by Venus Sanders
Dia Dipasupil / Staff | Credit: Getty Images
Outfest, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit dedicated to empowering marginalized creators in the entertainment industry and curating queer, LGBTQ+, and underrepresented stories, has announced its inaugural Outfest Achievement Award for Press and Media, which will be presented to Karine Jean-Pierre.
This prestigious award will be given during the Closing Night of the 41st Outfest Los Angeles Summer Festival, sponsored by Genesis Motor America and Warner Bros. Discovery. The award celebrates the representation of the LGBTQ+ community in media and recognizes Karine Jean-Pierre's groundbreaking and historic contributions to the Press and Media.
Nii-Quartelai Quartey, Outfest Board Co-President, expressed excitement about recognizing Karine Jean-Pierre's achievements and the inspiration she brings to the Black and LGBTQ+ communities. He also highlighted the positive impact on Outfest Press Fellows, who have been inspired by her remarkable career.
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Coinciding with this award, Outfest has made a new investment in journalism through the Outfest Inclusive Press Initiative, a groundbreaking press program exclusively for LGBTQ+ entertainment journalists. The initiative provides emerging film critics, broadcasters, and journalists with unrestricted access to cover the Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, mentorship from journalists at renowned media outlets, and a stipend.
The program aims to foster diversity and inclusivity in entertainment journalism. This year's fellows include talented individuals like Gisselle Palomera, Jireh Deng, Joey Harvey, Kayla Thompson, Kelsey Brown, Kristian Fanene Schmidt, Lindsay Lee Wallace, Marcus'Anthony II, Ose Ehianeta Arheghan, Eli Press-Reynolds, and Shahamat Mohammed Uddin.
Karine Jean-Pierre's illustrious career includes her current role as the White House press secretary since May 2022, making her the first openly LGBTQ+ person to serve in this position. Before that, she was the deputy press secretary and served as the chief of staff for Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris during the 2020 presidential campaign. Her diverse experience also includes key roles in organizations like MoveOn.org and the Obama-Biden administration.
Drew Angerer / Staff | Credit: Getty Images
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The Outfest Los Angeles, which commenced on July 13 and runs until July 23, features a comprehensive program of LGBTQ+ films and events. The Closing Night Gala and other festival events can be accessed through outfestla.org.
Outfest LA is made possible by presenting sponsors Genesis Motor America and Warner Bros. Discovery, along with grand sponsors IMDb and Friends at Work. Other sponsors supporting the festival include West Hollywood Travel + Tourism Board, Gilead Sciences, Comcast NBCUniversal, Hornitos, Sony Pictures, The Fight Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, ABC7, On The Red Carpet, APLA Health, Bank of America, UTA, Second Home Hollywood, Amazon and Glamazon, and West One Music Group.