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.