According to the BBC, the White House’s first trans member of staff, Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, started working as an outreach and recruitment director for presidential staff on Tuesday.
Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, who had previously worked as a policy adviser for the National Center for Transgender Equality (NTCE), was brought on board to improve awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights within government.
Mara Keisling , the Director of NTCE said in a statement, ‘I am elated that Raffi Freedman-Gurspan will become the first openly transgender staff member at the White House. President Obama has long said he wants his administration to look like the American people. I have understood this to include transgender Americans. 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.’
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.