This White House staffer explains what it was like to come out to President Obama
A White House staffer has opened up about her experiences coming out… to the President of the United States.
A rising star in the field, Monique Dorsainvil has served in the White House during the Obama administration as the Deputy Chief of Staff for the Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs.
She spoke to NBC about her experience coming out to the President during a casual discussion.
Ms Dorsainvil said: “A moment I will never forget at the White House was President Obama’s response when I mentioned my partner.
“I was briefing him en route from the Oval Office to a stakeholder briefing in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. It was August 3rd 2012 and the President’s birthday was the following day August 4th and my birthday was the day after that on August 5th.
“After I finished briefing the President on the range of stakeholders at the convening, we discussed being Leos and our upcoming birthdays and what we had planned. I mentioned my partner was planning a small dinner for me with close friends.
“When I said ‘partner’ he didn’t flinch. He didn’t even blink.
“He just looked at me and said, ‘Oh, what does she do?’
“That was his first question, and to me, that spoke volumes.”
Last week, President Obama delivered a speech after visiting survivors of the mass shooting in Orlando’s Pulse nightclub.
He said: “Here in Orlando, we are reminded not only of our obligations as a country to be resolute against terrorists, we are reminded not only of the need for us to implement smarter policies to prevent mass shootings, we’re also reminded of what unites us as Americans, and that what unites us is far stronger than the hate and the terror of those who target us.
“For so many people here who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, the Pulse Nightclub has always been a safe haven, a place to sing and dance, and most importantly, to be who you truly are — including for so many people whose families are originally from Puerto Rico. Sunday morning, that sanctuary was violated in the worst way imaginable.
“So whatever the motivations of the killer, whatever influences led him down the path of violence and terror, whatever propaganda he was consuming from ISIL and al Qaeda, this was an act of terrorism but it was also an act of hate.
“This was an attack on the LGBT community. Americans were targeted because we’re a country that has learned to welcome everyone, no matter who you are or who you love.
“And hatred towards people because of sexual orientation, regardless of where it comes from, is a betrayal of what’s best in us.”
