United States President Joe Biden has picked Rachel Levine, an openly transgender individual, to be his administration’s Assistant Health Secretary.
Rachel, formerly known as Richard, currently serves as Pennsylvania’s Health Secretary.
Dr. Levine, who is a pediatrician, has also served as the state’s physician general. Levine had been appointed to the current position by the state’s Democrat governor, Tom Wolf, in 2017. The appointment had also been confirmed by the state’s Republican majority senate.
In recent times, Levine has been involved in the COVID-19 response efforts in Pennsylvania.
In a statement, Biden described Levine as “a historic and deeply qualified choice to help lead our administration’s health efforts.”
“Dr. Rachel Levine will bring the steady leadership and essential expertise we need to get people through this pandemic — no matter their zip code, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability — and meet the public health needs of our country in this critical moment and beyond,” Biden’s statement read.
Levine underwent gender transition in 2011.
The Health and Human Services Department will be headed by Xavier Becerra, a Latino politician. There have also been nominations for the leading positions of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, surgeon general, and coronavirus response efforts.
Levine’s appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate of the United States.
Why This is Significant
The possible appointment of Levine appears to be part of a broader effort by the Biden administration to heed to the demands of the pro-transgender movement in the United States.
The White House website’s contact form now requests for gender pronouns apart from ‘he/him’ or ‘she/her’.
The US House of Representatives has also passed a resolution that bans it from using gender-specific terms in favour of gender-neutral language.
Critics have warned that this new shift marks a new stage in the blurring of society’s traditional understanding of gender—and human sexes. These commentators ( conservatives and many ‘old-school’ liberals) argue that attempts to force transgender ideology on society are a denial of the obvious natural differences between the sexes, as recognized in society’s long-held views on gender.
