Poisoning of America by the Mentally Ill
Sinning LGBTQ Appointments
in the Biden – Harris Administration
As of April 29, 2021 – the 100 Days mark of Joe Biden’s presidency – over 200 known LGBTQ people have been appointed to his administration, the most in history at this point in any administration.
Washington, DC – One-hundred days into his presidency, President Joe Biden has appointed at least 200 known LGBTQ appointees to his administration, exponentially more than any other president at this point in their administration. Among them are groundbreaking appointees Pete Buttigieg, the first out LGBTQ Senate-confirmed Cabinet member, and Dr. Rachel Levine, the first out Senate-confirmed trans appointee. Buttigieg serves as Secretary of Transportation and Dr. Levine as Assistant Secretary for Health. President Barack Obama held the previous record for LGBTQ appointments at 100 days, but with just 37 known LGBTQ appointees.
The Biden administration is well on-track to appoint the 225 LGBTQ people necessary to achieve equitable representation in appointments – about 5.6 percent of the roughly 4000 presidential appointments. Gallup estimates LGBTQ Americans at 5.6 percent of the U.S. population – with younger Americans identifying more often as LGBTQ (including 9.1 percent of millennials and 15.9 percent of generation Z). More than one-third of LGBTQ appointees so far were recommended to the administration by Victory Institute’s Presidential Appointments Initiative.
Also today, Victory Institute released names and positions for more than 100 of the LGBTQ appointees publicly available so far. It is available here.
“President Biden’s administration is already the most LGBTQ-inclusive in history and his appointees have shattered long-standing political barriers thought unthinkable not long ago,” said Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Institute. “These appointees make an incalculable impact every day, drafting policies within agencies, advising on legislation and debating critical issues at the highest levels. With the thousands of appointments yet to be made, we will continue to work with the administration to not only ensure our community is equitably represented, but that trans and non-binary people, LGBTQ people of color and LGBTQ women are fully represented as well.”
In the first 100 days, two of the Presidential Appointments Initiative’s five goals have already been achieved:
- Appoint and confirm the first out LGBTQ Cabinet member; and
- Successfully appoint the first Senate-confirmed out trans appointee.
Three primary goals remain:
- Appoint out LGBTQ women ambassadors, LGBTQ ambassadors of color, and transgender ambassadors for the first time;
- Nominate an out LGBTQ U.S. Supreme Court justice for the first time; and
- Ensure equitable representation among presidential appointees throughout this presidency and ensure they reflect the full diversity of the LGBTQ community.
“President Biden has already made history with the number of LGBTQ women and transgender people he has nominated for Senate-confirmed positions,” said Ruben Gonzales, Executive Director of LGBTQ Victory Institute. “He will rollout his picks for ambassadorships over the next few months and it presents an incredible opportunity to choose diverse and groundbreaking LGBTQ nominees. Just a small handful of LGBTQ people have ever served as ambassadors and all of them were white cisgender men. Ambassadors signal to the world who we are and what we stand for. The impact of our first LGBTQ women ambassadors, first LGBTQ ambassadors of color and first trans ambassadors would be enormous.”
The Presidential Appointments Initiative – first launched by Victory Institute during President Bill Clinton’s administration – has received more than 1300 applications from LGBTQ people interested in joining the Biden administration so far. It achieved unprecedented success under President Obama, who appointed approximately 330 LGBTQ people, the most in history. Of those, 158 were assisted by the Presidential Appointments Initiative.
Asian Development Bank
Chantale Wong, U.S. Director of the Asian Development Bank with the rank of Ambassador*
AmeriCorps Corporation for National and Community Service
Henry Hicks, Assistant to the Board of Directors
Michael Smith, Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation for National and Community Service*
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
Alberto Gonzales, Senior Advisor for External Engagement, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)
Edyael Casaperalta, Senior Policy Advisor at the Rural Utilities Service
Fernando Brigidi, Special Assistant with the Office of the Deputy Secretary
Kenneth Corn, USDA State Director, Rural Development, Oklahoma
Department of Commerce
Abigale Belcrest, Special Assistant to the Under Secretary, Bureau of Industry and Security
Chakir’ Underdown, Deputy Director, Executive Secretariat
Ellie Collinson, Chief of Staff to the Chief Financial Officer/Assistant Secretary of Administration
Hazel Rosenblum-Sellers, Special Assistant and Scheduler
Ike Umunnah, Director of Public Affairs, Economic Development Administration
Jed Kolko, Undersecretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs*
Michale Carey, Chief Protocol Officer and Senior Advisor
Mira Patel, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary
Robert Williams, Deputy Director for Intergovernmental Affairs NTIA
Roddy Flynn, Deputy Director of Congressional Affairs at the National Telecommunications & Information Administration
Samuel Marquez, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development
Taylor Carter-Disanto, Special Assistant, Minority Business Development Agency
Vince Micone, Executive Director for Enterprise Services
Department of Defense
Alex Wagner, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Manpower and Reserve Affairs*
Andrea Goldstein, Assistant Director, Force Resiliency, Department of the Navy
Anthony Johnson, Special Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
Ben Chao, Special Assistant, Budget and Appropriations Affairs
Beth George, Principal Deputy General Counsel
Farouk Ophaso, Senior Advisor, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)^
Gina Ortiz Jones, Undersecretary of the Air Force*
Jamal Brown, Deputy Press Secretary^
Jesse Salazar, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Industrial Policy^
Karim Farishta, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense
Leon Ratz, Special Assistant
Matt Williams, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Senate Affairs
Richard Johnson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear and Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy
Shawn Skelly, Assistant Secretary for Readiness*
Victor Estevez Garcia, Special Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere
Will Goodwin, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Secretary of the Army
Department of Education
Alex Payne, Special Assistant, Office of Legislation and Congressional Affairs
Chauncey Alexander, Special Assistant
Heather Ward, Special Assistant, Office of Postsecondary Education
Joaquin Tamayo, Chief of Staff Office of the Deputy Secretary
Kristina Ishmael, Deputy Director, Office of Education Technology
Levi Bohanan, Special Assistant Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
Richard Williams, Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary
Stephen Lamb, Confidential Assistant, Office of Postsecondary Education
Suzanne Goldberg, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Operations and Outreach, Office for Civil Rights
Department of Energy
Andrew Wills, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor for Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
David Mayorga, Director of Public Affairs
Ellie Collinson, Chief of Staff to the Chief Financial Officer, Assistant Secretary of Administration
Isha Korde, Special Assistant to the White House Liaison
Jeremiah Baumann, Deputy Chief of Staff
Jeff Marootian, Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Robert Golden, Special Advisor to the Chief of Staff
Suzanna Steele, Special Assistant to the White House Liaison, Office of the Secretary
Tarak Shah, Chief of Staff^
Department of Homeland Security
Adam Hunter, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Immigration
Alexander Fox, Scheduler to the Secretary
Cassie Wilcox, Special Assistant to the Secretary
Chris Magnus, Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection*
Eduardo Maia Silva, Assistant Press Secretary
Emily Stanley, Special Assistant to the Director, CISA
Grace Meyer, Special Assistant, Office of the Deputy Secretary
Justin Knighten, Director of the Office of External Affairs at FEMA
Nathan Williams, Special Assistant and Advisor
Reese McCranie, Senior Advisor, Office of Public Affairs, CBP
Patrick Hobart, Special Assistant, Office of General Counsel
Steven Feder, Chief of Protocol, Office of the Secretary
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Ben Winter, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development^
Beth Niblock, Chief Information Officer, Chief Information Office
Brian Castro, Acting General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations
Brian McCabe, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development
Elly Kugler, Senior Counsel, Office of General Counsel
Faith Rogers, Senior Advisor
Jenn Jones, Chief of Staff
Joe Carlile, Senior Advisor for Budget, Policy, and Programs to the Secretary
Lacey Rose, Director of Strategic Communications, Office of Public Affairs
Marion McFadden, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development
Solomon Greene, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Policy Development and Research and nominee for Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research**
Stephen Lucas, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing
Department of Health and Human Services
Adrian Eng-Gastelum, Press Secretary
Adrian Shanker, Senior Advisor on LGBTQI+ Health Equity in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health
AJ Pearlman, Chief of Staff, COVID-19 Response
Brian Altman, Deputy Director for the Administration on Aging at Administration for Community Living
Brian Kaplun, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff
Daniel Tartakovsky, Associate Director of Science and Policy, Office of the Surgeon General
Demetre Daskalakis, CDC’s Director of the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
Elizabeth Carr, Senior Advisor to the Director, Indian Health Services
Hannah Katch, Senior advisor at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Ingrid Ulrey, Region 10 Director
Larry Handerhan, Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor Administration for Children and Families
Laura Durso, Chief of Staff for Civil Rights
Michael Huggins, Senior Advisor, Office of Civil Rights
Molly Doris-Peirce, Special Assistant, Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs
Admiral Rachel Levine, Assistant Secretary for Health*
Sarah Boateng, Chief of Staff
Steven Lopez, Counselor to the Secretary, AHRQ/FDA/NIH
Department of the Interior
Giovanni Rocco, Deputy Press Secretary
Mike Martinez, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Fish and Wildlife and Parks
Tyler Cherry, Press Secretary
Winnie Stachelberg, Senior Advisor and Infrastructure Coordinator
Department of Justice
Carlos Uriete, Assistant Attorney General for Legislative Affairs*
Department of Labor
Chris Godfrey, Director, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs
Jack Jackson, Tribal Liaison, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs
Julian Purdy, Chief of Staff, Veterans’ Employment & Training Service
Malbert Smith, Legislative Officer
Patrick Oakford, Chief of Staff for the Assistant Secretary for Policy
Wendy Chun-Hoon, Women’s Bureau Director
Department of State
Amber Mclntyer, Director of Operations, United States Mission to the UN
Ariane Tabatabai, Senior Advisor for the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
Christopher Lamora, Ambassador to Cameroon*
Erik Ramanathan, Ambassador to Sweden*
Francisco Bencosme, Senior Advisor for East Asia
Jessica Stern, U.S. Special Envoy to Advance the Human Rights of LGBTQI+ Persons
Jirair Ratevosian, Senior Advisor for the Office fo Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy
Leonardo Martinez-Diaz, Senior Director for Climate Finance, Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
Marc Ostfield, Ambassador to Paraguay*
Marcus Switzer, Deputy Chief of Protocol
Ned Price, Spokesperson
Reggie Greer, Senior Advisor to the U.S. LGBTQI Special Envoy
Rufus Gifford, Chief of Protocol, with the rank of Ambassador*
Scott Miller, Ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein*
Sean Bartlett, Senior Advisor, Bureau of Global Public Affairs
Tobin Bradley, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs
Department of Transportation
Arlando Teller, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tribal Affairs
Charlene Wang, Special Assistant, Federal Highway Administration
Dani Simons, Director of Public Affairs
Emma Tyler, Associate Director for Governmental Affairs
Joseph Jarrin, Senior Advisor for Management and Budget, Office of the Secretary
Justin Ramirez, Program Manager in the Office of Public Engagement in the Office of the Secretary
Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation*
Philip McNamara, Assistant Secretary for Administration
Raffi Freedman-Gurspan, Deputy Director of Public Engagement
Tatjana Kunz, Special Assistant for Policy
Department of the Treasury
Aditi Hardikar, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary
Damian Richardson, Special Assistant
Dayanara Ramirez, Spokesperson
Lowery McNeal, Digital Strategy Specialist, Office of Public Affairs
Department of Veteran Affairs
Kayla Williams, Assistant Secretary, Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
Environmental Protection Agency
Brent Efron, Special Assistant, Office of Policy^
Casey Katims, Deputy Associate Administrator for Intergovernmental Relations
Eric Wachter, Director, Office of the Executive Secretariat
Debra Shore, Regional Administrator for EPA Region 5
Dorian Blythers, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations
Eunjung Kim, Special Assistant, Office of Air and Radiation
Johnathan Garza, Special Assistant, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations
Jon Monger, Assistant Deputy Administrator
Maxwell Levy, Special Assistant, Office of Public Engagement
Rodney Snyder, Senior Advisor for Agriculture Office of the Administrator
Executive Office of the President
Alex Haskell, Senior Deputy Associate Counsel, Presidential Personnel Office
Allie Peck, Senior Legislative Affairs Advisor, Office of Legislative Affairs
Andrew Hebbler, Assistant Director for Health and Life Sciences, OSTP
Anthony Bernal, Sr. Advisor to FLOTUS Dr. Jill Biden
Anthony Pascua Jr. U.S Digital Service
Bechara Choucair, Vaccination Coordinator
Billy Silk, Senior Associate Director, PPO
Brendan Cohen, Platform Manager
Carlos Elizondo, White House Social Secretary
Connor Goddard, Senior Associate Director at the White House
Curtis Ried, Senior Director of Multilateral Affairs, NSC
Dave Noble, Director of White House Management and Administration
David Gins, Office of the Vice President
David Shimer, Policy Advisor, NSC
David Nurnberg, Associate Director Office of the Social Secretary
Edgar Estrada, Associate Director of Special Projects and Special Assistant to the Second Gentleman
Ella Lipin, Senior Advisor, NSC
Ellen Qualls, Consultant, OSTP
Emma Beckerman, Research Associate
Emmy Ruiz, Director of Political Strategy and Outreach
Ernesto Apreza, Office of Public Engagement – Latino Engagement
Gabriel Uy, Associate Director, Office of Intergovernmental Affairs^
Garret Lamm, Deputy Director of Presidential Correspondence
Gautam Raghavan, Director, Presidential Personnel Office
Grace Smith, Scheduler, Council of Environmental Quality
Hannah Bristol, Associate Director of Public Engagement
Harold Philips, Director of the Office of National Aids Policy
Howard Ou, Associate Director of Public Engagement
Ike Hajinazarian, Regional Communications Director
Ike Irby, Policy Advisor in the Office of the Vice President
Jamie Citron, Special Assistant to the President for Presidential Personnel
Jamie Keene, Domestic Policy Council
Jamie McFarlin, Domestic Policy Council
Jesse Bernstein, Director for Human Rights and Civil Society at NSC
John Elias, Senior Deputy Associate Counsel, Presidential Personnel Office
John W. McCarthy, Senior Advisor to the Counselor to the President
Jordan Finkelstein, Special Assistant to Anita Dunn
Jordan Orosz, Deputy Associate Counsel and Tax Counsel, Presidential Personnel Office
Julian Gewirtz, Director for China, NSC
Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Press Secretary
Kei Koizumi, Principal Deputy Director for Policy, OSTP
Kevin Muños, Assistant Press Secretary
Kings Floyd, Researcher, Presidential Personnel Office
Lucas Acosta, White House Director of Broadcast Media
Marc Aidinoff, Senior Advisor and Acting Chief of Staff, OSTP
Marco Sanchez, Associate Director for Domestic Agency Personnel
Matt Hill, Senior Associate Communications Director
Matthew Hernandez, Personnel Vetting Chief of Staff, Presidential Personnel Office
Michael LaRosa, Press Secretary to Dr. Jill Biden, First Lady of the United States
Olivia Raisner, Traveling Content Director
Pili Tobar, Deputy White House Communications Director
Ray Dyson, Associate Director, PPO
Ruben Gonzales, Special Assistant to the President for Domestic Agency Personnel, PPO
Sean Christiansen, Policy Advisor, Office on COVID-19 Response
Stephen Goepfert, Special Assistant to the President
Stuart Delery, White House Counsel
Teresa Tolliver, Associate Director, PPO
Terry Moynihan, Deputy Director for Research
Tim Maurer, Director for Technology and Democracy, NSC
Thomas Isen, Special Assistant
William Rusche, Research Lead, Presidential Personnel Office
Zachary Bernstein, Director for Strategic Stability and Regional Security, NSC
Export-Import Bank of the United States
Chris Van Es, Senior Vice President for Communication and External Engagement
Farm Credit Administration
Vincent Logan, Member of the Farm Credit Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
Marc Nichols, Chief Counsel
Federal Communications Commission
Alejandro Roark, Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau Chief
Gigi Sohn, Commissioner**
Government Services Administration
Jacky Chang, Senior Advisor on Technology
Nathan Osburn, Speechwriter
Judicial Nominees
Alison Nathan, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit*
Ana Reyes, United States District Court for the District of Columbia**
Beth Robinson, United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit*
Charlotte Sweeney, United States District Court for the District of Colorado*
Gina Mendez-Miro, United States District Judge for the District of Puerto Rico**
Jamar Walker, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia**
Nina Morrison, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York*
William Pocan, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Wisconsin**
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Kayla Ratnasamy, Special Assistant to the Administrator
Thomas Zimmerman, Senior Advisor for Policy Coordination
Office of Personnel Management
Margot Conrad, Executive Director, Chief Human Capital Officers (CHCO) Council, and Senior Advisor to the Director
Ernesto Rodriguez, Senior Advisor, Congressional, Legislative, and Intergovernmental Affairs
Jason Tengco, White House Liaison
Viet Tran, Press Secretary
Scott Syroka, Deputy Communications Director
Tiffany Worthy, Senior Advisor for Appointee Leadership Development
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Christy Abizaid, Director of National Counterterrorism Center*
Selective Service System
Daniel Sohn, Selective Service System Local Board Member
Small Business Administration
Francisco Sanchez, Jr. Associate Administrator, Office of Disaster Assistance
Han Nguyen, Acting Associate Administrator
Jennifer Knight, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods, and Materials
Jonathan Alter, Senior Advisor, Office of Investment and Innovation
Julie Verratti, Associate Administrator of Field Operations
Larry Webb, D.C. District Director
Mark Madrid, Associate Administrator for the Office of Entrepreneurial Development
Olivia Shestopal, Director of Advance
Terrence Clark, Director of Communications, Office of Communications & Public Liaison
Veronica Pugin, Senior Advisor in the Office of Capital Access
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Anka Lee, Senior China Policy Advisor
Blair Mallin, Scheduler to the Administrator
Eric Jacobstein, Senior Advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean
Jay Gilliam, Senior LGBTQI+ Coordinator
Lauren Post, Senior Advisor, Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance
Liz Leibowitz, Pillar Lead for Policy, Engagement, and Communications, COVID-19 Task Force
Michael Michner, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Resilience and Food Security
Nabila Baptiste, Special Assistant to the Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
U.S. Board and Commissions
Cathy Harris, Chair of the Merit Systems Protection Board**
Chai Rachel Feldblum, Commissioner, U.S. Ability One Commission
Christopher Morgan, Member of the National Council on the Arts
Christy Goldsmith Romero, Commodity Futures Trading Commission*
Claudia Slacik, Chair, Board of Directors, Securities and Investor Protection Corporation*
Eric Fanning, Member, Board of Visitors to the U.S. Air Force Academy
Gabriel Cazares, Commissioner, U.S. Ability One Commission
Joseph Falk, Member, U.S. Institute for Peace
Katherine Rice, Presidents Commission on White House Fellows
Paul Angelo, Member, Board of Visitors to the U.S. Naval Academy
Paul Boskind, Member, President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
Robert Garcia, Trustee of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation
Sarah McBride, Member, Commission on Presidential Scholars
Sharon Kleinbaum, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedoms
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Member, Board of Visitors to the U.S. Air Force Academy
Todd Harper, Chair, National Credit Union Administration*
Tori Cooper, Presidents Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS
U.S. Census Bureau
Meghan Maury, Senior Advisor
U.S. International Development Finance Corporation
Aparna Shrivastava, Deputy Chief Climate Officer
U.S. Mission to the UN
Josh Black, Senior Advisor to the U.S Ambassador to the UN
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Aditi Hardikar, Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary
Dayanara Ramirez, Spokesperson
U.S Office of the Trade Representative
Aruna Kalyanam, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy
Christopher Wilson, Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator
Michael Kikukawa, Spokesperson
Veterans Affairs
Sue Fulton, Assistant Secretary Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
Kayla Williams, Assistant Secretary Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs
https://victoryinstitute.org/programs/presidential-appointments-initiative/lgbtq-appointments-in-the-biden-harris-administration/