(WALL STREET JOURNAL) — CHILMARK, Mass. – The first openly transgender White House official started work Monday in the West Wing, a milestone cheered by transgender rights activists and President Barack Obama’s top aides.
Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, who was a policy adviser at the National Center for Transgender Equality, was hired by Mr. Obama’s team as the director of outreach and recruitment for the White House personnel office. She started at the White House while Mr. Obama is on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard, set to return to Washington on Sunday.
Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House adviser, said in a statement that Ms. Freedman-Gurspan’s hiring “demonstrates the kind of leadership this administration champions.”
“Her commitment to bettering the lives of transgender Americans, particularly transgender people of color and those in poverty, reflects the values of this administration,” Ms. Jarrett said.