Karine Jean-Pierre on coming out: ‘It wasn’t an easy thing to do’
Karine Jean-Pierre, the first Black and openly LGBTQ+ White House press secretary, shared her personal story of coming out. In a video posted to Twitter in honour of National Coming Out Day on 11 October, the 48-year-old said it “wasn’t an easy thing to do” for her.
She added that she comes from a “traditional and conservative” family where being LGBTQ+ “wasn’t something you mentioned out loud or celebrated”. “But my family, like many many other families, grew to accept who I was,” she further explained. “They saw that who I was didn’t change who I was as a person and it didn’t change the things I liked to do and it didn’t change the goals I had for my life.” Jean-Pierre continued: “The beauty of America is its freedoms and the promise that you can achieve your dreams not matter your race, sex, country of origin, sexual orientation or gender identity. “This is something we continue to strive toward and fight for particularly as we continue to see a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation across the country.” Following up her words in a series of tweets, she said it’s important to not “feel discouraged if you come out and your family doesn’t embrace you right away.” Jean-Pierre made history earlier this year when she took on the press secretary role, becoming the first Black and openly LGBTQ+ person to hold the position.
At the time, she shared that she was “still processing” the achievement and stated that the “historic moment” was “not lost” on her.
