Meet an LGBTQ+ trailblazer at CNN

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🏳️‍🌈 This is what Pride looks like at CNN

By Erica Hernandez

A rainbow flag flies at a Pride march in New York in June 2022. (Erik McGregor/LightRocket/Getty Images)

June is Pride Month, a time when the world’s LGBTQ+ communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves.

In honor of that, we’re shining a light on one person who has worked to improve CNN’s culture and coverage every day of the year.

Jen Christensen is currently a writer with CNN’s Health Unit. Over the nearly 21 years she’s spent at the organization, she’s also worked as a producer in CNN’s Documentary and Investigative units, and she got her start managing writers and editors as a producer for CNN Newsource. She’s also the national board secretary for NLGJA, the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists.

Here’s a glimpse into Christensen's life and career:

“As journalists, I hope we will continue to tell these important stories so people understand that these political efforts have real consequences that hurt people.”

- Jen Christensen, writer

“As journalists, I hope we will continue to tell these important stories so people understand that these political efforts have real consequences that hurt people.”

- Jen Christensen, writer

What does Pride Month mean to you?

Pride Month has always been a time to raise awareness about serious issues, but it is also a time to celebrate. Some people dismiss Pride parades as being too corporate, but I love marching with Warner Bros. Discovery and seeing not just our community on the street but also families and church members and other communities cheering their LGBTQ+ neighbors and friends on as they march. Support is key, and so is joy.

You've been involved with NLGJA for many years now. How did you first learn about and join the organization?

I joined the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists back when I was in local news, working at an affiliate in Indianapolis that made anchors sign contracts that essentially said that they couldn’t come out. The contracts had what was known as a “morals clause.” Being “out” about being a part of the LGBTQ+ community would essentially be seen as immoral. I later had to sign similar contracts when I worked at other stations as a show producer. I knew this was unfair, and I knew it hurt those who couldn’t be their authentic selves on or even off air. I learned from a friend, Judy Wolf, a copy editor at the Indianapolis Star at the time, about this professional association that was fighting those clauses. I couldn’t help but join. I attended my first convention in Miami in 1996, and I haven’t missed one since.

Christensen attends a meeting for NLGJA, the Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, in 2017.

In your view, what are the biggest challenges the LGBTQ+ community is facing now?

LGBTQ+ people are still a regular target of conservative politicians. Teachers can’t even show a movie with a gay character in it, and librarians are having to fight to keep books on the shelves. People who identify as trans — even trans children — are continuously attacked just for living their lives. I could go on, but until LGBTQ+ people are treated fairly, there’s much work left to do. As journalists, I hope we will continue to tell these important stories so people understand that these political efforts have real consequences that hurt people.

💳 CNN insider rec of the week

Brought to you by CNN Underscored

This Pride month, don’t fall for the rainbow-covered corporate pinkwashing, and instead try to support independent brands led by the LGBTQ+ community. Discover 16 LGBTQ-owned beauty brands and hear from a few founders across skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care, to support this Pride month and beyond.

📢 before you go

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