On Wednesday, LGBT Tech, along with over 350 groups, signed an open letter calling for the Senate to confirm Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine as Assistant Secretary for Health. Organized by the National LGBT Cancer Network, the letter outlines Dr. Levine's qualifying credentials for the position. In addition to being Pennsylvania's current Secretary of Health, she is also Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine; a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine, and the Academy for Eating Disorders; and President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). If confirmed, Dr. Levine would become the first openly transgender person to hold the position, and the highest-level openly trans public health official in the United States.
As an organization, LGBT Tech is proud to support Dr. Levine's confirmation to Assistant Secretary for Health and urges the Senate to do so. Her professional and public career more than qualify her for the position, and her appointment would hold no small significance for the trans community specifically and the LGBTQ+ community in general.