On March 24, 2021, the US Senate voted 52-48 to confirm Rachel Levine, MD as Assistant Secretary for Health in the US Department of Health and Human Services. GLMA President Scott Nass, MD, MPA, FAAFP, AAHIVS, and Executive Director Hector Vargas, JD issued this statement in response:

“With this confirmation, Rachel Levine has made history as the highest ranking openly transgender person to serve in the US government and the first transgender nominee to be confirmed by the Senate. Rachel Levine isn’t just an eminently qualified public health expert--she’s a trailblazer and a model for LGBTQ health professionals, and her confirmation alongside earlier confirmations of HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, JD, and US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, MD, MBA, moves us closer to an HHS that looks like America.

“Her confirmation is a step in rebuilding the trust that has been lost through the previous administration’s unprecedented attacks on LGBTQ people, especially on transgender health. This confirmation goes a long way toward ensuring that HHS and the federal government as a whole are assertively addressing the health inequities LGBTQ communities face. We look forward to working with Assistant Secretary Levine and her office to advance a bold agenda for LGBTQ health.”