Transgender Woman Becomes First White House Staffer: Raffi Freedman-Gurspan Appointed by Obama
President Barack Obama on Tuesday named Raffi Freedman-Gurspan the White House Office of Presidential Personnel's new outreach and recruitment director, a historic appointment because Freedman-Gurspan becomes the first openly transgender official to serve in the Executive Mansion.
Mara Keisling, the executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality -- where Freedman-Gurspan had previously worked as a policy adviser -- told Politico that she was "elated" by the choice.
"President Obama has long said he wants his administration to look like the American people. I have understood this to include transgender Americans," Keisling said in a statement.
"A transgender person was inevitably going to work in the White House. That the first transgender appointee is a transgender woman of color is itself significant. And that the first White House transgender appointee is of a friend is inspiring to me and to countless others who have been touched by Raffi's advocacy," she added.
White House adviser Valerie Jarrett, meanwhile, told the Advocate that Freedman-Gurspan "demonstrates the kind of leadership this administration champions."
"Her commitment to bettering the lives of transgender Americans, particularly transgender people of color and those in poverty, reflects the values of this administration," Jarrett underlined.
According to The Advocate, it was not the first time Freedman-Gurspan turned out to be a pioneer. She was also the first transgender woman to work in the Massachusetts state house and was "instrumental" in passing the Bay State's transgender-rights law.
Beyond policy initiatives, the White House has taken a number of practical steps to show support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, CNN noted. For instance, Obama in April announced the creation of a gender-neutral bathroom in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, the workplace of many White House staffers.
Last year, the president had signed an executive order banning federal contractors from discriminating against employees due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Obama has also condemned "therapies" that tried to "fix" gay and transgender youth, the news channel recalled.
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