Karine Jean-Pierre has been announced as the principal deputy press secretary in the Biden White House.
For the first time in U.S. history, all of the top communications roles in the incoming presidential administration will be filled by women — two of whom are queer women of color. Karine Jean-Pierre has been announced as the principal deputy press secretary in the White House and Pili Tobar will be the deputy White House communications director.
Two of the people acting as the face and voice of our government are queer. It’s incredibly exciting.
President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris today announced new members of the White House staff who will serve in senior communications roles.
For the first time in history, these communications roles will be filled entirely by women.https://t.co/SjWAWJg941
— Biden-Harris Presidential Transition (@Transition46) November 29, 2020
Last year, while serving as the Chief Public Affairs Officer at MoveOn, the progressive public policy advocacy group, and as a political analyst at NBC and MSNBC, Karine Jean-Pierre published her memoir, Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work, and the Promise of America. In it, she proves there is space for everyone in politics, no matter what you might think of as the typical background or narrative for a politician.
If a queer female immigrant could find success in politics, she writes, then so can you.
To celebrate the release of her book, Jean-Pierre stopped by the LGBTQ&A podcast to discuss being a mom, how her queerness affected her career, and what she learned working for a variety of politicians, including President Obama.
Listen to the full interview with Lucia on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Stitcher.
LGBTQ&A is a weekly interview podcast hosted by Jeffrey Masters. Past guests include Pete Buttigieg, Roxane Gay, Trixie Mattel, Laverne Cox, and Rep. Ritchie Torres. Episodes come out every Tuesday.
This podcast was originally taped in November 2019.