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KARINE JEAN-PIERRE
Politics

Meet Karine Jean-Pierre, the History-Making Lesbian on Biden's Staff

After being theĀ first Black person and first out lesbian to hold a chief of staff role for a vice-presidential nominee, she now has her official appointment for the administration.

Karine Jean-Pierre is helping to move the nation forward -- and she's making history in the process.

The political activist and author played a key role as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris made their successful run for the White House. She joined the campaign initially as senior adviser and then became chief of staff to Harris, making Jean-Pierre the first Black person and first out lesbian to hold that position for a vice-presidential nominee. She helped develop long-term strategy and manage day-to-day tactics for the campaign, and she traveled with the candidates to battleground states. Now, Jean-Pierre has been named principal deputy press secretary for the Biden administration, joining Carlos Elizondo, another out staffer who has been named to the administration. Her appointment also makes her a part of the first-ever all-female senior White House communications staff.

When Jean-Pierre joined the campaign, she brought with her experience as a nonprofit leader, commentator, and White House staffer in the Obama administration, plus a drive to make the nation better and more inclusive.

"As a Black gay immigrant who comes from a working-class family, I know that America hasn't always worked for everyone," says the 2020 Out100 honoree, who was born in Martinique to Haitian immigrants and grew up in New York City. "And I know that America still doesn't work for everyone. The truth of the matter is we have a long way to go. But that's what I'm working toward: mobilizing people around this shared vision of what an America that works for everyone could look like -- and then making it happen."

"I believe that that America, one that is stronger and more inclusive, is within reach," she adds, noting that Biden and Harris are the type of leaders needed to help the nation get there. They are "leaders who will work to pull all of us up, not tear some of us down," she says, and she was glad to join them and their millions of supporters in an effort "to make America all it can be for all those who have been left behind."

Many other women of color are pushing the nation in the right direction as well, Jean-Pierre says. More women ran for office in 2020 than ever before, and more than a third of them were women of color.

"Those numbers are exciting, but I also know that numbers aren't everything," she says. "Representation can't always be counted, but it can be felt. And this year, I already feel a change."

There are many issues for these women to address. In 2020, she notes, "All of us have experienced some sort of change and some sort of loss. And for many of us, those changes and losses have been on an almost inconceivably large scale. Millions of Americans have lost a loved one (or ones) to the pandemic. We've watched another nationwide epidemic unfurl this summer as the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and too many other Black people overtook television screens, demonstrating that racism is, unfortunately, just as pervasive."

But Jean-Pierre remains hopeful. "America is progressing towards a stronger, more inclusive future -- and I know women of color are a driving force in that evolution," she says. "Soon, I believe our politics will start to show it a bit more too."

The author of the appropriately titled 2019 book Moving Forward seeks to help others make their voices heard. "This book means a lot to me because while it's a memoir, it's also a map -- a map people can use to get involved in politics and in their communities," she says. "I wanted to demystify the political process and make it accessible to everyone who wants to get involved. Helping open the door for other people will always be something I'm proud of."

A version of this piece was originally published in this year's Out100 issue, out on newstands 12/1. The issue has four cover stars: Janelle Monae, Wilson Cruz, Joe Mantello, and Janaya Khan. To get your own copy directly, support queer media and subscribe -- or download yours for Amazon, Kindle, Nook, or Apple News +. The first-ever Out100 Symposium, titled "How Do We Come Back From This" was hosted by Janaya Khan. Watch the first-ever Out100 Virtual Honoree Induction Ceremony on the Out100 Live landing page.

Trudy Ring

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Joe Biden signing a document at the White House
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Alex Cooper

Politics

President Biden signs 1st federal anti-LGBTQ+ bill in nearly 30 years

This new bill, signed into law by President Joe Biden, includes a provision that limits access to gender-affirming care services for the children of people serving in the military.

President Joe Biden signed an almost $900 billion defense bill even though the bill included a provision containing restrictions on gender-affirming care for transgender youth.

After months of negotiating between Democrats and Republicans, the National Defense Authorization Act has passed in both the House and the Senate in recent weeks (via The Advocate). One issue in the bill was a measure to ban the military's TRICARE insurance from covering some gender-affirming care treatments. However, other issues that were struck from the final bill included restrictions on abortion access and DEI initiatives in the military.

Biden said that he and his administration "strongly opposes" restrictions on gender-affirming care for trans youth in a White House statement released after he signed the bill.

"By prohibiting the use of appropriated funds, the Department of Defense will be compelled to contravene clinical practice guidelines and clinical recommendations. The provision targets a group based on that group's gender identity and interferes with parents' roles to determine the best care for their children," Biden said. "This section undermines our all-volunteer military's ability to recruit and retain the finest fighting force the world has ever known by denying health care coverage to thousands of our service members's children," Biden.

Biden added: "No service member should have to decide between their family's health care access and their call to serve our Nation."

President Joe Biden at a Pride Month eventPresident Joe Biden at a Pride Month event.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Many Democrats in the House and the Senate had condemned the language of the bill, accusing Speaker Mike Johnson of trying to shore up support for his speakership by introducing such a conservative measure. Only 10 Democratic senators voted against the bill. Most House Democrats voted against it.

Ranking House Armed Services Democrat U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, called the measure "bigoted against the trans community," as reported by Politico.

Kelley Robinson, the president of LGBTQ+ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), also condemned the signing in a press release.

"Military families lay everything on the line for our country. They uproot and move at a moment's notice, make immense personal sacrifices, and often risk their lives in defense of our freedoms. In turn, that sacrifice has been met with disrespect and the use of their children as a political bargaining chip."

The statement continued: "For them, this law is not about politics ā€” it's about losing the freedom to make their own health care decisions. Congress and the White House have failed military families. This country's first anti-LGBTQ+ federal law in almost 30 years disgraces those who have sacrificed so much."

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