President Obama appoints first transgender woman to Commerce Department

[Danya (imported)]

Amanda Simpson, Transgender Candidate, Appointed To Commerce Post

The Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/0 ... 10346.html) | Nick Wing

First Posted: 01- 4-10 10:29 AM | Updated: 01- 4-10 01:02 PM

President Obama has appointed Amanda Simpson, a transgender woman, to be the Senior Technical Adviser to the Commerce Department.

"I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me," Simpson said in a statement. "As one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others."

Simpson -- a former test pilot and 2004 YWCA "Woman On The Move" -- has been active in the aerospace and defense industry for the past 30 years. She most recently served as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development for Raytheon, where she transitioned from male to female.

In the past decade, Simpson has been highly active in GLBT issues. In 2005, she successfully worked to have Raytheon adopt gender identity into its Equal Employment Opportunity Policy. That same year, she ran unsuccessfully for the Arizona House of Representatives.

[Danya (imported)]

In 2005, she successfully worked to have Raytheon adopt gender identity into its Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.

At my last employer, I had been pushing to have 'gender identity and expression' incorporated into the corporate non discrimination policy. When I left, it looked like it was going to go through. I cannot find the information after a detailed search of their web site. I've still got contacts within the organization who can tell me if they went ahead with this. I will find out.

[Dave (imported)]

The federal agency where I worked had a post-doctoral fellowship" (as the appointment is called for both sexes) researcher go from male to female.

It was an adventure, considering no one really knew what to do. He left one Friday and she returned on Monday morning. That was the beginning of the year spent as what she wanted to be before she got the surgery.

The biggest change was the "transgender" bathroom in the one building.

I met the man when he first was hired and later knew the lady. Nice person. He worked in the next building over. I knew about his situation and afterward never asked about her situation. I did see her once about three years after and asked if she was back working in scientific research and she was. That was good.

We had the usual assholes who said all sorts of stupid and ignorant things but after a few weeks, the people who worked with her told them to shut the fuck up. It wasn't worth creating more troubles in anyone's life and the research she did was excellent. That's all that really counted in the end -- did she do the work we needed.

[A-1 (imported)]

Ah yes! But in her end, that's not ALL that counted... I say, Good for her!

[ramses (imported)]

I congradulate her if she is the best person for the job. If she was picked because she was the best TG person available, it would not be anything to celebrate. I honestly have been too busy to comment on her qualifications.

[A-1 (imported)]

I congradulate her if she is the best person for the job. If she was picked because she was the best TG person available, it would not be anything to celebrate. I honestly have been too busy to comment on her qualifications.

Gee Ramses,

You like to PEE on Parades, don't you?

[bobover3 (imported)]

I'm only sorry to live in a world where such a hiring is newsworthy.