United States President-elect Joe Biden announced Tuesday, January 19, that he has appointed Deputy Minister of Health Rachel Levine, a transgender expert in pediatrics and psychiatry, currently Director of Health in the State of Pennsylvania, a "
historic
first"
".
Read also: United States: five things to know before the inauguration of Joe Biden
"
She represents a historic and highly qualified choice to help drive the health policies of our administration,
" wrote Joe Biden, who will become the 46th President of the United States on Wednesday.
Rachel Levine "will
bring the strong leadership and the crucial expertise we need to guide people through this pandemic, no matter where they are from, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability,
" said he added.
Now Pennsylvania Director of Health and University Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Rachel Levine, "
is set to be the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the US Senate
," the
US Senate
said. Joe Biden's team in a statement.
Democrats will take control of the upper house this week, which is due to confirm presidential appointments.
Outgoing President Donald Trump has been criticized for his policies against transgender people.
In particular, he announced in 2017 his decision to ban transgender people from serving in the military, highlighting “
the burden of enormous medical costs
” and “
disruption
”.
The Pentagon finally authorized transgender people to enlist in early 2018, provided they meet certain physical and medical criteria.
Joe Biden chose California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as Minister of Health.
The Democrat has promised to shift into high gear to fight the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States, the most affected country in the world with 24 million cases and nearly 400,000 deaths.