Does It Matter That She’s A Lesbian? Yes! Yes it does!

US Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris made history as the first Asian-African-American woman to take the office. One of her first acts was to appoint a lesbian woman of colour as chief of staff. Here’s why that matters so much…

LIKE many other Brits, I sat up into the small hours to watch Kamala Harris and Joe Biden address the world after being declared Vice President and President Elect of the United States.

As a former journalist, I was fascinated by the way everything was playing out and, as an eternal optimist with political leanings to the left of centre, I saw this election as a beacon of hope — something that’s felt sorely lacking this year!

There were so many firsts playing out, right before my eyes: this was the first time an incumbent POTUS had been ousted from the seat of power since Reagan v Carter in 1980; it’s the first time we’ve had a female Vice President, as well as the first Asian-American, African-American in the role, and the first time the daughter of an immigrant has been elected to office.

It’s also, of course, the first time a large-scale press conference has been held in the parking lot of a…