Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House principal deputy press secretary, made history on May 26 as the first out Black lesbian woman to deliver a White House press briefing.
Nearly 30 years ago, Judy Smith, the deputy press secretary to President George H.W. Bush, became the first Black woman to issue statements in the James S. Brady Briefing Room. Now Jean-Pierre, who was born in Martinique but raised in Queens, New York, is following her legacy. According to the Washington Blade, former deputy White House press secretary Eric Schultz became the first out gay man to lead a White House press briefing in 2015.
