Obama Opts for No Gay Cabinet Members
December 19, 2008 by James Hipps · Leave a Comment
California Representative Hilda Solis (Democrat) has been appointed to the position of Labor Secretary in Obama’s cabinet, which for many means the aspirations of gay rights leaders for a cabinet-level appointment have diminished.
As reported earlier on GayAgenda.com, Mary Beth Maxwell, an out lesbian, who is the founding executive director of American Rights at Work and has been instrumental in gaining support for the pro-union Employee Free Choice Act, was considered to be a strong contender for the position..
In meetings last week, members of President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team met with dozens of gay and lesbian activists which gave hope a cabinet-level appointment to a GLBT person may be in the making, but no openly gay, bisexual or transgender person has served in one of the fifteen cabinet secretary positions that report directly to the president to date, and it looks as though it may not happen yet either.
During that meeting, the president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Chuck Wolfe, cleary stated to the transition team that he felt the political aspirations of the gay community had not yet been fully realized.
He stated:
“We have paid our political dues, but still have not benefited greatly from that. In the spirit of honest communication, if America’s promise is going to apply to all Americans it is time that LGBT people be appointed to the cabinet and to the highest ranks of government service.”
Obama’s Transition Team Includes Several Gays
November 30, 2008 by James Hipps · Leave a Comment
President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team includes at least seven openly gay people who will serve on panels that review and assign leaders to federal departments and agencies.
Included in the transition panels are businessman Fred P. Hochberg, former San Francisco Supervisor Roberta Achtenberg, and labor attorney Elaine Kaplan.
President Bush’s former ambassador to Romania, Michael Guest, has also been assigned to a transition panel that will review issues pertaining to the State Department. Guest was the nation’s second openly gay ambassador, as Bush appointed him to serve as the Romanian ambassador from 2001 to 2003.
