During the last couple of months we’ve seen celebrities like Caitlyn Jenner and Lavern Cox be featured on the covers of women’s magazines talking about being transgender. We’ve seen the struggles they’ve been through in order to become the person they want to be. President Barrack Obama recently made history by appointing Raffi Freedman-Gurspan as the first transgender to hold the position of White House LGBT liaison since it was established 21 years ago.
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Freedman-Gurspan is Latina and she became the first openly transgender White House staff member last year and since August she’s been the outreach and recruitment director in the presidential personnel office. She’s been very active in the LGBT community, having seved as a policy adviser for the National Center for Transgender Equality and even led a racial and economic justice initiative, which focuses on low-income and transgender people of color.
“President Obama has said he wants his administration to look like America, and they have moved to include trans Americans,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality. “Raffi’s skills and personality make her the exact right person for this important job.”
President Obama’s Track Record With the LGBT Community
- Repealed the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy allowing LGBT Americans to serve openly in the Armed Forces
- Ended the Legal Defense of Marriage Act allowing gay and lesbian couples to receive the same Federal rights and legal protections as straight couples
- Signed a Historic Hate Crimes Legislation, which extends the coverage of Federal hate crimes law to include attacks based on the vitim’s sexual orientation or gender identity
- Ensuring hospital visitation rights for LGBT patients and their loved ones
- Addressed health care disparities to include the health needs and concerns of the LGBT community
- Ensuring equality for the LGBT Federal Government Employees
- Preventing bullying against LGBT students
- Ensuring LGBT equality in housing and crime prevention
- Advancing and protecting the rights of LGBT people around the world
We are very excited and optimistic about this new appointment and what it means for the LGBT community. It’s about time someone from the transgender community took leadership in this position.