President Obama has appointed Amanda Simpson as the Senior Technical Adviser to the Commerce Department. What’s most interesting about this news is that Amanda Simpson is transgender.
“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 recent statement. “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.”
Simpson, a former test pilot and 2004 YWCA “Woman On The Move,” has been active in the aerospace and defense industries for more than 30 years. She most recently served as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development for Raytheon, where she underwent her transition from male to female.
This is President Obama’s first appointment of a known transgender to his administration, and perhaps the first to any administration. The appointment fulfills an equality promise Mr. Obama made to the LGBT community more than a year ago, and one they are obviously ecstatic to see come to fruition. Next up? DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL!
Personally, I think it's a pretty gutsy move_and I applaud the President's choice but only IF Ms. Simpson proves to be competent and thus does a good job.Time will tell.
HOORAY for Amanda!She seems more than qualified and it's about time. Thank you Mr. Obama
Their already saying the appointment was a token"For Amanda Simpson, believed to be America's first openly transgender presidential appointee, the job she starts Tuesday in the U.S. Commerce Department is an honor and the culmination of a career dedicated to understanding military technology. But what gnaws at her, she says, is the fear of being labeled a token who was hired because of her sexual identity rather than on her merits."Being the first sucks," she told ABC News.com. "I'd rather not be the first but someone has to be first, or among the first. I think I'm experienced and very well qualified to deal with anything that might show up because I've broken barriers at lots of other places and I always win people over with who I am and what I can do." "http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/amanda-simpson-transgender-presidential-appointee-begins-work-commerce/story?id=9477161
I'm sure President Obama did his homework, after all she does have 30 years experience in areospace and defense industries. I think she's more than qualified.Let's give her a chance to do her thing. Kudo's to President Obama.Blessings…