The White House is looking a little less white these days. The White House’s first transgender staff member, Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, was hired in August as the director of outreach and recruitment in the personnel office. On Monday, the White House reported to BuzzFeed News that Freedman-Gurspan has been promoted to Outreach and Recruitment Director for Presidential Personnel and Associate Director for Public Engagement.
Refinery29 reports that Freedman-Gurspan will act as the liaison for LGBT issues. She has extensive experience in transgender policy, having worked as a policy advisor at the National Center for Transgender Equality and a legislative director for the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
“President Obama has said he wants his administration to look like America, and they have moved to include trans Americans,” Mara Keisling, executive director of the NCTE, told BuzzFeed News. “Raffi’s skills and personality make her the exact right person for this important job.”
This is a celebratory moment and a step toward equality for both the community and government.