Chantale Wong to Become First Openly Lesbian Ambassador

Chantale Wong was confirmed last week by the Senate as the U.S. Director of the Asian Development Bank. She will become the first openly lesbian Senate-confirmed ambassador in U.S. history, as well as the first out LGBTQ person of color to ever hold an ambassador-level position. 

“It is with great pride and humility I will serve once again at the ADB and knowing the challenges ahead will be great. I am ready!” says Wong on a Facebook post. 

In a statement, Human Rights Interim President Joni Madison congratulated Wong for the historic confirmation. 

“Congratulations to Ambassador Chantale Wong on her historic confirmation. For too long, the ranks of ambassadors have failed to reflect the diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. Ambassador Wong’s confirmation is one step closer to achieving a feature where all members of the LGBTQ+ community can see themselves reflected at the highest levels of government.

“Ambassador Wong’s confirmation comes at a critical time for United States leadership as the institution conducts its once-in-a-decade review of operating policies that could bolster LGBTQ+ inclusion in its projects across the region,” says Madison. 

Annise Parker, president and CEO of LGBTQ Victory Institute said that “Chantale will represent the most powerful nation in the Asian Development Bank at a time when many of its member states criminalize LGBTQ people and deny them the right to marry” and that Wong will be “a powerful symbol of the Biden administration’s commitment to equality and members states will be forced to notice and respect it.” 

When Wong was nominated in 2021, the White House stated that “Wong is leading authority in international development policy with over 30 years of experience in the multi-disciplinary field that includes finance, technology, and environment. She has been recognized throughout her career for transforming critical processes affecting the whole of government.”  

Wong has served within both the Clinton and the Obama administration and in government for at least 25 years. She has also served as CFO of the Millennium Challenge Corp., budget director at NASA, and acting budget director at the Treasury Department.

Photo courtesy of Facebook