President Joe Biden has decided to name Jessica Stern as the US Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons. As confirmed by the White House, Stern, who currently serves as Executive Director of OutRight Action International will hold the position on Friday.
(OutRight Action International is an organization aimed at ensuring human rights for LGBTQ people both domestically and abroad.)
As told by the White House official, Jessica will join President Biden at the White House on Friday for remarks commemorating Pride Month. The White House said in a statement to CNN, “”The Special Envoy will play a vital role in leading implementation of the Presidential Memorandum on Advancing the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons Around the World.”
They further stated, “At a time when the human rights of LGBTQI+ persons are increasingly threatened in all regions of the world, the Special Envoy will bring together like-minded governments, civil society organizations, corporations and international organizations to uphold dignity and equality for all.”
Jessica Stern is going to be the second person to be named for the role after her predecessor, Randy Berry. Randy served the role since its beginning in 2015 till 2017.
The Twitter handle of OutRight Action shared the news of Jessica’s departure from the organization and congratulated her on being selected as the special envoy for LGBTQ rights for the country.
It is with a mixture of emotions that we announce the forthcoming departure of our executive director, Jessica Stern, who has been selected by the Biden Administration to serve in the role of Special Envoy for International LGBTQI Rights.
Read more here: https://t.co/VnPKMhfLjs pic.twitter.com/RCILn4jJY4— OutRight (@OutRightIntl) June 25, 2021
The White House official told that Biden, during his remarks, will denounce state-level anti-LGBTQ legislation as “un-American” and “legislation disguised as bullying,”
At the time when Republican state lawmakers around the country have proposed various bills against the people of the LGBTQI+ community, Biden administration is bringing Equality Act. According to the official, President Biden will push the Senate to pass the Equality Act. As of now, the act has been passed by the Democrat-led House of Representatives. The Equality Act will provide “overdue, explicit civil rights protections” to members of the LGBTQ community, told the official.
The official stated, “He (Biden) will commend the LGBTQ+ community for their courage and bravery pushing progress forward and recommit to the work ahead to confront the hate, discrimination, and violence facing LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender women of color, at home and around the world.”
