Search form

Scroll To Top
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

See All 2024's Most Impactful and Influential LGBTQ+ People
Artists
Disruptors
Educators
Groundbreakers
Innovators
Storytellers
'Gentlelady' Nancy Mace shouts T word repeatedly in House hearing
None

Christopher Wiggins

Christopher Wiggins is a senior national reporter for The Advocate. He has a rich career in storytelling and highlighting underrepresented voices. Growing up in a bilingual household in Germany, his German mother and U.S. Army father exposed him to diverse cultures early on, influencing his appreciation for varied perspectives and communication. His work in Washington, D.C., primarily covers the nexus of public policy, politics, law, and LGBTQ+ issues. Wiggins' reporting focuses on revealing lesser-known stories within the LGBTQ+ community. Key moments in his career include traveling with Vice President Kamala Harris and interviewing her in the West Wing about LGBTQ+ support. In addition to his national and political reporting, Wiggins represents The Advocate in the White House Press Pool and is a member of several professional journalistic organizations, including the White House Correspondentsā€™ Association, Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and Society of Professional Journalists. His involvement in these groups highlights his commitment to ethical journalism and excellence in the field. Follow him on X/Twitter @CWNewser (https://twitter.com/CWNewser) and Threads @CWNewserDC (https://www.threads.net/@cwnewserdc).

Christopher Wiggins is a senior national reporter for The Advocate. He has a rich career in storytelling and highlighting underrepresented voices. Growing up in a bilingual household in Germany, his German mother and U.S. Army father exposed him to diverse cultures early on, influencing his appreciation for varied perspectives and communication. His work in Washington, D.C., primarily covers the nexus of public policy, politics, law, and LGBTQ+ issues. Wiggins' reporting focuses on revealing lesser-known stories within the LGBTQ+ community. Key moments in his career include traveling with Vice President Kamala Harris and interviewing her in the West Wing about LGBTQ+ support. In addition to his national and political reporting, Wiggins represents The Advocate in the White House Press Pool and is a member of several professional journalistic organizations, including the White House Correspondentsā€™ Association, Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and Society of Professional Journalists. His involvement in these groups highlights his commitment to ethical journalism and excellence in the field. Follow him on X/Twitter @CWNewser (https://twitter.com/CWNewser) and Threads @CWNewserDC (https://www.threads.net/@cwnewserdc).

Politics

'Gentlelady' Nancy Mace shouts T word repeatedly in House hearing

The GOP chair of the committee refused to condemn Nancy Mace's comments saying, "I'm not up to date on my politically correct LGBTQ terminology."

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, who is known for her political stunts, is making it clear that she has no interest in backing down from anti-trans rhetoric. After repeatedly shouting an anti-trans slur during a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday, Mace escalated her attacks furtherā€”pinning a clip of herself saying the slur to the top of her official X account with the caption, ā€œRumor has it, saying it three times summons a Leftist meltdown.ā€

Sign up for the Out Newsletter to keep up with what's new in LGBTQ+ culture and entertainment ā€” delivered three times a week straight (wellā€¦) to your inbox!

At the hearing, Mace targeted funding for transgender-inclusive programs abroad, mischaracterizing a USAID grant to trans-led organizations in Guatemala and weaponizing anti-trans rhetoric to make her point.

ā€œDoes this advance the interests of American citizens, paying for tr*****s in Guatemala to the tune of $2 million?ā€ she asked.

Democratic Virginia U.S. Rep. Gerry Connolly, the committeeā€™s ranking member, swiftly condemned her language.

ā€œThe gentlelady has used a phrase that is considered a slur in the LGBTQ community and the transgender community,ā€ Connolly said.

Rather than reconsider her words, Mace leaned in.

ā€œTr***y, tr***y, tr***y!ā€ she shouted. ā€œI donā€™t really care! You want penises in womenā€™s bathrooms, and Iā€™m not going to have it!ā€

As Connolly attempted to restore order, Mace cut him off again, saying, ā€œIā€™m not gonna be counseled by a man over men in womenā€™s spaces or men who have mental health issues dressing as women.ā€

Rather than condemn her language, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, a Kentucky Republican, dismissed concerns, claiming he was unfamiliar with what counts as offensive.

ā€œI will be honest with the ranking member,ā€ Comer said. ā€œIā€™m not up to date on my politically correct LGBTQ terminology.ā€

GLAAD issued a strong statement calling out her repeated use of an anti-trans slur as a calculated attack on the transgender community.

ā€œA number of high-profile people have repeated this hurtful slur, not realizing it was a slur with decades of violence and hate attached to it, and theyā€™ve taken the time to do the right thing after,ā€ a GLAAD spokesperson told The Advocate. ā€œThe best course of action is to educate yourself, take the time to learn about transgender people, apologize genuinely, and donā€™t do it again.ā€

However, the organization noted that Maceā€™s repeated use of the term was no accident.

ā€œIn an ideal world, an elected official such as Rep. Mace would take this opportunity to educate herself and her followers about the dangerous impacts of using anti-trans slurs, and genuinely apologize,ā€ the spokesperson added. ā€œBut itā€™s clear that this wasnā€™t just a simple uneducated misstep. Rep. Maceā€™s repeated use of an anti-trans slur today is part of her hyper-calculated, pathetic scramble to viciously attack her transgender and LGBTQ constituents. She was elected to do a job ā€“ advocate for the needs of her constituents. But instead, sheā€™s disgustingly using her stint in Congress to push hate and vitriol, as if sheā€™s auditioning for some fictitious reality show about the worst of America.ā€

The stunt is just the latest in a series of inflammatory actions by Mace, who has positioned herself as a leading voice in the GOPā€™s war against transgender rights. The South CarolinaĀ Republican has introduced anti-trans bathroom bans, misgendered DelawareĀ Democratic Congresswoman Sarah McBride, the first out trans member of Congress, and sought to use congressional hearings as platforms to push anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.

Maceā€™s latest outburst is just part of a larger pattern of targeting transgender Americans. In November, she introduced two anti-trans bathroom billsā€”one specifically aimed at McBride and another that would ban transgender people from using restrooms in federal buildings across the country.

Maceā€™s Capitol bathroom ban didnā€™t make it into the 119thā€™s Congress rules package, but Speaker Mike Johnson implemented it at his discretion anyway. The ban bars McBride and other transgender women from using womenā€™s facilities in the House of Representatives.

McBride herself has dismissed Maceā€™s stunts as a distraction.

Maceā€™s rhetoric represents a stark departure from her past positioning as a moderate Republican on LGBTQ+ issues. In 2021, she co-sponsored the ā€œServing Our LGBTQ Veterans Act,ā€ which sought to create a center for LGBTQ+ veterans within the Department of Veterans Affairs. That same year, she claimed to support ā€œtransgender equalityā€ and even called herself a pro-LGBTQ+ Republican.

ā€œI strongly support LGBTQ rights and equality,ā€ Mace told the Washington Examiner in 2021. ā€œNo one should be discriminated against.ā€

But as the Republican Party has increasingly embraced anti-LGBTQ+ extremism, Mace has followed suit, using inflammatory rhetoric to raise her national profile.

Celebrities like Lance Bass, Gabourey Sidibe, and Carlos Santana have all previously used the term publicly but later expressed remorse and sought to educate themselves and others on why it is harmful.

Santana, for instance, faced backlash after making anti-trans comments at a concert in 2023. He later apologized, writing, ā€œI am sorry for my insensitive comments. They donā€™t reflect that I want to honor and respect all personsā€™ ideals and beliefs.ā€ Sidibe and Bass similarly apologized after using the slur, acknowledging its dehumanizing impact.

Mace, however, is leaning into the hate, further escalating a political environment already rife with threats against LGBTQ+ people. GLAADā€™s Alert Desk reported that there were an average of 2.5 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents per day in 2024, fueled in part by dehumanizing rhetoric like Maceā€™s.

ā€œThe apology should be just as loud, if not louder than, the use of the slur,ā€ the GLAAD spokesperson added.

See All 2024's Most Impactful and Influential LGBTQ+ People
Artists
Disruptors
Educators
Groundbreakers
Innovators
Storytellers