Obama continues his LGBT advocacy, appoints transgender

This morning, the White House announced that it has appointed its first openly transgender official. Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, formerly of the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), was appointed as Outreach and Recruitment Director for Presidential Personnel in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. “Raffi Freedman-Gurspan demonstrates the kind of leadership this administration champions,” Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Obama, told the Washington Blade. “Her commitment to bettering the lives of transgender Americans, particularly transgender people of color and those in poverty, reflects the values of this administration.” Under President Obama’s unprecedented leadership, the LGBT community has made historic progress. President Obama announced his support for marriage equality in 2012 and has signed has signed the only signature pieces of LGBT-inclusive legislation to be passed by Congress (The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell and the first-ever LGBT-inclusive Violence Against Women Act re-authorization). President Obama made history in 2014 by signing an Executive Order to protect transgender federal employees from workplace discrimination and set strong new standards for federal contractors. His State of the Union address this year marked the first time a U.S. President has referenced bisexual or transgender people in the annual speech. HRC congratulates Freedman-Gurspan on this immense honor.