The recent appointment of Amanda
Simpson, a transgender woman, is among the first by a presidential
administration.
Amanda Simpson, a member of the board
of directors of the National Center for Transgender Equality, has
been appointed Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce
by President Obama.
“Obama is the first U.S. president to
appoint openly transgender individuals to executive branch
positions,” the Gay
& Lesbian Victory Fund, a group that backs openly gay elected
officials, said on its website.
“I'm truly honored to have received
this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that
is before me,” Simpson said in a statement. “And at the same
time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the
federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and
that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others.”
According to the National
Center for Transgender Equality, Simpson brings 30 years of
aerospace and defense industry experience to her new post. She holds
degrees in physics, engineering and business administration.
The Obama
administration is on track to setting a new record on openly gay,
lesbian, bisexual and transgender appointees. President Clinton
appointed about 140 gay officials over 8 years. In his first year
in office, Obama has appointed nearly 100 openly LGBT officials.