White House Appoints First Ever Male And First Openly Gay Individual As Social Secretary

Friday, the White House announced the appointment of the first male and the first openly gay social secretary, Jeremy Bernard, according to a report by the New York Times. The President said in an e-mail statement in part that "Jeremy shares our vision for the White House as the People’s House, one that celebrates our history and culture in dynamic and inclusive ways. We look forward to Jeremy continuing to showcase America’s arts and culture to our nation and the world through the many events at the White House.” Currently, Mr. Bernard, 49, serves as senior adviser to the United States ambassador to France. He previously was the White House liaison to the National Endowment for the Humanities. He declined to be interviewed, but in an e-mail statement said, “I am deeply humbled to join the White House staff as social secretary and support President Obama and the first lady in this role.” Mr. Bernard was an early supporter of President Obama’s candidacy in California, where Bernard, and his partner Rufus Gifford, helped raised millions of dollars in campaign contribution. Mr. Bernard will start sometime in March, and will be the third social secretary in the Obama administration. The first was Desiree Rogers, who was also the first black social secretary. She resigned in 2010 and was followed by Julianna Smoot, a fund-raising powerhouse and political operative who stepped down in February, after just 10 months on the job, to join the president’s re-election shop in Chicago. Chad Griffin, a friend of Mr. Bernard’s and a political strategist in California who helped lead a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutional validity of Proposition 8, the voter-approved measure that prohibits same-sex marriage in that state, said of the appointment that “As the first man and first LGBT American to hold the post, Jeremy’s appointment underscores the president’s commitment to diversity.”