Room. Now Jean-Pierre,
who was born in Martinique but
raised in Queens, New York, is following
her legacy. According to the
Washington Blade, former deputy
White House press secretary Eric
Schultz became the fi rst out gay
man to lead a White House press
briefi ng in 2015.
“It’s a real honor to be standing
here today,” Jean-Pierre said. “I appreciate
Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre is the fi rst out LGBTQ Black woman to speak for the
White House.
the historic nature. I really
do. But I believe that being behind
this podium, being in this room, being
in this building is not about one
person. It’s about what we do on behalf
of the American people. Clearly,
the president believes that representation
REUTERS/EVELYN HOCKSTEIN
matters, and I appreciate him
giving me this opportunity, and it’s
another reason why I think we’re
all so proud that this is the most diverse
administration in history.”
She added, “This is not about
me. This is not about any of us.
And anytime I’m behind here …
we are going to be truthful, we’re
going to be transparent, and that’s
the way I believe the president
would want us to communicate to
the American people.”
Jean-Pierre joins several
prominent LGBTQ offi cials in
the Biden-Harris administration,
including Transportation
Secretary Pete Buttigieg and
Gautam Raghavan, an out gay
Indian-American man who is
the deputy director for the Offi ce
of Presidential Personnel. Previously,
Jean-Pierre served as a
political analyst on NBC and
MSNBC and was the chief public
affairs offi cer for MoveOn.org, a
public policy advocacy group
and political action committee.
While this is Jean-Pierre’s fi rst
time at the podium, she has given
informal briefi ngs known as “gaggles”
to reporters in the past.
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