Sunday August 23, 2015 - First Transwomen appointed to the White House staff memeber

The White House hired Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, who was a policy adviser at the National Center for Transgender Equality. She was hired by Mr. Obama’s team as the director of outreach and recruitment for the White House personnel office.

She started at the White House while Mr. Obama is on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard.

This is another milestone on our road to equality. It might not seem like a big step, but having someone who is out and representing our issues within the White House staff is big. She may not directly become involved in transgendered issues, but her acceptance as part of the White House team will have huge benefits, as people get to know her.

Many people still say they do not know a Transperson. Far more people actually do know someone, but he or she is still in the closet. However, polling shows that once someone does know a Transperson, their support of trans issues rise significantly.

The 2015 HRC poll shows that only 22% of Americans know a Transperson. Which is up from 17% in 2014. The big takeaway from this poll is that those who know a Transperson have a 66%-13% favorable view of Transpeople. The 78% that do not know a Transperson have a 37% to 30% favorable view of Transpeople. The difference is a huge. This supports the need for more Transpeople to come out either in public or among friends and/or family.

By coming out, you will assist in increasing the overall acceptance of our community.