Bytes & Bylines kicks off Correspondents’ weekend with a nod to LGBTQ community

Journalists, politicians and technology leaders kicked off White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner weekend with “Bytes & Bylines” Thursday evening in Washington. 

The event — co-hosted by Allen Gannett, Eric Kuhn, Susanna Quinn, Sarah Kate Ellis, Shua Goodwin and Adam Rathe — returned to the Irish ambassador’s residence on Embassy Row this year. 

Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason treated guests to Irish delicacies, including smoked salmon, bite-sized shepherd’s pie and Irish-distilled beverages.

Guests roamed through the ground floor of the palatial home and gardens, which were decorated in a green reminiscent of the Emerald Isle. 

Nason noted Ireland’s bragging rights as the first country to legalize same-sex marriage following a 2015 referendum and added that the embassy was “proud” to host the Bytes & Bylines reception “in the spirit of accelerating acceptance for LGBTQ people and issues in the United States.”

Sponsored by GLAAD, Ever/Body, and Town & Country, the evening saw a number of notable attendees dip in and out of the event, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif.), Norah O’Donnell, CNN’s Abby Phillip, Chasten Buttigieg, Neera Tanden, and Dan Koh.