Amidst the media flurry surrounding the Obama administration’s decision last week to discontinue court defense of the DOMA, the White House made another landmark move in support of LGBT equality.
Officials announced last Friday that Jeremy Bernard, an openly gay senior adviser to the U.S. ambassador to France, will assume the position of President’ Obama’s Social Secretary. A San Antonio native and well-known California fundraiser on behalf of both the Democratic Party and the Obama campaign, Bernard was previously appointed to serve as an Obama White House liaison to the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, described Bernard as “competent” and “gracious under pressure,” and explained that he “has distinguished himself as a leader in a number of fields.”
“We celebrate his appointment not merely because of the ground that he is breaking but because we know that he will serve the President and First Lady exceptionally well,” said Solmonese.
Bernard’s appointment as the first male Social Secretary marks the 155th appointment of an openly LGBT person to the Obama Administration.
