(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Kicking off a White House press briefing on Tuesday, press secretary Karine Jean–Pierre told her personal “coming out” story to commemorate “National Coming Out Day.”
Jean–Pierre—whose intersectional identity as a black, lesbian immigrant was one of her primary qualifications for the current position—took several minutes to recount her personal story of coming out as gay to her friends and family, the Post Millennial reported.
“So today is National Coming Out Day, and so I wanted to start by sharing my own coming out story,” Jean–Pierre began.
“Like so many in the LGBTQ community, coming out wasn’t an easy thing to do,” she explained. “My family was traditional and conservative; being gay in my family wasn’t something that you mention out loud or celebrated.”
She continued, saying that her family came to accept who she was.
“The beauty of America is its freedoms, and the promise that you can achieve your dreams no matter your race, sex, country of origin, sexual orientation or gender identity,” she added. “This is something we continue to strive for.”
Jean–Pierre went on to imply that there was a “wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation” being pushed across the country, but did not specify what legislation that could be.
She also thanked President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden for supporting the gay community, and for promising that as an administration they will “continue to stand with those who come out, and … those who are thinking about coming out.”
White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha, was then invited to the podium to deliver his remarks.
Jha explained that the pandemic was waning and gave Biden credit for the successful handling of the situation.
Once back on stage, Jean–Pierre discussed Russia’s ongoing aggression and protests in Iran.
She did not mention the holiday again in the briefing.
