[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] President-elect Joe Biden has nominated Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, as Deputy Secretary of the federal Department of Health and Human Services. If Levine passes the Senate confirmation hearing, she will become the first openly transgender federal senior official in the United States.
On the 19th (local time), one day before his inauguration, Biden announced on the transition team's website, "Dr. Levine will provide stable leadership and essential expertise to help the nation navigate the COVID-19 crisis regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability," explaining the reason for the nomination.
Levine, a pediatrician and psychiatrist from Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, has served as Pennsylvania Secretary of Health since 2017. She also leads the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), representing public health agencies across the country.
Biden has emphasized diversity in forming his cabinet and White House staff. In contrast to the predominantly white Trump administration, his team is regarded as the most racially and gender-diverse in American history.
Among Biden’s LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer) cabinet nominees is Pete Buttigieg, former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who has been selected as Secretary of Transportation. Buttigieg, who competed against Biden in the Democratic presidential primary, came out as LGBTQ in 2015.
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