Rachel Levine, the US Assistant Health Secretary has made history by becoming the nation’s first openly transgender four-star officer.
Rachel Leland Levine, 63, is an American pediatrician and has been the United States assistant secretary for health since March 26, 2021.
She is one of the few openly transgender government officials in the United States and is the first to hold an office that requires Senate confirmation.
Rachel is already a US assistant secretary for public health and became an admiral in the US Public Health Service Corps, a 6,000-person service that sends government medical officials to respond to health crises like Covid or natural disasters.
The pediatrician was ceremonially sworn in as an admiral in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps by US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced.
The 63-year-old described the occasion as “momentous” and “historic” during a swearing-in speech on Tuesday.
“I stand before you in this uniform ready to be a beacon in these dark days of Covid-19, working to serve you and this great nation,” the assistant secretary said. “I am honored to serve as the first female four-star officer of the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and the first openly transgender four-star officer to serve across any of the eight uniformed services.”
In a speech that paid tribute to the LGBTQ individuals who came before her, she said: “May this appointment today be the first of many more to come, as we create a diverse and more inclusive future”.
The Corps, which was established in 1889, is one of the nation’s uniformed services, alongside the six military services and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps, which pilots research vessels.
According to BBC, Levine is a graduate of Harvard College and Tulane University School of Medicine and has previously worked as a pediatrician.
She even served as Pennsylvania’s physician general and the state’s secretary of health. She worked on issues like responding to widespread opioid addiction.
In heading the health corps, Rachel will be in charge of deploying the country’s public health workers to respond to crises ranging from the coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 725,000 Americans, to natural disasters such as flooding.
“Admiral Levine’s historic appointment as the first openly transgender four-star officer is a giant step forward towards equality as a nation,” Xavier Becerra, Health and Human Services Secretary said in a statement.
Senior health officials lauded the historic nature of Levine’s appointment to the public health corps for the LGBTQ community, noting its particular significance during LGBTQ History Month, which is celebrated in October.
As the nation’s top transgender official, Levine has previously told NBC News that she will work to support the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender youth, saying “we have to protect those most vulnerable in our community.”
Rachel was proclaimed to be the admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, becoming its first-ever female four-star admiral and the nation’s first openly transgender four-star officer across any of the eight uniformed services.
In 2017, she was named to NBC Out’s national #Pride30 list, for her impact on the LGBTQ community.