The U.S. Senate on Tuesday confirmed
the nomination of Chantale Wong.
Wong makes history as the first out
lesbian – and the first LGBTQ person of color – confirmed to an
ambassador-level role.
Wong will head the Asian Development
Bank, which seeks to promote economic development in the
Asian-Pacific region.
Passage was bipartisan with 66 senators
voting for her confirmation.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights
(NCLR) applauded the vote.
“When President Biden took office a
year ago, he pledged to transform the Executive Branch by including
appointments that reflected the full diversity of our great nation –
including people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community,”
NCLR Executive Director Imani Rupert-Gordon said in a statement.
“From appointing Secretary Buttigieg and Admiral Rachel Levine –
the first Senate-confirmed openly gay and transgender cabinet-level
appointments respectively – to today’s confirmation of Ambassador
Wong, it is clear that President Biden is intent on fulfilling that
promise.”
“While there is still much work to be done on
elevating LGBTQ nominees to federal judicial roles, we are heartened
to see LGBTQ individuals finally being represented in the highest
levels of government for the first time in history,” Rupert-Gordon
added.
Bill Hormel became the first openly gay
ambassador in 1999. He was appointed by former President Bill
Clinton.
Wong has previously served as a U.S.
representative to the Asian Development Bank.