Meet Biden’s new highly qualified executive queer, Curtis Ried
Joe Biden‘s National Security Council has a new chief of staff, and he’s here, queer, and everybody’s already used to it!Curtis Ried becomes the first out LGBTQ’er to hold the position, reports NBC News.“We are excited to have Curtis take on this critical leadership role for our team,” said a statement from National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. “I’m confident he will bring to it his trademark smarts, skills, and collegiality, sharpened across his nearly 20 years as a Foreign Service Officer and multiple tours at the NSC.”Related: President Biden vows to help trans people reach their “God-given potential”Ried leaves his previous job as senior director for multilateral affairs at the NSC, and he has been a foreign service officer with the State Department of State for nearly two decades.His work across the Middle East makes him uniquely qualified for the gig.
He’s worked in Algeria, East Timor, Indonesia, Iraq and Israel. He served as a political adviser to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.He’s also frequently on Joe Biden’s overseas trips.Related: Thirsty videos of Biden’s secret service agent have the nation hot and bothered“Ried in particular played a key role in working with the United Nations and rebuilding the refugee admissions program,” NBC reports.During an LGBTQ employee resource group meeting at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence in April, Ried, “urged participants to decide at the beginning of their careers to be their full selves,” according to the agency. “He explained that only part of that is the personal decision of when and how to come out in the workplace.
